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A Game of Thrones
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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
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Tobias
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Sep 06, 2011 08:31AM
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I have to admit, this one is still waiting on my shelf to be read.. I'll do it when I have time for this one.. I have a feeling this one might take awhile to finish.
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Read it, but didn't enjoy it. I think George R. R. Martin has a great writing style, but I'm less impressed with his characters.
I read it and thoroughly enjoyed it. What aspects of Martin's characters didn't you like PJ?
Interestingly, the characters were one of my favourite parts. I found them to be mostly likeable, and a bit more realistic than other epic-type fantasy books. I found I grew attached to them quite quickly.
Hopefully more people have read it!
I found his female characters mostly insipid in the first book. Apart from Circe. The characters were also two-dimensional - for example, ned. The man was ruled simply by his honour, which was fine except there was nothing else to him. Except for Jon, there were no really likeable characters.
Plus, we're told throughout the book, that ned was this amazing warrior. So when we get to the point where jaime lannister and ned face off, I felt quite let down when it doesn't happen. I know that's my own fault for having expectations, but I was left wondering, why bother building ned up. (that was something I felt the series fixed).
This one of those books that readers of all kinds should read.
I feel like these the show this year the amount of discussion/readers for the series, this book in particular went way up.
Just finished this today at lunch. I was slightly surprised, having no previous introduction to the source or TV show I did not know what to expect. I felt it read far more like a historical drama than a typical fantasy novel and I have to agree with PJ in that I found most of the characters a bit flat. The story on the other hand was full of twists and turns and the novel closes in a place I really did not expect with many of the "main" characters disposed in some way or another.I feel like this is a very good book for people not accustomed to more straight fantasy novels but it left me feeling a little let down with all the hype this book has gotten. Do not get me wrong it was very well written and storied, just not my cup of tea.
A Game of Thrones is a great book. I have read the first four books in the Song of Ice and Fire series twice and the fifth once. The overall story is cold, brooding, bloody, and epic in scale. What's not to like! (I must admit that I am addicted.)Readers new to the series be warned -- GRRM is not afraid to kill his characters.
The only problem is that GRRM is a very slow writer. I sometimes fear that he won't finish the series. (He says there are two books to go.)
Clyde wrote: "The only problem is that GRRM is a very slow writer. I sometimes fear that he won't finish the series. (He says there are two books to go.) "I also read somewhere that in this series the should be (when GRRM is finished last two books) 7 books in total but he publish somewhat every 5 years one new book and he is OLD already so it's very much possibility that he never might finish this series... hopefully not but lets keep our fingers crossed, right?
To be fair, he's not as bad as Robert Jordan! Over 13 books to finish A Wheel of Time. Reading the series from first to last takes me about 4 months, and the last book still hasn't been released yet!No author is afraid to kill off their characters - it usually depends on whether the path they are on leads them ultimately to their death, or that's just how the story pans out. I kind of got the feeling that GRRM simply kills them off for shock value.
Maybe I'm wrong, and he doesn't suddenly think, 'oh, I haven't killed anyone in a while, I think I'll kill off so-and-so,' but that is how it comes across to me.
I've read the first two in the series, and so far haven't come across any deaths I thought particularly shocking... I guess it's all ahead of me! But personally, I don't mind when characters die in massive epic stories. I mean, you're reading about wars that are going on for years... quite frankly, I'd be suspicious if truckloads of people *didn't* die.
P.J. wrote: "No author is afraid to kill off their characters"You obviously haven't read Stephenie Meyer! A good 300 pages leading up to a big 'show down' and only one character dies... One that you haven't really met before and conveniently the one who wants the male lead for herself. Words cannot describe how frustrated I was that she refused to kill off anyone at all.
I read an article in The Daily Telegraph saying that if Martin had written the Harry Potter books, Harry would have died and the series would have gone on as "The Continuing Adventures of Draco Malfoy". That made me laugh. I didn't have anything against how Martin would kill off characters in A Game of Thrones - afterall, it does come across as one big mediaeval political power play so, for me, it fits quite well.
As for my favourite character, well, I adore Tyrion. I know he's not a very likeable character, but he's definitely my favourite.
The one thing that I would have liked to have seen more of is the threat from beyond the wall that is hinted at in the prologue but not really addressed all that much in this book.
Rea wrote: "P.J. wrote: "No author is afraid to kill off their characters"You obviously haven't read Stephenie Meyer! A good 300 pages leading up to a big 'show down' and only one character dies... One that ..."
I agree with you about the threat from beyond the wall. I really wanted more of that. I remember thinking that for a fantasy book, Game of Thrones was a wee bit sparse on the fantasy side... But I guess it's just a slow build up that will develop as the series moves on?
I also adore Tyrion. I think he's the most likeable character in it. He gets the best lines, and manages to kick ass in every situation he ends up in. Arya's pretty awesome too.
I've not read Stephanie Meyer because I'm not a fan of teen vampire romances. I could say a lot worse (my partner's told me about the series, and she's not a fan) but as a fellow author, it's not my place, and I haven't read the books, so I don't have the right to.I watched the movie however, and that was a bit like watching a horrific car crash in slow motion.
Tyrion is quite awesome - especially when portrayed by Peter Dinklage!
I guess I'm not much of a fan of this sort of dark fantasy - I tried, though :(
I have read the first two books and if it was not for Tyrion and Arya I would have given up these books. Still something is missing in these books. Call me old fashioned but sometimes you just need a hero.
I probably never would have read these books if not for the popularity of the TV series (it didn't seem to have much fantasy to it) however...I started reading and could not stop. I found several characters were great (Arya, Tyrion and Jamie)and love the format of the book, as seen from one character in each chapter. The magic builds slowly, but it is always there, just waiting...
