The fourth season of Game of Thrones hits its midpoint, and Boars, Gore, and Swords is here to push you out of the way of "Spoils of War".

Ivan and Red discuss the ongoing Stark family reunion, Arya coming into her own as a dual-wielding murder machine, Sansa's incredibly ability to count grain, Daenarys's saviorhood, and Jaime Lannister's attempt to save his raid from wiping.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

Listen: Boars, Gore, and Swords for Episode 3, "The Queen's Justice."

The new season of Game of Thrones has come ashore, and Boars, Gore, and Swords is ready to count the many fleets burned in their recap of "Queen's Justice". Ivan and Red discuss Cersei's worsening mental state, a surprisingly subtle torture, Tyrion's massive strategic self-own, and so much more.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

HBO's Game of Thrones continues its new season, and Boars, Gore, and Swords is here to recap all the talky and fighty events in "Stormborn". Ivan and Red cover extremely gross pot pie transitions, reunions both affecting and not, Daenarys's managerial style, and Cersei's parallels to other floundering leaders.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

Boars, Gore, and Swords prepares for the imminent return of HBO's Game of Thrones by going through the list of every current character and their whereabouts as of the end of Season 6 in this refresher episode. Ivan and Red cover who's alive and who's been hardcore merced, what they might end up doing, and even throw in some Baby Driver and Spider-Man talk. And don't forget to check out all the extra episodes and content available on the Patreon.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. Read the rest

As HBO's Westworld nears its conclusion, Boars, Gore, and Swords is there to keep up with all the twists and turns. For this week's "The Well-Tempered Clavier," Ivan and Red discuss Arnold's true identity, the relative lack of value of human cognition, Logan wearing a "Hand of The King" pin, when and where Dolores is, and the male nudity everyone's been waiting for.

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To catch up on previous episodes of Westworld, previous seasons of Game of Thrones, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

Having watched the 1973 Westworld film last week, Boars, Gore, and Swords moves on to the Crichton-less sequel Futureworld. Ivan and Red discuss how much more it influenced the HBO series, Yul Brynner's guest appearance, and the advantages of roboticizing the workplace. Over on the BGaS Patreon, you can listen to the last exclusive episode of Ivan and Red's politics podcast and suggest what future bonus content you'd like to see

To catch up on previous episodes of Westworld, previous seasons of Game of Thrones, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

Now that Boars, Gore, and Swords has switched to full coverage of HBO's Westworld, they've returned to their schedule of posting episodes following that night's airing. For this week's "Contrapasso," Ivan and Red are joined by comedian Allison Mick to discuss ever-expanding fan theories, dude robot full frontal, and Ed Harris's frontier medicine. They've also concluded their Patreon-exclusive coverage of the Great British Bake Off finale, so kick in a buck for some high-class cake talk.

To catch up on previous episodes of Westworld, previous seasons of Game of Thrones, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

In the face of overwhelming listener demand, Boars, Gore, and Swords will be deviating from their stated cause of Game of Thrones to cover all of HBO's video game vacation series Westworld. Ivan and Red worked overtime to get current, recapping episodes two, three (along with guest Walt Hickey of 538), and four over the weekend. And, of course, you can start with last week's coverage of episode one. They discuss all the fan theories, gaming references, and old-timey talk contained therein. If all that content wasn't enough, they also released a recap of episode nine of The Great British Bake Off over on their Patreon. 

To catch up on previous seasons of Game of Thrones, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

This week, Boars, Gore, and Swords breaks from the ASOIAF book club to watch the first episode of HBO's robot cowboy apocalypse series Westworld. Ivan and Red discuss the commentary on gaming woven throughout the show, how to successfully program a robot so that it won't foment a revolution, and Ed Harris's portrayal of the ultimate griefer. They also continue their Patreon-exclusive coverage of episodes seven and eight of the Great British Bake Off, so kick in a dollar or more to hear their excitement about cakes.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

The Boars, Gore, and Swords book club continues its reading of the Boiled Leather chapter order combining George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons with this week's episode,"Erectile Crustacean." Ivan and Red cover Brienne III and Samwell II in AFfC, and discuss some light Westworld/Luke Cage views, Brienne's reenactment of 80s teen movies, and male insensitivity on the high seas.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon.

This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh, visit hellofresh.com and use promo code BGS to save $35 off your first week of deliveries. Read the rest

The Boars, Gore, and Swords book club reading of the Boiled Leather chapter order combining George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons continues with this week's "Captain Davos: Civil War." Ivan and Red covered Bran II (ADwD) in a previous episode, and continue with Tyrion IV and Davos II. They discuss their civil war over Civil War, Book Tyrion and saying one of the worst things you can say to a woman, and Davos's series of info dumps. You can also head over to their Patreon for their latest episode of Great British Bake Off coverage.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

This week, Boars, Gore, and Swords takes a break from the ASOIAF book club to watch the first two episodes of series seven of international baking sensation The Great British Bake Off.  Ivan and Red discuss the art of sitting on cakes, how amazing Mel and Sue's innuendos are, and who they think will go all the way. For more GBBO coverage, head over to the BGaS Patreon for more donor-exclusive episodes.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

The Boars, Gore, and Swords book club continues with the Boiled Leather chapter order combining George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. On this week's "30 Stone All Day," Ivan and Red cover Brienne I (AFFC), Jon I (ADWD), Bran I (ADWD), and Tyrion II (ADWD). The boys went into Brienne I and Bran I on previous book club episodes, so follow the links for those eps. 

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

The Boars, Gore, and Swords book club reading of the Boiled Leather chapter order combining George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons continues with this week's "Cersei Responds Appropriately." Ivan and Red cover Cersei II (AFFC), Jaime I (AFFC), and as covered in a previous episode, Brienne II (AFFC). They discuss Rhaegar Targaryen's late stage decision making, Highgarden and the Tyrells' possible conspiring, and the many suspect Lannister family dynamics.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

The Boars, Gore, and Swords book club reading of the Boiled Leather chapter order combining George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons continues onwards. On this week's "Mugs, Thermoses, and Tea Cups," Ivan and Red cover Samwell I (AFFC 6), Jon II (ADWD 8), and Arya I (AFFC 7). They discuss Sam Tarly's manga collection, the Watch's method of handling managerial disputes, and the best Arya scene to not make the show.

To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter @boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

The Boars, Gore, and Swords book club continues with the Boiled Leather chapter order combining George R.R. Martin's A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. On this week's "Holes Want Filling," Ivan and Red cover Cersei I (AFFC), Tyrion I (ADWD), and Daenarys I (ADWD), and discuss ceremonial robes that didn't make it to television, Cersei's continued fall down the priorities ladder, and which actors are too dignified to be stuck in a wine cask.

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To catch up on previous television seasons, the A Song of Ice And Fire books, and other TV and movies, check out the BGaS archive. You can find them on Twitter@boarsgoreswords, like their Facebook fanpage, and email them. If you want access to extra episodes and content, you can donate to the Patreon. Read the rest

Recent comers to Game of Thrones may be surprised to discover that the first book in the series is 20 years old today. Though we now know it as the fantasy juggernaut keeping HBO and podcasting afloat, the scene George R.R. Martin describes on his livejournal at the book's release is much more modest.

Reviews were generally good, sales were... well, okay. Solid. But nothing spectacular. No bestseller lists, certainly. I went on a book tour around that same time, signing copies in Houston, Austin, and Denton, Texas; in St. Louis, Missouri; in Chicago and Minneapolis; and up the west coast to San Diego, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Portland, and Seattle. Turnouts were modest in most places. The crowds didn't reach one hundred anywhere, and at one stop (St. Louis, if you must know), not only was attendance zero but I actually drove four patrons out of the bookshop, allowing me to set my all time "bad signing" record at minus four (on the plus side, I had the time for long friendly talks with the readers who did show up).

In honor of the 20th anniversary, Martin is releasing Game of Thrones: The Illustrated edition, featuring "a total of seventy-three (73) black and white interior illustrations, and eight (8) spectacular full color plates" from artists such as John Picacio, Paul Youll, Gary Gianni, Didier Graffet, Victor Moreno, Michael Komarck, Arantza Sestayo, Magali Villeneuve, Ted Nasmith, Levi Pinfold, and Marc Simonetti.

The latest book in the series is famously over deadline, with the TV show passing Martin's telling and revealing plot points before Martin himself is able to, but his inability to finish the series is even more incredible given his original ambitions:

I'd thought the whole story could be told in three books, and that it would take me three years to write them, a year per book.