New Game Of Thrones Poster

George R.R. Martin, the Terrence Malick of fantasy writing, is not exactly prolific but, like Malick, what he does is good. Very, very good. So the impending HBO adaptation, A Game Of Thrones, should be cause enough to have us huddled around our small screens come April.

It's the first part of Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, first published back in 1996 in an epic blur of dynastic conflict, elemental power and Dothraki banter. The struggle for the Iron Throne of the Westeros continent promises to make for equally epic telly. It's right there on the poster. Along with enough swords to give Excalibur the blues.

Front and centre is Sean Bean's Eddard, a member of the noble Stark clan. Why so moody? Well, it's got a lot to do with rival families the Targaryens and the Lannisters, each jostling for the throne of buff King Robert Baratheon, venal and violent ambitions Eddard must help thwart. Click on the poster for a larger version.

Its screenwriters have jokingly referred to the miniseries as "The Sopranos in Middle-Earth" - some hot button reference points in anyone's book - but with all these succession shenanigans in mind, you can safely add some King Lear to the heady mix, too.

To whet appetites further, there's a world of pics from the series here and some behind-the-scenes featurette goodness to explore too.

And by George (literally), A Dance With Dragons, the fifth book in Martin's fantasy series, now has a release date too. You'll be able to get your mitts on a copy this July. Game Of Thrones, meanwhile, debuts on HBO in the US on April 17 and a day later on Sky Atlantic in the UK.