"Game of Thrones" preview wows (VIDEO)

Sean Bean in HBO's "Game of Thrones."

/ Nick Briggs

(CBS) "Lord of the Rings" fans can enjoy a taste of fantasy in HBO's new epic series "Game of Thrones."

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Watch the video below.

HBO debuted a 15-minute preview Sunday night and now fans can watch the sneak peak on HBO's website.

Based on the epic novel series, "A Song of Ice and Fire," by George R. R. Martin, the three books follow the politics, magic, and wars over the Iron Throne, the highest seat in the capital of King's Landing.

The video features the highly anticipated image of the Wall, a massive block of ice that separates the civilization of "Thrones" from the wild civilizations of the North. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin talks about the differences in the books and the TV series. (He's not too worried.)

"Lord of the Rings" fans will recognize protagonist Eddard "Ned" Stark, played by Sean Bean, who played Boromir in the Peter Jackson films. Michelle Fairley plays his wife, Catelyn.

Huffington Post reports that HBO is hoping to attract the fantasy fanatics that poured in from "Lord of the Rings."

The series premieres April 17, 2011, and will run every Sunday for 10 weeks.

Let us know whether the preview matched your expectations in the comments below. Viewers should be warned that the video contains graphic images of violence.

Game of Thrones Preview

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[MikeChair]

Okay, let's get one thing straight. About the only thing Game of Thrones has in common with ABC's "Lost" is that it's on TV. That's it! Okay? I watched every episode of Lost and I loved it. I read all the Game of Thrones books (collectively called "A Song of Ice and Fire"). "The Others" which, I take from the 15 minute preview that aired last night probably won't even be called "The Others" on TV and occupy all of .00001% of the story in the first four books. You could at least do a 5 minute web search before writing about a show where the pilot cost between 5 and 10 Million Dollars. The Others. The Others take CBS!

[Winteriscoming007]

"The show will feature wars between humans and "The Others," a concept closely associated with ABC's "Lost."" - Really? I find that interesting since this book came out 8 years before lost. Are you sure that Lost wasn't following the story line of A Game Of Thrones? There are so many story lines in this book that to boil it down into a comparison of Lost is just sad. At least, next time, bother to look up the entry on Wikipedia before trying to write about it.