Earthsea coming to TV?
Well, it seems so…
At least according to this page on SciFi.com. Of course, it’ll be on the Science Fiction Channel, but still, it’s coming. Apparently, they’re going to make the first two books into a mini-series, much like Dune and Children of Dune. Now, this could either be really, really cool, or the lamest thing since the cancellation of Farscape.
First off, I read the books a number of years ago and have re-read them several times. These books were the “Harry Potter” of their time, though it turns my stomache to compare the two that way. To fans of fantasy literature, they remain the very high standard to which everything else is held. So, if they can recreate this series on TV, then it will be great.
But, just like the Lord of the Rings, the movies will be missing things. They really just have to be less complete and less, well, “fulfilling” than the books. No one can imagine for me what it’s like to walk through the grove on Roke. Nor can they recreate what I saw when Ged faced the Shadow. It just can’t be done. That’s the beauty of books. My imagination is my own, unique creation and that’s what I see when I read books. No special effect can beat that.
In any case, I hope it’s done as well as the Dune mini-series was. At least then I won’t be outraged when I watch it. And, who knows, it might even get my step-daughter to actually read the books!