The Vampire Horror Novel From Game Of Thrones Author Begging To Become A Movie
At this point, it is fair to say that George R.R. Martin is a household name thanks to Game of Thrones. But amidst all the questions of when the next Song of Ice and Fire book is coming out, many fans don’t seem to realize that Martin actually does have other books outside of Westeros. In fact, in addition to creating arguably the best modern fantasy series, Martin also wrote one of the best modern vampire stories, one that is long overdue for a movie adaptation: Fevre Dream.
Steamboat Captain Abner
Set in Mississippi during the 1800s, Fevre Dream follows a struggling steamboat captain looking to get back on his feet, Abner Marsh. His luck seems to change when he is commissioned by a wealthy, yet mysterious benefactor named Joshua York.
However, upon taking to the river, Abner realizes his new partner has been hiding quite a few secrets from him. Abner learns that not only is Joshua a vampire, but the latter wants his help in overthrowing a rival vampire clan leader in the area.
George R. R. Martin
Fevre Dream was the first book by George R.R. Martin I ever read. Published in 1982, it is already filled with the style of prose Martin later became known for in his books about Westeros. That includes characters who are rough around the edges, deep history, and mouthwatering descriptions of food.
An Interesting Take On Vampires
Fevre Dream also has a unique spin on vampires, with Joshua being an escapee from a clan where he was blood bound to a cruel leader. In the story, vampires who are bound to a blood master cannot help but serve their leader even if it goes against their wishes. Joshua has concocted an elixir that allows him to survive without the need for blood and wants to free his fellow blood bound vampires from needing to kill to continue to exist.
Mississippi
One of the elements that would make Fevre Dream such a great movie is that Mississippi in the 1800s has so much personality that it almost feels like a character itself in the book.
The story doesn’t just touch on the fun aspects of the time period, like being in vicinity of the raucous New Orleans. It also sees Abner come into contact with escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad, acknowledging the ugliness of the time period as well. But the era is so packed with history and personality that it would surely work great on screen.
It’s A Perfect Time
It honestly surprises me that Game of Thrones got adapted to the screen before Fevre Dream. For one, Fevre Dream is a complete story so there would have been no need for screen writers to make up their own content for it.
It is also a much more manageable size at just around 350 pages, compared to the often over 1,000 page long Game of Thrones novels. Plus vampires were already in fashion back in 2011 when season one of Game of Thrones came out. A dark vampire movie could have capitalized on the Twilight crowd who were ready to advance to something more mature.
House of the Dragon only has so much source material to draw upon before it wraps up. Perhaps after the show concludes, some director out there can show that George R.R. Martin has some pretty great work beyond Westeros.
Interview with the Vampire is back in the form of a TV show and is popular. So why not take Fevre Dream and bring vampires back to the big screen?
