A Game of Thrones

[Buck]

A Game of Thrones was voted from among books nominated to be our group read for September 2017.

[Illona]

A Game of Thrones

I did read this one, while the writing was good, I did not like it so I did not read any more of them.

[Jessica]

I'm actually just finishing the last one now.

[Buck]

I'm on my library waiting list for this one. I don't expect to read it before the end of this month.

[Buck]

Illona wrote: "A Game of Thrones

I did read this one, while the writing was good, I did not like it so I did not read any more of them."

Jessica wrote: "I'm actually just finishing the last one now."

I finally got this one from my library and have started it. It's quite long. I've never seen the TV series but I know it's popular and I had to wait a long time to get my copy (audio book) from the library. Don't know which camp I'll fall in - one and done, or the whole kit and kaboodle. This kind of fantasy is not my usually fare.

Has anybody read it and seen the TV show? How do they compare?

[Jessica]

Completely different. They start off the same, but then branch off. I mean, they eventually get to the same place for certain parts, but the journeys are different. Personally, I'm a big fan of both. The books have this detail in them that not many books have (I love details) and he sets the mood fantastically. The way the characters grow and change is great to witness as well. And he does make it difficult to draw the line between good and evil. The books obviously get better and tie up loose ends as you move on, but I don't think you should base everything off the first book.

That being said, a while new world of things isn't for some people... He is also true to some medieval facts of how women and animals and traitors/prisoners are treated, which isn't for the fair of heart. Even though it is fantasy, he does tie a bit of our own medieval history to it and I think that makes it better, despite the gore and just down right vulgar treatment of people. So, be warned with that.

[Jessica]

Please forgive my typos, my phone isn't perfect, lol!

[Buck]

I haven't seen the popular TV show and I was unsure about reading the book. I'm glad I did. I'll probably read more in the series.

There are lots of characters and they have unfamiliar names. At first I had trouble keeping them straight but by the time I was well into the story it wasn't a problem any more. There is not protagonist, but there is perhaps a protagonist family, the Starks. A Game of Thrones is a story of intrigue and treachery, belligerence and valor, among aristocratic families in a medieval-like realm. The highest technology is the creation of swords of good steel. There is a climax of sorts, but at the end of the book it's clear there is a lot more to come. I'm not sure how many book there are in the series but they must comprise thousands of pages. A Game of Thrones is very long. Despite the length, Martin's prose is engaging and the story never lags.

[Jessica]

There are 5 books as of right now, but I think the series actually ends with 7. They are very long and each book is anywhere from 500 to 700 pages. I was able to read all 5 during the summer because I was rather booked on them... But to understand it all, reading just the first one is no good finish