A potentially dumb question

[Mike]

I started reading A Game of Thrones a few years ago, but abandoned it after about 70 pages due to way too many characters being introduced too quickly and the book not being able to hold my interest. I've often thought about eventually taking another shot at it, but it seems even more daunting a task now that the fifth book in the series will be coming out soon.

Meanwhile, I have my TiVo set to record the premiere of the TV series tonight; I won't get to watch it live for a while due to a backlog of other shows waiting for me.

So my question is this: Is it worth it to read the books before watching the TV series, or will I ruin the experience of reading the books by watching the TV series?

[Brad Theado]

might help cement the characters in the book for you.

[Mike]

Yeah, after I posted it I realized it really WAS a dumb question considering that I watched the Lord of the Rings movies well before I touched the books. :)

[Rick]

Depends on how fast you can read. From the first episode, it looks like you can keep up just fine without having read the book. It is a long book and had I not already read it, I would think that I wouldn't be getting around to watching the HBO series for at least a month.

[Brian]

I picked up on numerous small details thanks to reading the books before watching the show. It really allows me to appreciate the show so much more.