This week the New Yorker published a profile of fantasy novelist George R. R. Martin–exploring his relationship with his online fans (and detractors).

Here’s an excerpt from the online abstract: “An entire community of apostates—a shadow fandom—is now devoted to taunting Martin, his associates, and readers who insist that he has been hard at work on the series and has the right to take as much time as he needs. The online attacks on Martin suggest that some readers have a new idea about what an author owes them. They see themselves as customers, not devotees, and they expect prompt, consistent service.”

On April 17th, HBO will unveil a televised adaptation of Martin’s Game of Thrones (with some violent content). Above, we’ve embedded a sneak preview of the first 15 minutes of the series. What do you think?