Ignorant, petty, and offensive. That seems to be the overall take on Ginia Bellafante’s review of Game of Thrones in the New York Times. It’s not even really a review so much as a rant against anyone who enjoys fantasy fiction along with some wildly uninformed speculation about who reads fantasy and why. The New York Times is often embarrassingly bad when it comes to covering fantasy & science fiction, but this piece represents a repulsive new low.
Update: Basically the entire internet lambasted Bellafante for this review — Felicia Day, Veronica Belmont, Salon, Huffington Post, Tor, The Guardian, etc. Bellafante’s Wikipedia page now notes her sexism. She later posted a follow-up piece which was, amazingly, not an apology. She observes, “I appreciate the economy of those readers who began and ended their comments: ‘You are a complete idiot.'” Happy to oblige, Ginia. You are a complete idiot. If I were you, the only thing I’d be reviewing right now is my resume.
Leave a Reply