George R. R. Martin at MisCon
Seated in front of a replica of the Iron Throne, George R. R. Martin spent two hours signing books, bantering with fans and personalizing copies with whatever messages they requested, as long as they weren't too obscene or bizarre.
Captions by Nick Romeo
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The Lover of the Kingslayer
A proud fan shows off her personalized inscription:"To Brittany, the lover of the Kingslayer. In your next life he is yours. Winter is coming."
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The Iron Throne
A pointy-eared fan poses on the Iron Throne in the hotel Lobby of Doom. Martin said of the Iron Throne, "It’s pretty cool, the one HBO uses, but the one in my imagination has steps that rise ten feet. It’s also pretty ugly, full of jagged bits, so it would actually be painful to sit on."
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Made in New Jersey
A fuller picture of the Iron Throne replica. Shipped from New Jersey for $4,000, the replica is identical to the one used on the set of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
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Cersei’s Hater
Another fan shows off her personalization: "To Kerry, Cersei’s most avid hater.”
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War Horse
A knight in 60 pounds of 16th century period armor sits astride a genuine French war horse. The horse is a seven-year-old named Perseus of the Percheron breed. Perseus was bought for $2,100 on Craigslist. Before, he rode in circles at kids' birthday parties. Now, he fights in jousts and melees.
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Kynric De Coventry
A freight operations manager for a trucking company in Montana, Cy Oresman displays his armor, most of which he forged himself. Cy’s knight name is Kynric De Coventry. He fights regularly with other Montana members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, a group devoted to recreating the arts and skills of pre-17th century Europe.
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Ready to Joust
Though he didn’t compete in a joust at MisCon, Cy models the shield and lance he uses in actual competition.
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Sword Fight!
Combat between knights of the Society of Creative Anachronism can get rough. Cy has broken ribs and bruised lungs at past events. They fight with rattan swords, and wear steel armor. "We can hit each other as hard as we want with sticks," Cy said.
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Maidens
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Books on the Bench
Fans relax on the back lawn behind Ruby’s Hotel, where the convention was held.
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Record Breaking
A wizard and his friend check out the event schedule for the day. There were over 1,000 fans at the 26th annual MisCon, the highest attendance in the Con’s history.
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Fighting with Honor
Two fans clash in a duel. Fights in the Society of Creative Anachronism are scored with an honor system. If you get hit, you decide what damage the blow would have caused. If you think it would have taken out a leg, you drop to one knee and keep fighting.
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The Great Outdoors
Martin speaks at an outdoor panel.
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Room Party
Martin hangs out a room party, nurses a margarita and chats with adoring fans. He loves to party with fans at Cons, though he declined the offer of a bright green drink called toxic waste.
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CthulhuBob
Martin in conversation with CthulhuBob, an organizer of MisCon named after a monster in an H.P. Lovecraft story.
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Say Cheese!
Martin posing for a cell phone photo shoot. Every few minutes a grinning fan seemed to have an arm around Martin.
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Fan Favorite
Still partying with fans, Martin waves to the camera, margarita in hand.
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Party On
Despite blockbuster sales and an HBO show, Martin remains down-to-earth and enjoys chatting with fans, frequently deploying the adjective "fucking" in a New Jersey accent.
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Direwolf
A direwolf cradling his pup just after dark.
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Drag Show
A star of the drag show, this man was lip syncing the words "I’m a little naughty girl."
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Tackling the Silver Screen
Martin cracks himself and the audience up while speaking on the panel "Tackling the Silver Screen."
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All Ages Affair
A packed house for a Q&A with Martin. Fans ranged in age from late teens to early sixties.
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Packed House
Martin’s panels were one of the main attractions of MisCon. Fans grab any available floor space to catch his words.
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George R.R. Martin
The man himself, posing for a photo between panels.