1) The Black Company
What is it?:
A fantasy classic, epic and dark, ten times more soulful and in-depth than the cold, irresolute delayed gratification that defined “A Song of Ice and Fire.” “The Black Company” tells a story on ground level, gets in the dirt with its characters, who are portrayed humble and naturalistic, despite the coarseness of their profession and the harshness of their task.
Why Should it be Adapted?:
Envisioning a show on HBO for the classic “Black Company” is strange because it’s unlike most fantasies I mentioned. The characters aren’t defined as being either heroes or antiheroes. It’s been said that the prose has a journalist-quality to it, like someone is on the field interviewing its characters as they go on with their daily lives (wizards, fantastic beasts and the rest are still around). In another sense, it’s a workman’s fantasy. Not lumbering or slow but straightforward. It deserves to be adapted not for the “dark” qualities it possesses, but the too often ignored and overlooked “relatable” qualities fantasies should possess.
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