Characters - A Game of Thrones

[Matthew]

Discuss the characters here - and there are a lot of them!

[Matthew]

Don't go to IMDB to see who plays whom in the show. You may enconter a character that you think is dead already, but you discover they appeared in 32 episodes #spoilerfail

[Vicki Willis]

I have watched the show (well up to season 6) and so I am curious to see how the book describes the characters compared to how the show portrayed them.

[Matthew]

I know a few of the names through random spoilers online. I know that Jon Snow was a big deal last year.

[Vicki Willis]

Where are you in the book?

[Matthew]

There was just a tournament at King's Landing

[Matthew]

It is interesting how many characters play an important part but are basically absent from any of the scenes. They talk about Jamie and Cersi Lannaster a lot, but they have only been present for about 20 of 450 pages.

[Michelle]

Yeah, I think this first book focuses a lot more on the Stark family than anyone else in comparison to the later books in the series. I think 6 out of the 8 POVs are from the Stark family?

[Kandice]

I've read the first three books and seen all of the show and because the cast is so vast, it does seem that each book tends to focus on one "House" at a time. Others appear, but aren't really featured.

On the show, something very, very major is revealed in the first episode that takes hundreds of pages and it ticked me off, but I ended up watching anyway because my children became rabid fans!

Other than Tyrion Lanister, none of the characters on the show ended up looking much like I pictured. Later, when I got back to the books, I was irritated that my "Mind casting" had been replaced with the Davids casting. O_o

[Vicki Willis]

That is interesting Kandice. I wonder how it will be going back to read after watching the show for you.
I am the opposite. I watched the show before I read the book so the characters are not my own visualization.

Of course we all know how most books are better than the screen writing version, I am wondering if that will be the case here. I am a little worried it won't hold my attention since I know the general story arcs. They are loooong books to not be excited about reading.

[Matthew]

I guess I am lucky in that I know nothing about the shows or the books. I know some of the characters names and the actors who play them (damn you internet!), but I have done pretty well staying oblivious.

[Vicki Willis]

If you end up liking the books do you think you will watch the show?

[Matthew]

Vicki Willis wrote: "If you end up liking the books do you think you will watch the show?"

I would like to check them out eventually. I like being "in the know" on pop culture stuff.

[Vicki Willis]

I have read up to page 120

I am finding myself comparing the characters in the book to the characters on TV and it is bugging me. I think this is why I usually would read the book before watching the show so I can do my own thinking...
Anyway...
Catelyn (view spoiler)[she is coming across and a cold, bitter bitch to me. I understand she doesn't like that Ned brough his bastard son, Jon home, but still! She hardly let him say goodbye to Bran before leaving for the wall.
I can see how they are setting him up here. He has had to endure knowing (and everyone else knowing) he is the bastard, while the wonderful Stark family lead the North. (hide spoiler)]

[Kandice]

As far as Cately goes(view spoiler)[ Because I read first, I thought show C was a bitch too. I know that is because I had a preconceived notion, though, because my daughter, who watched, but didn't read, really, really sympathized with her and I simply couldn't! As a mother myself, she made me almost as sick as Cersei who at least loves her children equally! (hide spoiler)]