Game of Thrones

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 15
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I've watched both series of the TV show Game of Thrones and I really enjoyed it, although I've had to watch them multiple times as I find it hard to keep up with all of the characters and plotlines.

Are the books easy to follow and are they worth buying?
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  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    Some people love the books and some people dislike them.

    I didn't like the one I read about 3 pages of on Kindle.
  • HogzillaHogzilla Posts: 24,116
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    I have the books, but Mr H and one of my sons - who are huge fans of the TV show but neither of them great readers - listen to them on audiobooks. We joined Audible and used the monthly credits, gradually, over a period of time, on the GoT books, so now we have them all. They are brilliant to listen to. I prefer the books to the TV series, whether read or audio - and that is saying summat as it is one of my favourite TV series ever.
  • Yog101Yog101 Posts: 532
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    I've read the first 3 books and have found them reasonably enjoyable. The third being by far the best. I've seen the 1st season of the TV series and found the books much easier to follow, which I think is helped by how it written, where each chapter focuses on a particular character.
  • ironjadeironjade Posts: 10,000
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    The books can be heavy going but they are entertaining enough, although GRRM has written far better, if not as profitable, stories than these.
    I'd advise reading them via Kindle unless you want arms like Popeye's.
    The tv series' writers have done a magnificent job in getting them into a filmable state.
  • jediknight2k1jediknight2k1 Posts: 6,892
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    Only book 1 is worth reading imo. I found the book 2 to be the worst thing I have endured in a while, it picks up slightly in 3 and 5 but is still a snails pace at times.

    As an author he either needs to find a better editor or learn how to use paragraphs.
  • David_QuintonDavid_Quinton Posts: 92
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    I've read all five, along with being a huge fantasy buff. I loved the first two after that the story dragged and got dreadful in books four and five. Shame really as they are highly recommended by most readers.
  • Sue_CSue_C Posts: 1,457
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    I read all five books in quick succession in 2011. I liked the huge sprawlingness of it, the countless characters who come and go, all the different storylines, and the shocks. There's less action after books 1 & 2 but by that time you're immersed in the world of Westeros and more involved with the characters.
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 32
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    I absolutely love the books, so much so that I'm saving starting the last one for as long as poss because who knows how long we will have to wait for The Winds Of Winter?

    I love the detail Martin goes into with his world-building, and the foreshadowing, and hints of what is to come. There are so many great characters too.

    Have only watched the first series so far on DVD, but can't wait for the next one, which I think is out on Feb.
  • Gaz22Gaz22 Posts: 18,952
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    I love the books. The first two are excellent but the third is definitely the best of the bunch (for me anyway). It has everything in it and no page goes to waste. The latest two books don't quite reach those highs but are good reads none-the-less.

    I can see how it can be hard for non-readers to jump into the books after watching the show though (I also love the show). It's a completely different medium and if you're used to the show it might take a while to get adjusted to the books. If at all.
  • Aarghawasp!Aarghawasp! Posts: 6,205
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    The are quite heavy going - lots of characters to get your head round at first. I love them though.
  • HogzillaHogzilla Posts: 24,116
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    My favourite is also Book 3. Nice that so many people love that book.
  • elasticloveelasticlove Posts: 18,254
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    Hogzilla wrote: »
    My favourite is also Book 3. Nice that so many people love that book.

    I just finished reading it. I quietly placed the book downat one point, I was so livid/agitated/upset. Vowing to never read again :(

    I continued reading about a week later.
  • CorwinCorwin Posts: 16,573
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    First read them back in 1999/2000 (well the ones that were published then) and have reread the series a number of times.

    Well worth a read and a reread as there are many details that can be missed on an initial read.


    For those who have read all the Novels or those who may want to read something shorter first GRRM has published 3 Novellas set in Westeros about 90 years before the start of the Novels/TV Series.

    They can be found in various anthologies but should be collected into One Volume when a 4th one is released later this year.
  • Smokeychan1Smokeychan1 Posts: 11,987
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    Some people love the books and some people dislike them.

    I didn't like the one I read about 3 pages of on Kindle.

    When I first started reading proper, my mother told me to give a book at least 20 pages before dismissing it (for older readers/adult books I have seen as much as 100 recommended, though I would carry on regardless if I had invested that much in a book already :p). The thing with GoT is, the prologue reads quite a bit different to the book proper and I have always said to friends I have lent my copy to, "get passed the prologue and into the main chapters before deciding whether you like it or not". This is especially true of people who came to know the story from the TV series first.

    If you didn't like the book after 100 pages, or even 20, then fair enough stud, but your paltry 3 pages doesn't cut it as a judgement either way. It has no substance.

    Not sure I understand the problem with paragraphs that jediknight pointed out, I had no issue with Martin's writing style or grammar...except, I found some of the phrases used in dialogue during books 5 a bit modern (maybe it was always this way and yet I only picked up on it as the books in that chapter weren't quite as satisfying as previous ones).
  • Mo@realityMo@reality Posts: 860
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    I absolutely love the books, so much so that I'm saving starting the last one for as long as poss because who knows how long we will have to wait for The Winds Of Winter?

    I did this but cracked recently and started on book 5. Big mistake! I'm finding book five hard going because there's so many characters, places and stuff happened that I'm struggling to remember things. I'm constantly flicking between the book and the Game of thrones wiki to remind myself.

    Best thing to do is read them all together (although I can't see me rereading them all before Winds of Winter comes out).
  • big danbig dan Posts: 7,878
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    Found the first two real page-turners, but I started the third one towards the end of my holiday in August and haven't touched it since I got back. Going to give it another go at some point, but I just didn't find it as captivating.
  • roger_50roger_50 Posts: 6,884
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    The first 3 books are very good - the third is excellent in fact - but books 4 and 5 failed to entertain me. Like many series, it loses steam.

    But it's still worth reading for those first 3. As others said, it's heavy-going at times. Martin is a million miles from being on my list of favourite authors, but he knows how to juggle plot strands and invent a believable fantasy world.

    Compared to a lot of absolute tripe that exists in the fantasy genre, I suppose beggars can't be choosers.
  • lightdragonlightdragon Posts: 19,059
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    I both like and dislike the books.

    I like the world, I like the people, but the structure of the books is annoying, I'd like to follow Arya or Tyrion say, and they may have a chapter here or there, then disappear for the rest of the book.

    I'm on book 4 atm, but it seems to me if they left out all the courses for dinner, and the need to repeat the title every five minutes, and Dany and her dragons which for me stop the flow of the books every time she pops up, then it could've been 2 classic books.

    Oh and book 4 could do without all the unnecessary flashbacks that characters have, it's starting to grate that they are deliberate so as to have a conclusion in book 7, but have never been mentioned before.
  • crunchienutcrunchienut Posts: 885
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    I really enjoyed the series, which introduced me to the books.
    I loved the first few books, they were always moving and every character is doing something different, but i found the last two difficult to read, they were very slow moving and not all that much happened to be honest. I will read the next one when it comes out but hopefully it has more of the feel that the first books had.
  • HogzillaHogzilla Posts: 24,116
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    I just finished reading it. I quietly placed the book downat one point, I was so livid/agitated/upset. Vowing to never read again :(

    I continued reading about a week later.

    Just curious... at which point did you put it down?
  • paulbrockpaulbrock Posts: 16,632
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    Mo@reality wrote: »
    I'm constantly flicking between the book and the Game of thrones wiki to remind myself.

    I use the GOTC companion app. Nice thing is that you can set a 'spoiler' level so it doesn't show you information from later books.

    http://www.bitseries.com/
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 735
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    I started the first book last year and haven't managed to get past half way. At times, I enjoyed it but at other times it really dragged.

    I like the fact that it's split into chapters from different characters as I think that makes it easier to read at times - but I dislike the fact that are just SO MANY characters (and I gather there will be even more later on) as it can be hard to keep up. When I finish a chapter, I'm thinking "ooh, I wonder what will happen next" but it feels like it takes forever before I revisit that character and by that point I've half forgotten about the previous chapter and I don't really care anymore.

    I don't normal have an issue with long books either, generally I like long books, but the fact that I'm getting through this so slowly means the percentage on the bottom of my Kindle feels like it NEVER increases and that makes it worse.

    I really must return to it (I haven't touched it in months) because I dislike leaving a book unfinished and I am determined to get it read but my difficulties with it have made me associate the book with a feeling of mental block so I find it hard to make myself pick it back up again. I haven't seen the TV show either, despite having the entire first series on DVD, because I wanted to finish the book first.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 235
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    The books are absolutely essential for anyone claiming to be a fan IMO.

    They explain so much of the back story leading up to the events of the series as well as character/house history etc as well as what's happening in between each scene.

    Book 3 (Storm of Swords) is absolutely mind blowing and I can't wait to see how the TV series handles certain events.
  • dyer24dyer24 Posts: 733
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    I've watched both series of Game of Thrones three times and absolutely love it. I recently brought the first two books and nearly finished the first. Its very good but prefer the tv show. I won't read the third book until after it is aired on tv
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 235
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    dyer24 wrote: »
    I've watched both series of Game of Thrones three times and absolutely love it. I recently brought the first two books and nearly finished the first. Its very good but prefer the tv show. I won't read the third book until after it is aired on tv

    I would recommend doing it the other way around. The TV series misses far too much out. :rolleyes:
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