A Game of Thrones question

I guess it depends on personal preferences. I generally prefer to read the book first before wacthing a screen adaptation of it, because I like to imagine the world and characters depicted on my own. In case of GoT, however, I watched both seasons of the TV show first before reading the first book. I loved them all, and I'm about to start reading the second book soon, and hope to finish at least the third before the third season starts.

I found that watching the show first and then reading the book didn't dimish my enjoyment of either - in some cases, it enhanced it, especially in case of being able to visualize all the places described in the book (except for the Eyrie, all the places in the show are very faithful to their book descriptions). There were some minor issues when the book and show differ, such as trying to think of Daenerys as a 13-year-old when reading the book, even though I kept imagining her as Emilia Clarke, who is a good 10 years older. But these were jus slight quibbles, and I was mostly pleasantly surprised that doing things the other way around from my usual way (i.e. reading first, then watching) worked out quite well. That said, I still intend to read the rest of the books before their corresponding seasons!

I watched Season 1 which got me hooked on the books and was part way through the third book before starting Season 2.

From my experience, I'd say it's much better to watch first and read later. When I read books every little detail is committed to memory and I spent all of Season 2 thinking "That's not right," or "He shouldn't be there doing that," instead of enjoying the show. On the other hand, most of the details of the show goes fuzzy after a few weeks.

The novels have way more depth and expand on the story provided in the series, which to me is a positive. On the other hand, the series had to take some artistic license to fit the epic into limited amount of screen time. They do an excellent job with it, but I'd rather watch the show first and then read the books if I had the chance to do it over.

It all depends on what u prefer ... for me i love reading the books first .... as it gives all the back story ... but what i dont like abt it is i criticize such a brilliant show ...

I read the first book and watched the first season at the same time which I think was a mistake. I'd say watch the series first THEN read the books. I think that if you read the books before or during viewing you don't enjoy the show as much and criticize it more.

Just finished book 5, after reading all five books straight through after Season 1. Now I'll be suffering from withdrawal until book 6 comes out in 2014, or thereabouts. The HBO series will tide me over in the meantime ...

I definitely recommend reading the books. The first season of the show stays fairly true to the first book. The second season has quite a few changes (which they have to make to make it fit into 10 episodes) and they are splitting the third book into two seasons. But also like a few other people have mentioned there is soooo much more information in the books, especially since each chapter is written in the first-person viewpoint of different characters, that it fills in a lot of gaps that the show leaves. Having read all the books as my husband and I watch the show I find myself filling him in on things he might have missed or the reasoning behind someone's actions that might not be explained very well in the show. I only wish I had waited until the whole series was done to start reading them because waiting for the sixth book to come out is literally killing me. I've already re-read the first five books twice and will probably read them all a third time before the sixth comes out!

Typically I like to read the book before seeing it in the media because things are so much better/richer in my imagination than they are on TV or in a movie. I've finished the first three books, through A Storm of Swords. AND I've gotten past the point where the HBO series ended its story line. It does make a difference. Before I reached the part in the storyline covered in the HBO series I'd remember how things looked on TV as I was reading---now I have to use my imagination. HBO really did a great job with scenery, costumes, and characters because they are much more vivid than what I'm imagining!

It all depends on how you feel about adaptations. Personally, I tend to find changes in the story and characters really annoying, which usually ends up ruining the experience for me. I know it's kind of silly, but I can't help it.
Season 1 of Game of Thrones is what brought me to read A Song of Ice and Fire in the first place, however, by the time Sseason 2 was realised, I had already finished all the books. After watching the first two episodes of Season 2, I had to drop the show because all the changes made it impossible for me to enjoy the story.
So, as I was saying, it depends on how you feel about these things.

In any case, I'd say read the books first. You might end up like me, not being able to fully enjoy the show, but it's far better than spoiling the story, which is brilliantly written in the books, and far more satisfying.
Also, waiting for new episodes would be a pain.

Although it is all about personal preference, I suggest reading the books first. I finished the second book at just about the same time as the end of the second season. There was no way I could make myself wait a whole year to find out what would happen next, so I dove right into the third book.

If you're watching the series with someone (I watch with my husband and another couple), by reading the books first, you will be able to offer insights into character motivations as the books are much more richly detailed than the series.

I suggest reading the books first because they give more background story and provide a better understanding of the characters actions and reactions. The only pitfall with this is that I would be watching Season 2 and continuously compare scenes/characters that were changed, altered or omitted. But after watching the last episode there is no possible way I'm going to be able to wait for Season 3. It's a Catch-22...we can't win! lol.

I also think you should read the books first. That way, you can appreciate all the little nuances and differences in the TV series when the 3rd season comes out. But I suppose you could say the same thing about watching the show first.

I watched the first season then dived into the books. What I've noticed even after season 2, is that the TV Show spells things out for you. There are some things that leave your brain to wander in the books that the show makes obvious, and I didn't like that. Of course there are things that happen later that are socking and seeing them on screen might have more of an impact with no knowledge of what is to come. If you can manage to separate the two in your head, I recommend books first. Even with all the knowledge that comes from the books, the show still managed to surprise me.

I watched the first season and then read the first four books(haven't read dance with dragons yet). I noticed that it gave me an idea of what the characters looked like. I think this made it easier to picture everything going on through all of the adventures thus far. Love the books by the way.

I enjoyed the series--I was pleasantly surprised that they had made it almost as rich as the books--however, if you ONLY watch the series and don't read the books, you will miss a LOT. These books are just PACKED. They are packed with characters, history, description, texture--they are masterful. Go ahead and read while watching. It probably won't diminish your enjoyment of either book or series. The only thing that bothered me a little about the series was the visual aspect--I had imagined the characters to be a bit different from what the producers and casting agents had. They're not better or worse--just--different. I can live with both.

As for waiting until the series is done before reading--I wouldn't. These books take so much time to read and absorb you won't find that waiting a few years between titles is all that discontinuous.

Read it

I'd suggest reading book three when you get there. If Wikipedia is correct, they're splitting it into two seasons so you're in for a long wait otherwise.

This IS a tough question, because it all depends on how you experience things. I had heard about this series for years, but never read them. Then I saw the first season and decided to start reading them. I loved the first season and I loved the first book after seeing it. I definitely would have loved the second season more if I hadn't read the books first.

The books are pretty big, so I would say, if you've seen the first two seasons, read the first two books and then wait for the third season. Of course, I know I could not stop reading after the second book, so just go with what feels right!

I read the first one when it was first published, and read each one as it came out. So when I watched the first season on DVD(we don't get HBO) with my husband I offered to tell him what happened to our main characters, as it would be another year before we could watch season 2 on DVD. I am very happy with the series, everyone looked, sounded and acted as they shoule! I read the new book as it came out, and am a little disappointed with the whole Daenerys thread, she seems to be stalled. Tyrion however is great adventure to follow! I will read the next one as soon as it hits audio book!

After I watched the first season I decided to read the books, then after reading the first book I've decided that I will not watch the show anymore (I didn't watch season 2 and never will) because it sucks compared the books.

Now I'm 30% through the second book and I'm loving every page of it!

Go for the books my friend.. Believe me!

After the second season finished, there was no way I couldn't start reading a Storm of Swords. I say read it, it's worth it.

I read the first four books before I knew that they were even making a show. Personally, I'm going to wait until he finishes the entire series before reading the next book. I guarantee that my memory isn't good enough to retain that information for six years in between books, as seems to be the trend with his writing output.

LOVE the show! Havent had a chance to read the books yet, but two of my sisters and my mom have, and they LOVED them. They talk about them almost everyday. They finished them before the second season, and were still surprised at what they did in the show (they do switch some things up). But they still thoroughly enjoy the show :)

Tough question. I read all the books before seeing any of the series. I would say read the book first. The books, especially the first three, are some of the most wonderful novels I have ever read and the show does not do them the same justice print does. I am actually looking forward to seasons 4 and 5 since I believe those parts of the series are actually better suited to a short TV run rather than a long novel. Just my 2 cents.

I read the books at the same time the TV show was on. Season 1 - book 1.. season 2 book 2. I will have the 3rd book finished by the time the 3rd season starts. love the books and the TV show. I'm giving away a copy of book 1 here on my blog - http://paradox-theangelsarehere.blogs...