This past June, the series Game of Thrones reached an important milestone. Those who have read the books and those who had only watched the show finally arrived at a point where the two were on equal footing. Aside from some minor spoilers involving Sansa and Arya next season, there is no longer a need for book readers and show watchers to have separate tracks to keep one group from knowing the things the other doesn’t.
But with rumors rife that Martin is about to finish The Winds of Winter, there is the looming threat that before Season 6 arrives, book readers may once again regain a leg up on the show watcher community. And for some people, that’s just not fair. For those who want to stay on equal footing, but don’t have the time to fit a 1000+ page novel into their lives, can’t there be a shortcut?
Now there is—and in keeping with this being the second decade of the 21st century, it comes in app form. Available today, Game of Thrones: Get Into The Books is an interactive app for iPhone and iPad from HarperCollins UK. It is being marketed as a “bridge product” for show watchers who want to know what they missed. Here’s a preview:
According to The Bookseller:
The app asks users where they are in the storyline and then offers them a spoiler-free selection of over 40 extracts from across the books, along with maps and introductions from the very first battle of the series to the infamous “Red Wedding” scenes.
The extracts are between five and 25 minutes long and are designed to allow new readers to relive iconic moments from the show, while getting a taste of George R R Martin’s writing, a spokesperson for HarperCollins UK said.
The app is currently up to date as far as both books and show are concerned, and also include side projects like The World of Fire and Ice. As more releases come out, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, (the Dunk and Egg novellas, due out in the UK in October), the app will update with the new backstory information. And in case you might worry that this is an app designed by publishers who are not hardcore fans of the books, HC UK wants you to know that it made sure to consult and collaborate heavily with fans of the series in order to make the experience was “seamless.” As one spokesperson put it: “It was a very collaborative, iterative process.”