A Song of Ice & Fire Fans discussion
Re-reading the series...
Hi Michael, thanks for asking! I write The Silk & Steel Saga, an epic medieval fantasy inspired by George Martin's GOT. The first four books are published and getting great reviews! I'd love to get some feedback from fellow die-hard Martin fans.
The Steel Queen
The conference where I met George was in Seattle about five years ago. If you go to George's official website, he has a tab for appearances where he lists all the conferences he's planning to attend for the next few years. This is how I found out he was going to be in Seattle, so drove up and attended the conference. I contacted the conference committee and begged to be on a panel with George and they put me on the LOTR versus SOIAF panel, which was an awesome experience! My first fantasy panel and it was with George Martin!!!! Awesome!!! :)
Hi Joseph, nice to meet you! What kind of pointers are you looking for? Goodreads is a great sight to meet other readers as well as authors. I'm certainly not an expert but I am happy to help.
Karen i have been trying for years to finish my book and i truly Admire you for what you have done. Its hard cause i love Fantasy but that not the genre im writing in. Could i friend you and email any questions i have?? I have no background in writing and am a Union Carpenter by trade but my Hearts in writing. I wont bother you too much and i look forward to reading your series. Thanks for the consideration
If you live in the Portland area, then Orycon is a very nice fantasy conference to attend (this year it will be Nov 8 - 10th). It is a small con, so luminaries like George Martin do not attend, but if you live in the area, the price is very reasonable and it is a very nice, very friendly fantasy and science fiction con. I met the writer who writes under the name of Robin Hobb at Orycon one year, so you never know who'll be there!
I LOVE ROBIN HOBB!!!! Fareseer trilogy and Tawny Man are two of my Favorites
I liked the Farseer trilogy but I LOVED her Liveship Traders trilogy! I was thrilled to get to meet her! Too bad I did not bring my books to sign! :)
Karen wrote: "I went to a fantasy conference in Seattle just to meet him and got him to sign all my SOIAF books! Loved talking with him and I was even on a panel with him, discussing the differences between Lord..."What an amazing story, Karen! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Karen wrote: "Hi Michael, thanks for asking! I write The Silk & Steel Saga, an epic medieval fantasy inspired by George Martin's GOT. The first four books are published and getting great reviews! I'd love to get..."Wow, I just checked out the synopsis of The Steel Queen, and I think your book sounds amazing, clearly reminiscent of ASOIAF. It amazes me that GRRM's work inspires so many!:)
Thanks Dustin! I've been reading fantasy all my life, but when I finished read Storm of Swords I desperately wanted more epic fantasy with complex plots and characters yet with all the books published out there, I could not find what I wanted. And George takes a long time between books, so I decided to start writing and never stopped. My version of complex epic fantasy, but with more female characters.
I suppose I need to follow more authors individually. What an opportunity to be on a board like that congrats.
Thanks Joseph. It was an awesome experience. You should definitely follow your favorite authors, you never know when they will go to a con near you. If you get a chance to listen to George and meet him in person, jump at the chance.
Karen wrote: "Thanks Joseph. It was an awesome experience. You should definitely follow your favorite authors, you never know when they will go to a con near you. If you get a chance to listen to George and meet..."That is an interesting topic. To me the two are like apples to oranges. I am certain there is a forum out there dedicated to this very subject. I have only read each book once, ASOIF will be the first book I have re-read for a long long time. After that I will tackle the Hobbit and re-read LOTR.
I have a small bookshelf of super favorites that I re-read every other year. These books are so good, both the story and the writing, that they never fail to delight.
It is an odd collection. The first three books of SOIAF, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Hearn's Across the Nightingale Floor, Wilbur Smith's The River God, Ann Rice's The Witching Hour and The Feast of All Saints, James Clavell's Shogun, Rosamunda Pilcher's The Shell Seekers, Irving Stone's The Agony and the Ecstasy, and there's half a dozen more. As I said, an odd collection, but all of them are superbly written with awesome stories.
Oh, how could I forget Frank Herbert's Dune and Susan Kay's Legacy!!!!
Karen wrote: "Thanks Dustin! I've been reading fantasy all my life, but when I finished read Storm of Swords I desperately wanted more epic fantasy with complex plots and characters yet with all the books publis..."You are so very welcome, Karen! It's a pleasure to converse with an accomplished writer such as yourself. I look forward to reading The Steel Queen, getting to know you better, and discussing GRRM, of course!
I actually prefer a complex plot, subplot, etc.., which probably speaks volumes about my adoration of ASOIAF. I mean, the more simplistic ones are fine, too, but I like to really get lost in an abundance of colorful characters, intrigue, and all the craziness.:)
In response to another post, it's been a long time since I'd stopped by George's official site, thank you for the reminder.
Karen wrote: "It is an odd collection. The first three books of SOIAF, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, Hearn's Across the Nightingale Floor, Wilbur Smith's The River God, Ann Rice's The Witching Hour and The Feast ..."I noticed that you listed Rosamunda Pilcher's The Shell Seekers as a personal favorite. I haven't read it yet, but I hear wonderful things, and one of my best GR friends (who's very much like a brother to me,) read it last year, and absolutely loved it. It's on my "to-read" list!
I adore The Shell Seekers! One of my all time favorites. The Shell Seekers was the first book I'd ever read in the point-of-view per chapter style like Martin uses. This style of writing blew me away because it really let you get deep into the character. So when I started writing my own books, I chose to write the same way, by following a distinct POV for each chapter.
I totally agree with you Dustin, I love books with complex plots and subplots.
Karen wrote: "I totally agree with you Dustin, I love books with complex plots and subplots."Definitely! And in my experience, no one does it quite like GRRM.:)
Karen wrote: "I adore The Shell Seekers! One of my all time favorites. The Shell Seekers was the first book I'd ever read in the point-of-view per chapter style like Martin uses. This style of writing blew me aw..."I also love the fact that each chapter is told through a different character's POV. Like you said, it really allows the reader to get up close and personal with them, you feel like you know them.
I am going to have to give The Shell Seekers a go, sometime. So tell me, why exactly do you love it so very much?
Because of the complex characters that seem so real and because of the odd clash of very different characters. I also love the fact that part of the story is set in England during WWII. But I'm worried this book might be more of a chick read.
Karen wrote: "Because of the complex characters that seem so real and because of the odd clash of very different characters. I also love the fact that part of the story is set in England during WWII. But I'm wor..."I'd still give it a go, because it sounds interesting, and I love stories that revolve around a dynamic dynasty. Plus, like I said, one of my very best GR friends read it last year, and he LOVED it!
Thank you, Karen.
Then definitely read it! It is one of my all-time favorite books. I love it.
Karen wrote: "Then definitely read it! It is one of my all-time favorite books. I love it."I plan on it, thank you. I'm hoping The Shell Seekers proves to be a personal favorite, as well.
Karen wrote: "Let me know what you think! Enjoy!"Oh, I definitely will.:)
I thought this was ASoIaF re-read thread?
It is! It started with ASOIAF and morphed from there, as threads often do. Happy to return to ASOIAF.
One quick off topic comment...Karen, I love that you have Legacy on your favorite reads. I LOVE Sharon Kay Penman and have had the wonderful opportunity to talk to her about The Sunne in Splendour. Truly amazing author.
Ok, back to the reread thread....
I'm about a third of the way through GOT. I decided this time through I was going to highlight as many foreshadowing things that I could find. I seem to not be great with foreshadowing unless it hits me upside the head. So, I want to become a better reader at finding the more subtle instances. So far, I kind of feel stupid for not picking up on some of them. This is like my fifth or sixth reread of this book WHY DIDN'T I SEE THESE FOR MYSELF TO BEGIN WITH? O but little details like eye color... I can remember who has what eye color five freaking books later. I guess I tend to get pretty swept up in the story and stop paying attention to certain things. Anyway, I'm finding it to be a more studious reread, and I kind of feel like I did when I was reading books to write my senior thesis in college. It's not boring, it's just more academic in nature.
I love all the foreshadowing in GOT. Will be very interesting to see how much of it comes true.
A quick question for you re-readers: (it may be fresh in your minds)Does Ned Stark send a letter via Varys while in the black cells in aGoT?
I ask because this could be significant in terms of those who knows of Jon's true parentage (assuming that's what he wrote in his letter). To whom would he send this letter? If Varys did take the letter (and read it?!?!?) he'd be loyal to Jon, knowing he was a Targ...
Can anyone confirm?
Great question. I think Ned asked but I can't remember if Varys agreed. Anyone?
I kind of remember that letter. I vaguely remember Varys shaking his head sorrowfully and saying something like: "no I couldn't send on a letter like this." and Ned saying "Didn't think so. Had to try."Obviously not those word which I made up and maybe I made up all of it.
Scribal wrote: "I kind of remember that letter. I vaguely remember Varys shaking his head sorrowfully and saying something like: "no I couldn't send on a letter like this." and Ned saying "Didn't think so. Had to..."Oh man, I wasn't sure. I guess that would've been too easy, eh? :)
But if Vary's knows the truth, at least someone knows.
Karen wrote: "It is! It started with ASOIAF and morphed from there, as threads often do. Happy to return to ASOIAF."Yes, we're more than happy to do so!:)
Karen wrote: "A quick question for you re-readers: (it may be fresh in your minds)Does Ned Stark send a letter via Varys while in the black cells in aGoT?
I ask because this could be significant in terms of ..."
I'm currently at or around the very section you're referring to, so I really can't say for sure. I will keep your inquiry in mind, however, and let the group know, ASAP.:)
Karen wrote: "A quick question for you re-readers: (it may be fresh in your minds)Does Ned Stark send a letter via Varys while in the black cells in aGoT?
I ask because this could be significant in terms of ..."
So I haven't gotten to the scene in question yet, but with only 142 pages left of Thrones, I'll be there soon enough and let you all know.:)
I'm rereading Feast O C AGAIN ( third time) and I just keep finding new stuff every time I read these books. I see. Why I love them so much. The subtleties are just amazing. The foreshadowing is sometimes just like dusting snow off of your shoulders and if you aren't paying attention you miss them. GRRM is such a sneaky Bastid' isn't he?he loves to lead us astray.
Thanks Dustin. I'm not holding out much hope... It would be too easy if Ned had gotten a letter off. And GRRM doesn't let good things happen to good characters :P
Eyehavenofilter wrote: "GRRM is such a sneaky Bastid' isn't he?"I believe Conan used the term sick :)
Karen wrote: "Thanks Dustin. I'm not holding out much hope... It would be too easy if Ned had gotten a letter off. And GRRM doesn't let good things happen to good characters :P"You're very welcome, Karen. I'm still on the look-out for it, and will certainly find it soon. I'm really hoping to finish Thrones later today, actually!
But yeah, that would be far too easy! It's been said often: GRRM takes the age old adage, "Kill your darlings," to a level all his own!!
GRRM definitely does kill his darlings, but sometimes I think he takes it to an extreme. I think it is interesting how the HBO series is making some characters that I did not like in the book, much more likable and more interesting. Like Tywin Lanaster, Varys, Shey and the Hound...I find them far more likable in the show than the book. Maybe the producers know the Starks are going to die and they can't change that, but they know viewers/readers need someone to like and to root for. So they are doing it with the side characters.
Karen wrote: "GRRM definitely does kill his darlings, but sometimes I think he takes it to an extreme. I think it is interesting how the HBO series is making some characters that I did not like in the book, much..."That is interesting, Karen. I tend to agree with you about the non likability of characters like Lord Tywin, the Hound, etc.. But being unfamiliar with the show, I find it kind of hard to see myself rooting for Tywin, amongst others.. he's so VILE toward Tyrion!!
Perhaps GRRM does take it to the extreme at times, but that's his prerogative. The series wouldn't be what is truly is without some of his choice darlings being killed, IMO.
A Song of Ice & Fire Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
The Steel Queen (other topics)The Flame Priest (other topics)
The Skeleton King (other topics)
The Poison Priestess (other topics)
Mistborn Trilogy Boxed Set (other topics)
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Karen when was the fantasy conference? can you give me some pointers to tap into the reading community out here? I am new from Hawaii and still getting the lay of the land. Glad you got to meet him, he seems like a real mellow approachable person that does not have the big ego a lot of great writers have.