Game of Thrones : The Poster Collection – Wear it like armor

I bet if I stopped somebody on the street and asked them to hum the theme to Game of Thrones they’d likely look at me like I’d lost my mind.  They’d also, more than likely, be one of the 14.2 million viewers that have come to absolutely love the series from HBO, and stay up each and every Sunday night to watch it, so as to never be hit with the dreaded spoilers come Monday morning.   To celebrate the incredible success of the series, Insight Editions has commissioned a 40-poster collection of some of the most iconic characters and imagery of Game of Thrones.

Like their other collection books, the Game of Thrones poster collection is far larger than you might expect.  Coming in at 16” tall and 12” wide, each is printed on fairly heavy stock that makes them durable and resistant to bends or creases.  Loosely bound in a folder material, the 40 individual prints are meant to be removed; certainly not a necessity though–if you are careful not to tug, this could be your new coffee table conversation piece.  I’ll say this now–beware of spoilers for Season 1 from this point on in this review.  You’ve been warned.

Game of Thrones has been confirmed for Season 5 and 6, but this poster set has an obvious focus on Season 1.  With an emphasis on the main characters, the poster set opens with the iconic picture of Eddard Stark holding his greatsword, Ice, about to behead Will – the perceived deserter in the first episode.  From there the chapters unfold quickly with Khal Drogo, Daenerys Targaryen, Lady Catelyn, Robb Stark at the war table, Arya Stark, Jon Snow, an imprisoned Jaime Lannister, and Sansa Stark.  From there we get a fantastic headshot of Cersei and Jaime Lannister, Gregor Clegane, Tyrion Lannister wielding a shield (a bit of a departure from the books for the purists amongst us), and Jon with Egret.  The remainder of the book gives us Joffrey on the throne, Bran being carried by Robb, Renly Baratheon wearing his short-lived crown, Brienne of Tarth, and Ser Loras Tyrell; all taken directly from the show.

The second half of the book gives us a look at the incredibly high quality promotional shots that were shown before the launch of the first season.  These pieces are incredibly well shot, with the four-panel soft-toned image of Robb, Cersei, Daenerys, and Jaime standing out amongst the other promo pieces.  I suspect a similarly-colored shot of Tyrion looking off-page with concern will be a fan favorite.  My favorite piece in the whole pack has to be the shot of the Brothers of the Night’s Watch gathered at the Weirwood to witness the oath of Samwell Tarly and Jon Snow as they take the black.  There simply isn’t a bad shot anywhere in this book.

There are only two things that stood out as negatives for an official Game of Thrones poster collection that might leave true fans a little chuffed.  The first is a complaint that I’ve made before, but have been assured that the team at Insight Editions is correcting – the 40 posters are double-sided.  This leaves you deciding between pieces you might otherwise simultaneously display.   The other is a matter of timing – there isn’t a single shot of Drogon, Viserion, and Rhaegal.  As the three dragons had not hatched until literally the final seconds of the first Season, so they were simply not included here.   Should Insight Editions do a sequel to this set, it’d be fantastic to see these fearsome beasts included.

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