The Perks Of Being A Book Addict discussion
A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R Martin
I like the series as well, but I do have one problem with it: for a so called fantasy series, their isn't a lot of fantastical elements! And by that, I don't mean the usual suspects of elves and dwarves.
R.M.F wrote: "I do have one problem with it:for a so called fantasy series, their isn't a lot of fantastical elements!"What elements would you have liked to see?
I'm hoping we'll learn more about some of the fantastical elements in the final two books. I won't elaborate now to avoid spoilers.
I have only read the first book of this series...so far...I had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with a Song of Ice and Fire. At some points I was bored and just wanted to quit reading, yet I couldn't give up on it because I really really wanted to know what happened LOL. My cable provider had a free weekend of HBO and I was able to watch some of the series and I actually really enjoyed it and found myself wanting to go back and read the rest of the books!!
I have had the entire series in my queue twice now and haven't gotten to it. I was busy with other books at the time and it was quite daunting looking at 4000+ pages in 21 days. The series sound amazing and I am looking forward to summer break when I have more time.
I love the TV series but absolutely loathe the books. Mr. Martin is a great writer, I just don't care for what he writes. Seems like he just hit a point and didn't know where he was going and after the first few books nothing seems to really happen anymore. For that many words I just feel I should actually care about some of the characters - I do in the tv series but just don't really care for any in the books. Usually it's the opposite. But his particular storytelling may just not be for me, that happens sometimes.
I LOVE the books and the show, the only book that I didn't enjoy that much was the fourth, but the last one was amazing! I love that we get different character perspectives, bc sometimes it makes it impossible for you to completely hate characters that you really want to lol. Like Jaimie lannister, I want to hate him, but when I read things from his POV, I just can't. It just makes you examine the thoughts, feelings, actions, and motivations of all the characters. They are some of the most thought provoking books I've ever read. As for fantastical elements, I dot feel like the books are lacking bc they are missing some of the more traditional beings, like elves and dwarves, just bc the book does so many other cross-cultural examinations, like the differences between the northerners and southerners, the willing from them, the dothraki, and all the other cultures introduced. I think it makes up for it :)
I've only read the first chapter of the first book, but when I'm finished with the books I'm currently reading (which are mostly books for school, ugh) I think I'm going to read the complete book.
this book is on my to read list for some time now and I don't want to watch the series bf I'm done reading. (it gives me more in depth understanding of the story). But it's so many pages that I feel discouraged bf I even start :). Thankfully I'm flying to India next month so I enough 2x14hr flight will be ideal to read the books :) I'm reading all your comments in this tread snd I'm getting even more impatient to get on with the series :)
Rebecca wrote: "I LOVE the books and the show, the only book that I didn't enjoy that much was the fourth, but the last one was amazing!"I agree, A Feast for Crows was definitely the weakest so far, but I think that had more to do with how GRRM chose to split the story between FFC and A Dance With Dragons than the actual plot. I didn't like that certain characters were completely absent from FFC and it felt lacking. I'm hoping he merges the storylines back together in Winds of Winter.
Rebecca wrote: "As for fantastical elements, I dot feel like the books are lacking bc they are missing some of the more traditional beings, like elves and dwarves, just bc the book does so many other cross-cultural examinations, like the differences between the northerners and southerners, the willing from them, the dothraki, and all the other cultures introduced."
Agree! I think that's a big part of what makes the story so great. It's so rich in details. I love the different dialects and cultures found in the world. The fantasy is there, but it's a bit more subtle. When something magical happens the characters in the story are amazed and sometimes disbelieving, not unlike the real world.
I also had problems with the books, but a friend encouraged me to continue and I am so glad she did. I love them, but I don't always like the characters. I can't stand any of the Greyjoys(or greygrims lol) and thought it would have saved GRRM a lot of time if they had been edited out IMO. Once the characters have been given their own POV's then it sends your own misconceptions askew for instance I swing like a pendulum with Jaime Lannister, but I understand why he does things so much better now. But in another case I hate what he did with Catelyn Stark(truly horrible).When it comes to the TV show I am amazed at the wonderful actors who were chosen...They truly give flesh and bone to their roles and do such a consummate job that I can't imagine anyone else playing them for example Maisie Williams as Arya, Isaac Hempstead-Wright who plays Bran, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who plays Jaime(I never heard of him before) Charles Dance as Tywin and the brilliant Peter Dinklage as Tyrion etc. That said, I also wonder how the producers are going to manage as the child actors grow and yet in the books they don't age much. I don't know what the prouders will do as I can see by the fourth season Isaac(Bran)will be quite tall.....But I am loving Season 3 so far.
I agree with you Megan, the main problem I had with book 4 was that almost all of the characters I desperately wanted to read about we're not present lol, it was really a flaw in his writing, just personal preferences
I want ASOIAF to end with Aragorn riding over the hill to save the day.
Rebecca wrote: "I agree with you Megan, the main problem I had with book 4 was that almost all of the characters I desperately wanted to read about we're not present lol, it was really a flaw in his writing, just ..."I've only read the first two books, so I'm regretting reading these new posts! :)
I am about to start the third book.I am actually listening to the audiobook (and e-reading and the same time) and I can say that the reader is amazing, he makes the characters come alive! I haven't seen the TV series yet as I usually want to read the books before the movies come out.I'm loving the series so far. I really recommend the audiobooks to people who are struggling with reading the series.
The third book was the best one! I loved the whole series but have to say the third one kept me on the edge of my seat. It took me awhole year to finish all 5 of the published books because I did not want to miss a single thing in any one of them.and I agree that the 4th book was a drag and hard for me to get through but I finished it and the 5th book definitely made up for it. I just felt that after all the excitement in the 3rd book it would keep coming. anyway they are doing an awesome job on hbo and I cant wait for the next book to come out.. I hope GRRM is in good health because I dont know what I would do if I didnt get to find out who wins in the Game of Thrones.
I also loved Storm of Swords, there is so much that happens in the book that I am sure the TV show will split it and the second part of SOS will be season 4 with perhaps a bit of Feast for Crows. At least this way Peter Dinklage will be a part of the show. There are no chapters on Tyrion in Feast for Crows.I have only finished re-reading Feast and found I enjoyed it better the second time around. Now I am 3/4 quarters through re-reading Dance with Dragons...Goodness knows when that will be shown or when the next book will be published. I can't wait to continue the journey with Winds of Winter....
Hi Rebecca, the producers announced officially that SOS will be split into Season 3 and 4. It is known :)
I have started dance with dragons. absolutely love these books and the tv show. think they have adapted it brilliantly.
this series has ruined my life. there's nothing worse than waiting for Martin to come up with the next book and also hoping he gets to finish the series. Come on, George, you can do it! Don't be like all the other Georges I know..
I hate the wait for "winds of winter!" It took 6 years for the fifth book to come out, and if it takes that long for the 6th book to come out, I think the show will catch up with the books lol.
Melissa wrote: "The third book was the best one! I loved the whole series but have to say the third one kept me on the edge of my seat. It took me awhole year to finish all 5 of the published books because I did ..."The series does (mostly) keep you on the edge of your seat. It's taken me a week to get halfway with the series and it'll take me another week to finish it. I take about 2 to 3 days per book.
Tiffany wrote: "I have only read the first book of this series...so far...I had somewhat of a love/hate relationship with a Song of Ice and Fire. At some points I was bored and just wanted to quit reading, yet I c..."Me too. I oscillate between being on the edge of my seat, dying to know what happens, and being bored silly and wanting to throw the book away.
Usually what kept me going was wanting to know what was going on with Arya and wondering if we'll ever see her wolf again.
Jon wrote: "Hi Rebecca, the producers announced officially that SOS will be split into Season 3 and 4. It is known :)"
Hi Jon,
Yes it simply had to be split in two parts. The sad part is having read the books I have a pretty good idea how this season will end:( and what the huge ending will be for season 4:D.....I love the books and have to say that the writers have done a magnificent job in their adaptation of GRRM's work. And the actors they chose to play the parts is simply inspired.
The biggest problem the show will face is the fact that in the books the children barely age, but of course the child actors in GOT do age...I don't know what they will do about that?
I hope thought that GRRM is not helping too much on GOT for that will take him away from working on the sequels...He simply MUST finish Winds of Winter fast...before I lose my mind lol.
Raluca wrote: "this series has ruined my life. there's nothing worse than waiting for Martin to come up with the next book and also hoping he gets to finish the series. Come on, George, you can do it! Don't be li..."I know when it comes to Fantasy fiction GRRM is a genius. I have tried to read other books, but always there is the conundrum that nothing beats The Song of Ice and Fire...That is not to say that GRRM's book are not without faults and in some cases a bit of editing would have helped.....But I just wish the man would put his skates on and finish Winds of Winter....
Rebecca wrote: "[...]The sad part is having read the books I have a pretty good idea how this season will end:( and what the huge ending will be for season 4 [...]"I think this season will have the event you are probably referring to. If you want, you can send me a message and we could discuss it there to avoid spoilers here.
Rebecca wrote: "[...]The biggest problem the show will face is the fact that in the books the children barely age, but of course the child actors in GOT do age...I don't know what they will do about that?[...]"
This shouldn't be a big problem. They already made Bran about 10 instead of 7, and the others they made older as well. I don't think the ages would be a big factor in the story.
Rebecca wrote: "[...]I hope thought that GRRM is not helping too much on GOT for that will take him away from working on the sequels...He simply MUST finish Winds of Winter fast...before I lose my mind lol.[...]"
I think he is quite involved with the production. He even wrote the 7th episode (The Bear and the Maiden Fair).
I agree he must finish book 6 already. I can't wait much longer :(
One more reason he needs to hurry up is that books 4 and 5 take place in parallel, so in the show they'll have to combine them...
I have the first book sitting here next to me, waiting to be read. I quite enjoy the HBO series and I've only heard good things about these novels.
about 500 pages in and enjoying the book. Sometime it seem that parts could have been culled. Having seen the show my imagination seems to be taking a break as the characters and places have been laid out there. Also I figured this is a great place to show the lost chapter of Hoder
I heard that The Wall is inspired by Hadrian's Wall, and it seems to fit - makes me want to go and explore the dramatic coast-to-coast route.
I just started reading "A Game of Thrones" with a few friends, because the task seemed too daunting to accomplish alone. I'm only a hundred paged into the first book, but I really like it so far. It's been a while since I could sit down to read and lose track of the time and of the number of pages in a particular chapter.
@Cora Linn, if you look at the map of Britain, it looks eerily similar to Westeros. I've seen comparisons to Europe, NJ, Seattle, etc, but Britain fits too because the Hadrian Wall is relatively in the same spot as the Westeros Wall.That said, I do not mean to imply that people from Scotland are wildlings or White Walkers :-p
Kelly take your time with the book. I'm sure you'll love it :)
A song of ice and fire is great..both the books and the tv adaptation i love the intricacies of the plot especially in the first book.....though a clash of the swords is a bot of a downer
Saumya wrote: "A song of ice and fire is great..both the books and the tv adaptation i love the intricacies of the plot especially in the first book.....though a clash of the swords is a bot of a downer"I've re-read the series and though I didn't like Feast for Crows the first time I did enjoy it more the second time round. As for Clash of Swords er do you mean Storm of Swords?
Yeah!.i actually meant a clash of kings!!!
Saumya wrote: "Yeah!.i actually meant a clash of kings!!!"I let a friend borrow that book and now I want it back!! lol.....I haven't re-read COK yet, I'll have to demand my book back or buy another.:)
I too have a love/hate relationship with this series. I have been reading since 1996, that is just a little insane. The books either move at a very fast & exciting pace or get bogged down in detail. Without the HBO series, I probably would not finish this series. The TV adaptation is just amazing!
I agree that GRRM does tend to meander on a bit, but I enjoy the books more than the TV show, because you get to see what motivates each character and their thought processes and also how every event changes their outlook on life.But I do love the show and am waiting impatiently for Season 3 DVD to go on sale. I shall be buying it!
R.M.F wrote: "I like the series as well, but I do have one problem with it: for a so called fantasy series, their isn't a lot of fantastical elements! And by that, I don't mean the usual suspects of elves and dw..."I think that's WHY I enjoy the series so much. I was not a fan of fantasy until I started reading this series.
The books tend to be a little overwhelming and all consuming. I feel the need to "live" in Westeros whenever I read it, just completely adapt my life to that way of thinking in order to really understand what is happening. Plus I made a character list, which helped alot! HahaI love the complexities of GRRM's characters, they are so lifelike that they come off the page. Nothing is simple or straightforward or easy for any of them and I think he does a fantastic job of illustrating this through the various POV's that he gives in the books. Although I do wish he would stop killing characters that I like. I know why he is doing it, it is war after all, and he wants to instill fear in the reader for the character, but it is often depressing at times that I have to put down the novel for an hour or two and go focus on another task.
I have not yet started watching the show, I just couldn't get into the first episode for some reason, perhaps I wasn't in the right mood, but I will be trying again soon because there are some scenes from the books that I would love to see played out in real life...you know like what everyone was talking about from the second to last episode of this season!
I stopped reading after the first book because, as some of you have already said, I got tired of Martin killing off characters. Eventually I'll start in again...I think.
I just started reading this series and I'm liking the first book so far, I might watch the TV show too after I've finished the first book. Can someone tell me is the TV series true to the books?
I nearly gave up on GRRM during A Storm of Swords, I was so enraged, but I persevered and am glad I did. Now of course comes the long wait for The Winds of Winter....Argh!!! I do feel though that there are times where GRRM could do with a bit of editing, but all in all he is a genius.I really enjoy the TV adaptation, but feel that there is too much violence and sex on the screen. You don't need those scenes when you have such a brilliant show with such great stars and a wonderful script.
Just my thoughts on it.:)
I recommend the audiobook format for long books like these. I'm a mom, and can't find the time to cover enough of the story to feel like I'm progressing. So I use both formats - audio for when I'm working and can put on my headphones, and the book for when I have time to sit down and actually read. Plus, when you're at work you need a little comic relief, Tyrion making snide comments at Cersei is as good as any!
People now I'm in a dilemma. If the third is the best book till now, then I dunno if I want to start the fourth book now. The problem with these books is the amount of trivial information you need to get through in order to get to the good parts. I rated SOS highly mainly because of those breathtaking final chapters.
It has only just occurred to me after a while; what on earth happened to Benjen Stark?! And also, is anybody else becoming increasingly impatient with the wait for The Winds of Winter? I need it in my life now!
Uday wrote: "People now I'm in a dilemma. If the third is the best book till now, then I dunno if I want to start the fourth book now. The problem with these books is the amount of trivial information you need ..."In A Feast for Crows, the reader gets an insight into Cersei's character, she gets her own POV...So it's a good idea to continue, although I enjoyed the book better on a re-read.
@Joe...Ditto! It could take years....
Joe wrote: "It has only just occurred to me after a while; what on earth happened to Benjen Stark?! And also, is anybody else becoming increasingly impatient with the wait for The Winds of Winter? I need it ..."
Benjen might be Cold Hands in AFFC but, no we don't know what happen to him yet. Can't wait for The Winds of Winter, possibly in February, 2015??? Here's hoping...
Amazing series! Commitment books, but SO worth it.
The Perks Of Being A Book Addict
Books mentioned in this topic
A Feast for Crows (other topics)A Dance with Dragons (other topics)
I absolutely love this series and the HBO show Game of Thrones. It constantly surprises me and I love not knowing what is going to happen next. I think GRRM does an amazing job with developing so many characters and world building. I am eagerly awaiting Winds of Winter.
Fans of the Game of Thrones TV series who haven't read the books - Be forewarned. This thread will likely contain spoilers from the books.