Game of Thrones - reading schedule

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

They explain it pretty clearly in the beginning.

[Irene]

Old brain can't remember that far back. LOL

[Rebecca]

I know me too Irene. There is so much to follow. I have a hard copy I will go back and look for you.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

There is a lot of information they throw at you.

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

Don't feel bad Irene. I am having a hard time keeping it all straight too. :o)

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

What I found is helpful is making a little cheat sheet of the characters and what house they are or what house they serve. I made cheat sheets for other ppl and they found it useful for this book.

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

Ok, so I looked up the Wights, and the White Walkers online. Here is what I found.

White Walkers: The White Walkers, referred to as the Others in the books, are a mythological race mentioned in ancient legends and stories from the time of the First Men and the Children of the Forest. Eight thousand years before Robert's Rebellion, a winter known as the Long Night lasted a generation. In the darkness and cold of the Long Night, the White Walkers descended upon Westeros from the farthest north, the polar regions of the Lands of Always Winter. None knew why they came, but they killed all in their path, reanimating the dead as wights to kill the living at their command. Eventually the peoples of Westeros rallied and in a conflict known as the War for the Dawn, the White Walkers were defeated and driven back into the uttermost north, with the Wall raised to bar their return. In the present day, most believe they never existed and are just the stuff of legends, and even the few who believe they did once exist think they went extinct thousands of years ago. Certainly, none have been seen for thousands of years.
While held as myths and spoken of in the same breath as ghosts, goblins, "Grumpkins and Snarks", there is a growing belief amongst the wildlings who live beyond the Wall that the White Walkers have returned.

Wights: A wight is a reanimated corpse, either human or animal, raised from death by the White Walkers to act as their minions. Characteristic: A wight is a recently deceased body reanimated by magic. Many stories say White Walkers alone have the ability to do this. Samwell Tarly noted that the wights he had encountered had been dead for weeks, yet there was no sign of rot or decay. Regardless of eye color while alive, a wight has icy blue eyes, like those of its masters. Wights are also nigh-indestructible and can withstand an injury that would normally be fatal, including stab wounds and removal of limbs. Even amputated limbs will still move around on their own. Decapitation is ineffective, as the headless corpse will keep moving, albeit robbed of its sensory organs.
However, wights are very susceptible to fire. Their flesh is extremely flammable; it will easily catch fire and continue to burn if exposed to even a small amount of flame. As a precaution against them, the Free Folk burn their dead so they can not be revived as wights.

[Rebecca]

Thank you Thank you Sheila. I wasn't sure either what Sam had encountered so this is very helpful.

[Irene]

Not only is there lots of info, but I have found the rapid moving between various story lines adds to the confusion. The chapters r short. I have just enough time to untangle a few character identities or relationships when we move to a new scene.

Well, I finished the book and will leave on vacation Monday I look forward to reading the rest of the posts when I return.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Congrats on finishing the book

[Irene]

One down, four to go.

[Rebecca]

Wonderful Irene. Now you can help me. :)

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I love Bran. :)

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

So, free discussion. Does anyone have any thoughts they want to throw out about the book so far? Any events surprising you? Anything making you laugh? Anything annoying you?

[Rebecca]

Lord Frey is 90 with a 16 year old wife. EWWW. I started the tv series. So far the characters have all looked as I pictured them except for Catleyn. They just pushed Bran off the wall.

[Meg]

I think they followed the book pretty well

[Rebecca]

I agree Meg. I would llike to talk about the movie. Does anyone else?

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

Feel free to talk about the movie, ladies. I have not watched it, but would be interested to read how you all think it compares to the book. :o)

[Meg]

I am willing Rebecca.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

The first season follows the first book really well. I was so impressed. I love Peter Dinklage(?) the actor who played Tyrion. He is so good. He has the best lines in the show and in the books.

[Rebecca]

Does anyone else use Amazon Prime or Instant Video?

[Meg]

I use DVR and HBO

[Rebecca]

I can't coordinate the two to work. I don't really know if I want to buy it but what you pay to download it I guess you might as well buy.

[Meg]

you can get it on ITUNES as well

[Rebecca]

Oh good that I can do. Thank you Meg. I have just finished the first episode of season 1. The scene with Tyrion suprised me as far as his "bedding" I guess I didnt get that impression of him from the book. Danerys is well acted. The Bran scene was just as horrifying as when I read it.

[B.]

I am 78 pages from finishing the book and I am going crazy over here!! LOL... Hopefully I can finish the remaining pages tonight which means I can start watching season one this weekend!!

OAN: It has been extremely hard for me to stay clear of spoilers of the show. Particularly the series finale that just aired on Sunday. It seems like everything I watched, listened to and read wanted to discuss it.

For those who have read the books as well as watched the TV show, is season 2 book 2 and season 3 book 3? Just want to make sure because I want to be current when season 4 comes along.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

Yes, though book 3 is split in half to cover season 3 and season 4.

[Rebecca]

I can wait B. I still have about 100 or less. I hope to finish up this week too. Maybe we should make a movie thread too? Much better with ITunes it went apstraight to my tv shows and I can find it much easier. Thanks again Meg for the suggestion.

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

I'm curious. My copy of this book has maps at the front and back. I have found myself several times trying to find areas on the map that are being discussed in the story. Does anyone else do that?

[B.]

Rebecca wrote: "I can wait B. I still have about 100 or less. I hope to finish up this week too. Maybe we should make a movie thread too? Much better with ITunes it went apstraight to my tv shows and I can find i..."

I finished the book last night!!

I also love the idea of a movie thread.

My book did not have any maps, but it did have a detail description of all the families in the back of the book.

[Meg]

You are welcome Rebecca. I honestly have to say that I don't think I would have read the book if I didn't watch it first

[Rebecca]

Really Meg. Why is that? Sheila, I wish I would have looked at that for the battle scenes would have helped me to visualize how each defeated one another.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

My copy has a map in the beginning and the appendix with the families.

[Meg]

Rebecca - this really isn't my genre so I needed to get hooked, the TV version really did it for me and thus I was hooked in the reading as well.

[Sandi]

Hi - I am new, but I've read all the Song of Fire and Ice Books. Can I join the discussion? I will only discuss the first book. Seems like the group is just finishing Game of Thrones.

[Sandi]

So following an old discussion, I never thought about a cheat sheet. That is a good idea. I ignored extraneous characters until they caught my interest (sort of read without depth), then I had to back and reread earlier sections about them. Took me forever to get through the book, but I did love it.

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

So everyone finish? Who is going to read the next book?
For those of you who are up to season 3 tv series, the season finale is this Sunday.

[B.]

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "So everyone finish? Who is going to read the next book?
For those of you who are up to season 3 tv series, the season finale is this Sunday."

I plan to read the next one.

[Meg]

I am not done yet, but I am willing to have the group go on to the second book if everyone wants that. Let me know. Jayme are you still willing to lead the discussion?

and welcome Sandi!

[Rebecca]

I finished the book this morning. I loved the ending, it was great. I am not sure I felt like the last 10 chapters were very riveting. I really enjoyed before they were warring. Bran and Jon continue to have my heart. I liked Tyrion for his humor. Danerys was my least favorite throughout the book until the end her storyline was more intresting in the final chapters. I look forward to starting the series and completing the series. Thank you everyone for making this discussion fun and helpful.

[Meg]

I need people to weigh in as to whether or not we stay with reading book 2 or move on to another chunky. If we don't do it this way we could do it through a poll.

[Rebecca]

I would like to read book 2 but not right away. I would like to have a break, so another chunky ,and then read book 2.

[Sheila , Supporting Chick]

Personally, I would prefer to take a break and read another chunky. While I have found book 1 interesting and easy to read, I don't really feel like starting on book 2 right away, but if we took a break and read book 2 several months from now, I would probably be willing to join in. :o)

[Sandi]

I think Martin captures the brutality of the medieval age - even if it is a mythical version of it. The women are trapped by the time in which they live, but they have incredible strength despite the cultural restrictions. Here is an interesting question: is Ned noble or so committed to his own sense of his integrity that he is actually selfish or at least foolish in putting his daughter's at risk?

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

I would be willing to help- lead for the second one. I have read the second one, not reccently. I have seen the second season.

[Rebecca]

B have you started Season 1 on HBO. OMG. I am so glad I read the book first.

[Meg]

What do you think of the HBO version so far Rebecca? I am riveted.

[Rebecca]

I am loving it Meg. Season 1 epi 2. I think my eyes popped out of my head when Dany's servent was showing Khaleesi how to love the Khal. Its great too that it follows the book. Meg anything first season that you remember liking?

[Jayme(theghostreader)]

So are any of the characters how you pictured them in the books? Now that you read the first book, anyone have a favorite house? Or anyone like any of the family mottos? My favorite house is the Starks. I love their sigil which is the direwolf. I also like Dany and Tyrion not neccessarily any of the other Lannisters.

[Rebecca]

I have to say Jamie is really easy on the eyes though.