I'm a geek girl

and proud of it. Loud and proud. By geek girl I mean that I go for the traditional boy fantasy stories, those dark and epic sword and dragon tales written mainly by men for the geek in all of us.

I blame it all on an overactive imagination and the librarian at the local library who let me read Tolkien when I was 8 or 9. I've been reading fantasy with a bit of sci-fi thrown in for light relief for 32 years now. It started with Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and most recently Terry Pratchett, Chrisopher Paolini. And recently, George RR Martin.

I purchased the first two novels in Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series about 2 months ago. I must state here right now that I have not read them yet (it's a problem when you have such a vast choice of reading material when you purchase a Kindle!). I don't know when I will get round to reading them but I have been following the ongoing saga of Game of Thrones, an HBO series which started this week in the US and based on his books.

I have heard via the grapevine that there is a lot of graphic violence and sex. I don't mind graphic violence and sex in fantasy books. I prefer it to the schlock sometimes held up in highest regard where there are airy fairy storylines of the St George and his Dragon type, where the good boy soldier slays a dragon to protect his fair maiden. WTF is up with that particular storyline? Medieval times right here on planet earth was never all of that! It was a violent time, where people died in the most inventive and violent fashion. Rape and pillage was the order of the day.

While reading some book blogs, I came across the link for this woman's review of the show. I read it twice and then flung the mouse from me in disgust. Geek girls who like epic sweeping violently graphic high fantasy apparently are few and far between. She must think we all grew up playing house with our Ken and Barbie doll collections. (Hurk. I would never be caught dead owning a Barbie!)

To quote from her review : The true perversion, though, is the sense you get that all of this illicitness has been tossed in as a little something for the ladies, out of a justifiable fear, perhaps, that no woman alive would watch otherwise. While I do not doubt that there are women in the world who read books like Mr. Martin’s, I can honestly say that I have never met a single woman who has stood up in indignation at her book club and refused to read the latest from Lorrie Moore unless everyone agreed to “The Hobbit” first. “Game of Thrones” is boy fiction patronizingly turned out to reach the population’s other half.

Wow. How insulting, to just dismiss the fact that there are many more women out there who are just like me. Who adore high fantasy ala Dungeons & Dragons. Who prefer "boy fiction". I think someone has been spending too much time in lala land herself, where shows like Sex and the City reigns supreme. I will be waiting with breath held to see when DSTV decides it is a worthy show. We have True Blood already so I am sure this one will soon be bought for my viewing pleasure. I look forward to the day that my "boy fiction" will finally make it to the little screen.