While fantasy fans eagerly await the release of season 3 of House of the Dragon, this other fantasy saga could well become the new Game of Thrones if it were adapted.
A fantasy saga to discover urgently
In many ways, the Game of Thrones series has helped revitalize public interest in fantasy. Launched in 2011, it has become a true cultural phenomenon, becoming the unmissable series of the decade 2010-2019. The series has since spawned offshoots, with HBO producing two spin-offs: the excellent House of the Dragon, whose third season is currently filming, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, scheduled for early 2026. However, while we observed a few weeks ago the great difficulties Hollywood is having in adapting fantasy, we are convinced that this other saga has the potential to become the new Game of Thrones. Published between 1999 and 2011, The Malazan Book of the Fallen is a saga of ten fantasy novels written by Canadian writer Steven Erikson, based on the universe he co-created alongside his friend Ian Esslemont, during role-playing games. Masterfully crafted, the saga explores in each volume a region or a conflict in a world dominated by the Malazan Empire. Thus, the first part, Gardens of the Moon, tells the story of the Empire's campaign to conquer the city of Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities of Genabackis, while The Gate to the House of the Dead plunges us into the Holy Desert of Raraku, where an oracle raises an army of fanatics to unleash the Whirlwind.
An anthropologist and archaeologist by training, Steven Erikson has woven a sprawling universe, with a sense of detail and complexity rarely achieved in fantasy since J.R.R. Tolkien. While its fragmented narrative would be a challenge to adapt, The Book of Martyrs is rich in epic battles and charismatic, tragic, and memorable characters. These include Coltaine, the Wickan commander in The Gate of the Dead, but also Tool, a skeleton warrior trapped in an endless existence, the cunning mage Quick Ben, and his assassin friend Kalam Mekhar. Acclaimed by many fantasy fans, including Captain Popcorn and journalist Lloyd Chery (It's More Than Fantasy, Metal Hurlant), The Book of Martyrs is a true masterpiece of the genre. Of course, such an adaptation would be a huge risk, given the cycle's enormous ambition. However, we are convinced that the saga's demands and realism - both in world building and in depicting human complexity - could make it a work capable of satisfying fans of Game of Thrones.
Did this article interest you? Then don't hesitate to discover this other cult fantasy saga, which will make its big comeback in 2026.
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