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A Song of Ice and Fire Series
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Jeri
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Apr 22, 2012 06:44AM
Anyone else reading this series? I am about a quarter of the way through "A Storm of Swords"...
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Im waiting dance of dragons part 2 to arrives at my doorstep ,cant wait:D.
I find myself alternately enthralled and bored with this series. A Game of Thrones was so good; I was mesmerized my each of the characters regardless of whether I admired of despised them. I became less involved with each successive book; and I'm finding A Storm of Swords a chore to get through.
I know what you mean - I love this series but did start to zone out a bit during Storm of Swords, although I think in my case it had a lot to do with thinking it was the last book and I peeked at the end and didn't like it! but then I realised there was more to come... oops silly me! have just finished Dance of Dragons a few weeks ago and it was great so hang in there, it will pick up again
Thanks, Laurel! I'm thinking about skipping the chapters of the characters that bore me. The story moves so slowly that I don't think I'll miss anything!
I know what you mean about the slower character chapters, that might be why i enjoyed dance of dragons so much as it was back to some of my favourites. the only problem is there's so much to remember that skipping stuff only makes me confused later on! maybe martin should bring out a song of ice and fire primer...
Jeri wrote: "I find myself alternately enthralled and bored with this series. A Game of Thrones was so good; I was mesmerized my each of the characters regardless of whether I admired of despised them. I became..."You are not the only one who said this. Many have said the books start to go down hill after the 2nd book. But I still will continue with the series. I'm on book 2 - Clash of Kings
Chloe wrote: "Update to the earlier thing about slower chapters - I've properly got into it now and I don't think that there are any slow chapters - I'm whizzing throught it! :-) Love books like that, the ones w..."Thanks for the head's up, Chloe! Sounds like it will get better, soon!
I watched the first series of Game of Thrones and was enthralled with it. Then I bought the first book. Have I read it yet? NO!! It needs to spend more time in our house and make friends with the other books in my book closet. In the meantime, I am trying to keep up with the second series on HBO although most of the shows are recorded and are waiting to be watched.
How's the second series? I don't have HBO so have to wait for it to get released on dvd in the UK :(loved the first series though, it was really good and absolutely did justice to the books - they stuck very close to the story
Jeri wrote: "Thanks, Laurel! I'm thinking about skipping the chapters of the characters that bore me. The story moves so slowly that I don't think I'll miss anything!"thats what you think... author has a lot of moments that leave some readers thinking they can just skip those, that they are so very clever... but in the end it catches up with them in ways like they wont understand certain situations, misread others cos of the supposedly irrelevant details they skipped in "boring chapters"... this approach will get you deceived by the characters themselves lol, but go ahead :)))
Well, that was a needlessly snarky reply. I merely stated an opinion, which, last time I checked, was an acceptable thing to do, especially on a DISCUSSION thread where books are DISCUSSED. We are talking about reading for enjoyment, here, and you feel free to read every single word if you would like to, and I will skip chapters that I find boring if I want to, and if I have to backtrack, so be it. To each his own.
that wasnt snarky, sorry if it sounded so... it was more of connected with my own experiences... I didnt skip any part, and I was thankful for it cos there were times when just by chance I remembered some part I thought just a side thing, and suddenly it came to prominence... there were many times when I thought I had all figured out, only for the author to show me an imaginary middle finger and things going completely different way...so pls, you dont have to take it personally, cos it wasnt aimed at you precisely :)
and believe me, chapters where chars like Varys or Littlefinger play a role, they DO deceive the reader, a lot :)
I understand where you're coming from, but every so often, a very important fact will be revealed in a "less important character's" chapter. For example, if you weren't a big fan of Theon Greyjoy during a Clash of Kings and decided to skip his chapter, you wouldn't have found out... (view spoiler)
a friend of mine had one even different approach - he started out with first POV chapter, then read all chapters of that particular char, then went on another... and I found he at times had a kinda confused picture of certain things...martin cut things and all in precisely the way so the reader revealed the "pieces of the puzzle" piece by piece... and as he often says, I think even in acknowledgments, devil is in the details... at first I also found the details of clothing, meals and such kinda long, even though neat to read... but then it showed that even those were there for a reason... for example the description of meals at Joffrey's wedding - if one doesnt pay attention to the courses, or decides to skip them entirely, they may not learn who might have had a hand in... :)
as I said before, characters do lie and lie a lot and they lie hard... they lie to themselves, to others, they pretend... and devil lies in the details... thats only one of reasons why it is a translator's hell :)
I understand what you are saying (and thanks for the apology BTW), but it is taking me SO long to read this book. Great point, Sarah, because I did read that chapter and Theon Greyjoy is one of the characters that bores me, except for he hasn't been mentioned in ASOS yet, and I am dying to know where he has run off to after plundering Winterfell. I will probably read them all, but skim occasionally:)
Ironmen in general sound boring at first... but mainly cos you dont get a deeper insight into their culture and such until A Feast for Crows, where you get Asha, Victarion and Aeron Damphair POVs, which cast a lot of light onto things... beware through, starting with AFFC he starts naming the POVs according to nicknames more than actual names, so it might be tricky and you might have to read carefully to know who the POV is...Victarion is actually really cool dude, especially his sea battles :P
I didn't like Theon or the Iron-born either at first but I ended up feeling sorry for him.I really like the fact that the characters (and Martin) will deliberately mislead you... I STILL haven't got Varys figured out
Varys clearly does what he does for the good of the realm... at all costs... although I think that the matter of his real origin would shed real light on who the hell he is :P
I agree that there were some parts of the other books that were really dragging but I trudged through all of them and A dance with dragons is proving to be very exciting. My favorite characters are Daenerys Tyrion and Jon Snow and so far, they haven't ruined them in the HBO series yet :)
The books drag at times but then always leave you wanting more. The series is fantastic too. I cant wait for the last 2 books.
Well, starting AFFC and after tearing through the last third of ASOS the action has yet again come to a screeching halt I guess I am getting used to the cadence, but it doesn't stop it from frustrating me! My favorite characters are now anyone who has been in the story since the beginning and has managed to survive! His characters are all so grey; not one is the "good guy" nor "the bad guy" (excluding Joffrey, but he, well, you know).
well, the much slower tempo in AFFC and part of ADWD is much to be expected... of course when half the people are dead that things are slowing down :)))
I'm just a bit gutted that I'm up to date and have now got to wait for ages for him to finish the next one! ha ha that's the only drawback to series
I just started A Storm of Swords. I can't help but become absorb with all the characters. This is one of the few series I've read back to back.
I am reading Malazan book of the fallen now back to back, and I can tell you, it is a brain-frying experience lol
Razmatus wrote: "I am reading Malazan book of the fallen now back to back, and I can tell you, it is a brain-frying experience lol"Hi I have read the first 3 very hard work but worth it. Complex.
Bev wrote: "Razmatus wrote: "I am reading Malazan book of the fallen now back to back, and I can tell you, it is a brain-frying experience lol"Hi I have read the first 3 very hard work but worth it. Complex."
and it just gets more complex the further you go into the saga, layers upon layers of meanings and histories
it's 10 books though... and it can get more confusing than ASOIAF :D
Raz it will be worth it besides a mere 10 books???? How about Jordans wheel of time - 14?
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seeing as how i was barely alive when he published the first book, i am so confused (by what wikipeda told me anyway). I dont know where to start.
HELP!!
HELP!!
Bev wrote: "Raz it will be worth it besides a mere 10 books???? How about Jordans wheel of time - 14?"I havent read Jordan but those who did read both him and Erikson might in other words say that Erikson's 10 books are tons harder to get through than Jordan's so far 13
and from what I read from many ppl, Jordan had a problem with consistency and quality as it went on, while Erikson didnt, staying probably one of very few authors who wrote long series and managed to keep all the books in it top notch... even though I am only like halfway through, I already cant wait for the other five, then Korbal Broach short story collection... then a little intermezzo with Dune, and right back to Malazan world with 4 books by Esslemont
Anisah wrote: "seeing as how i was barely alive when he published the first book, i am so confused (by what wikipeda told me anyway). I dont know where to start.HELP!!"
Hi Anisah are you talking about the Wheel of time? If so give it a whirl. Very entertaining. From an old biddy :)
Razmatus wrote: "Bev wrote: "Raz it will be worth it besides a mere 10 books???? How about Jordans wheel of time - 14?"I havent read Jordan but those who did read both him and Erikson might in other words say tha..."
Razz, I have read Jordans books and I havent found a problem with the consistency. I think some readers think there is an issue because the series is so long and there is so much info he is trying to impart.
I do agree that Eriksons writing is more complex and I have enjoyed the first few. I will come back to them when I have the time to absorb them.
Bev wrote: "Razmatus wrote: "Bev wrote: "Raz it will be worth it besides a mere 10 books???? How about Jordans wheel of time - 14?"I havent read Jordan but those who did read both him and Erikson might in ot..."
as I said, I havent read WoT yet, so I was only speaking as to what I read from others :)
well, so far, Erikson managed to keep the books just so packed either with action, fun or any kind of stuff that keeps you entertained
as for reading the series, I highly recommend reading it from the start and back-to-back, while you have the details in your mind :)
Hi Raz I would love to but I have such a large back log plus there is the cost implications of such a large series. Are you in the US or the UK? I was asking in relation to the cost of the books.Give Jordan a try.
Bev wrote: "Hi Raz I would love to but I have such a large back log plus there is the cost implications of such a large series. Are you in the US or the UK? I was asking in relation to the cost of the books...."
I live in Slovakia and had the whole series ordered... all books from it were 8.40 € each, only Toll the Hounds was 9.20 € for some reason... so all in all it was approximately 85 € altogether... they were all Bantam UK/Transworld paperbacks, first seven A-sized and last three B-sized for some reason lol (but they exist in A-size as well)... so for so many books and soooo many pages it was pretty decent price I would say (in czech each book ranges from 20 to almost 30 € each lol)
as for Jordan, sure, I will, at some point :)
Wow Raz that works out at about £69 for 10 books. So about £6.90 each.I think I will have to do some careful shopping maybe buy some on kindle and see if I can borrow some from the library and or secondhand copies. Hows the weather in Slovakia? I am in Uk and its been rubbish.
well, if you think of it, 8.40 € for each book, most of them being at 900-1300 pages, if you dont buy em all at once, it is affordable IMO... and those were brand new copies ^^and thanks to my great treatment, you would hardly discern that first four had been read already - the only sign of wear being the slight yellowish tinge to the sides of pages
I plan to order also Esslemont's books from whatever money I get for my birthday hehe, plus the Bakker's trilogy :)
weather is kinda rubbish here as well, but whatever, I am reading a lot of the time so who cares lol :D
Raz you have a point about the weather. I have read the Bakker collection but when I tried to reread the first one recently I couldnt get into it. Where do you store all your books?
Bev wrote: "Anisah wrote: "seeing as how i was barely alive when he published the first book, i am so confused (by what wikipeda told me anyway). I dont know where to start.
HELP!!"
Hi Anisah are you talking ..."
I dont know lol. I wanted to read a Song of Ice and Fire but is that the first one? Are there more before that? I just want to know where I should start in Martin's ...series, volumes whatever it called.
HELP!!"
Hi Anisah are you talking ..."
I dont know lol. I wanted to read a Song of Ice and Fire but is that the first one? Are there more before that? I just want to know where I should start in Martin's ...series, volumes whatever it called.
Anisah wrote: "Bev wrote: "Anisah wrote: "seeing as how i was barely alive when he published the first book, i am so confused (by what wikipeda told me anyway). I dont know where to start.HELP!!"
Hi Anisah are ..."
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords (some editions have this one divided into 2 volumes)
A Feast for Crows
A Dance with Dragons (some editions have this one divided into 2 volumes)
and then there are two other planned but not as of yet released :)
Bev wrote: "Raz you have a point about the weather. I have read the Bakker collection but when I tried to reread the first one recently I couldnt get into it. Where do you store all your books?"
you will have your answer later today when I manage to take some pics of my majestic epic shelf of doom :)))
Bev wrote: "Raz you have a point about the weather. I have read the Bakker collection but when I tried to reread the first one recently I couldnt get into it. Where do you store all your books?"
http://s1165.photobucket.com/albums/q...
enjoy :)))
Razmatus wrote: "Bev wrote: "Raz you have a point about the weather. I have read the Bakker collection but when I tried to reread the first one recently I couldnt get into it. Where do you store all your books?"
..."
Ha same type of shelves as me!
Bev wrote: "Razmatus wrote: "Bev wrote: "Raz you have a point about the weather. I have read the Bakker collection but when I tried to reread the first one recently I couldnt get into it. Where do you store ..."
they were really neat and fairly well priced, each like 50 € :P
they are pretty tall and of good width, and the space between the shelves is just great for A, B and C books, with the bottom shelves being perfect for big encyclopedias :P
Hi Raz I have 7 such cases and loads of boxes filled with books in my garage. I have just run out of space so I have started buying on kindle instead.
