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There’s been a revamped interest in the fantasy genre as of late. The Lord of the Rings film trilogy was a massive success, and so was HBO’s Game of Thrones. Using best-selling fantasy novels as source material for movies and films isn’t a new idea. With the astronomic rise of streaming platforms, TV adaptations of popular fantasy series have ramped up. Here are a few recent well-executed fantasy adaptations for TV

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The House of the Dragon

An independent sequel to the smash hit “Game of Thrones”, House of the Dragon is the second based on the book Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin. The book is set in the same universe as his popular book series “A Song of Ice and Fire” and recounts the history of House Targaryen, the dynasty that ruled over the fictional continent of Westeros. Martin is also one of the creators of the show. The show boasts impeccable scoring and set design.

Well-written, morally grey characters; power struggles between powerful people and dynasties; an extremely brutal and often bleak medieval-esque world; and characters trying to challenge the patriarchal foundations of their world are just a few of the reasons why this show might appeal to Game of Thrones viewers, or even people experiencing this world for the first time. Here’s a handy family tree of House Targaryen that might be helpful for first-time viewers. The show started airing in August 2022 and can be watched on HBO max.

The Wheel of Time

The Wheel of Time TV series is based on the book series of the same name, which is also one of the greatest fantasy series of all time. The show follows Moiraine, a member of the Aes Sedai, a powerful organization of women who are magic users, or “channelers.” The Aes Sedai seek a group of five young people from their home village following an attack by the forces of the Dark One, a malevolent evil entity who seeks to destroy existence, or “the Pattern”. They aim to find the reincarnation of the Dragon, who is prophesied to either save the world from the Dark One or break it once more. The show has remarkable diversity and breathtaking cinematography. The first season of the show started airing in November 2021 on Amazon Prime, and the third season of the show will start airing shortly. The show has impressive reviews, indicating that it has delivered on the things it set out to do.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Another TV adaptation from a very well-known franchise, The Rings of Power is based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s history of Middle-earth, set a few thousand years before the events of the Lord of the Rings book and movie series. Set in a time of relative peace, the show covers the major events of Middle-earth’s Second Age, i.e., the forging of the Rings of Power, the last elven-human alliance, and the rise of the evil lord Sauron. The show has meticulous detail, amazing visuals, and cinematography, a breathtaking score, and lots of sub-plots, although not all of them might give you a sufficient payoff. Although the show has mixed reviews, most fans swear by the show. The first season of the show aired from September 2022 to October 2022 on Amazon Prime. Plans for future seasons are already in the works.

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Dan Dunn

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Editor and Admin at MarkMeets since Nov 2012. Columnist, reviewer and entertainment writer and oversees all of the section's news, features and interviews. During his career, he has written for numerous magazines.

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