281 replies to this topic

[willderbeast]

I'm halfway through the first book. At the turtles pace I tend to read at, covering 450 pages in under a week is some kind of record for me, and it's been unputdownable. It does click rather well with all the REH I've been reading, and it's been fun for me to mentally find some kinships between Howard's Hyborian Age and Martin's Westeros (especially with anything connected to the Wall).

Also, I love that Westeros map Maxmagnus posted. As Metal Barbarian Dinosaur mentioned a while back, a Hyborian age map in similar style would be kind of amazing!

[Officer Aggro]

I'm halfway through the first book. At the turtles pace I tend to read at, covering 450 pages in under a week is some kind of record for me, and it's been unputdownable.

I hear ya hehe. The third book (A Storm of Swords) is over 1100 pages in mass-market paperback, the thickest book I've ever read, and I finished it in less time than it typically takes me to finish a novel of around 300-400 pages.

[NobleSavage]

this series is a f*****g BLAST !!! i've just got introduced to it by the tv show...then read all the books (the 3 stories of dunk & egg : "the hedge knight" , too) and just finished ADWD last week

the guy just created his own universe, that for our generation ( i'm in my late 20's) is the equivalent of Tolkien's universe and a bit more (yes i dear say that)
i'm really fascinated by all the world and (interweaving) plots he created...the show is great ! but the books are by far better...

ADWD is certainly NOT the best book, BUT it certainly has some of the best chapters...it got really boring at times (and i mean seriously boring) especially during the tyrion and daenerys arcs (that should have been really shorter) but the "reek" and jon arcs made up for it..

as for the cersei-jaime-brienne (and no sam..) arcs...what can i say ? just a big "F*** you" to both the author and his editors!!!! that was pretty sadistic...no conclusion...from one clifhanger to another ...

anyway...these books and universe are just awesome and intreaguing/addictive...the way all these characters and subplots interweave and all these subtle "minor" ,yet still shocking, details fill in and complete everything, plus the space for various theories and speculations are just mind blowing

just start reading and once you're done..read em again!!

[witchfire]

HBO's adaptation of this has yet to be shown downunder but already my interest has been peaked so much by what I have heard and read about it that I will likely read the first book at least despite being very wary of epic fantasy series in general.

spoiler : winter is coming....

[Officer Aggro]

Uh oh... I just started ADWD a couple days ago, so I'm not looking foward to the boring parts. Good to know it gets rather exciting, though. AFFC certainly had some dull moments (eg. Sansa coming down from the Eyrie for 30 pages...ugh), but overall I thought it was a decent book. By itself, I'd say it was good, but compared to the first three books it leaves much to be desired. I've heard the same about ADWD, but so far I'm enjoying it. I'm still very eager to read about these characters and find out what happens next, even if it takes awhile to get to the action and suspense!

[NobleSavage]

unfortunately the dany and tyrion chapters-plots are really drawn out..and in a pretty evident way...it all just goes in circles...

but

on the other hand; if you also enjoy the world-creating and history-filling part of the books, you can still find interest in them..

it's just a pity that for a book of its size, there's so little overall-plot advancement and subplots resolution..it's a nice read, in any case, if you're a fan

[Officer Aggro]

ADWD spoilers:

unfortunately the dany and tyrion chapters-plots are really drawn out..and in a pretty evident way...it all just goes in circles...

but

on the other hand; if you also enjoy the world-creating and history-filling part of the books, you can still find interest in them..

it's just a pity that for a book of its size, there's so little overall-plot advancement and subplots resolution..it's a nice read, in any case, if you're a fan

I'm about 550 pages into ADWD now and I have to say I'm really enjoying this one, far more than AFFC. The Tyrion chapters did start off a little boring, but they've been pretty exciting lately (esp. when he meets up with Jorah Mormont). And Reek/Theon...wow, what a mess he is. Those chapters are quite gripping, and I find Ramsey Bolton pretty terrifying. While AFFC tended to drag on and on with nothing terribly exciting happening until the end, I find ADWD more similar to the first three books where I'm eager to find out what happens next to a given character. Many of the chapters end with cliffhangers, and I'll often look ahead to see when the POV character appears again so I know how long I'll have to wait (like I did with the first three books). Daenerys's chapters are still dull, but then they were fairly boring in books 2 and 3 as well, so that's no surprise....though I do hear there's an exciting one coming up towards the end. Anyway, so far so good...

[cromsguts]

Finished ADWD , the ending didn't surprise me. I kind of planned on one of the better character's to get offed. I actually enjoyed Daenery's story line in this book. I am beginning to think she will put thing right. Tyrion continues to delight me . Just the language alone is hysterical. The relationship between Tyrion and Penny was fun. Theon's re-emergence was well concieved, and Roose Bolton and his bastard are deliciously evil.

The surprise at the end of the book left me wanting more. That is always a good thing. Looking forward to the new HBO season. I can't wait to see the "Red Wedding".

[Officer Aggro]

Finished ADWD , the ending didn't surprise me. I kind of planned on one of the better character's to get offed. I actually enjoyed Daenery's story line in this book. I am beginning to think she will put thing right. Tyrion continues to delight me . Just the language alone is hysterical. The relationship between Tyrion and Penny was fun. Theon's re-emergence was well concieved, and Roose Bolton and his bastard are deliciously evil.

The surprise at the end of the book left me wanting more. That is always a good thing. Looking forward to the new HBO season. I can't wait to see the "Red Wedding".

SPOILERS!!



So what do you think will happen to Jon Snow? Martin has hinted at the fact that he's not actually dead - to quote him: "Oh, you think he's dead, do you?" - so I'm of the mind that Melisandre will play some part in saving him (perhaps similar to how Thoros breathed life back into Beric Dondarian). Perhaps he might even warg into Ghost for awhile, but I have a feeling he'll rise again.

[cromsguts]

Finished ADWD , the ending didn't surprise me. I kind of planned on one of the better character's to get offed. I actually enjoyed Daenery's story line in this book. I am beginning to think she will put thing right. Tyrion continues to delight me . Just the language alone is hysterical. The relationship between Tyrion and Penny was fun. Theon's re-emergence was well concieved, and Roose Bolton and his bastard are deliciously evil.

The surprise at the end of the book left me wanting more. That is always a good thing. Looking forward to the new HBO season. I can't wait to see the "Red Wedding".

SPOILERS!!



So what do you think will happen to Jon Snow? Martin has hinted at the fact that he's not actually dead - to quote him: "Oh, you think he's dead, do you?" - so I'm of the mind that Melisandre will play some part in saving him (perhaps similar to how Thoros breathed life back into Beric Dondarian). Perhaps he might even warg into Ghost for awhile, but I have a feeling he'll rise again.

I would imagine he will be back. The only Stark's that have died are Ned and Robb. Given what Melisandre envisioned I see Jon making a return, albiet altered and less "nice guy". Really hoping Arya develops into a major character she is a force of will even as a young girl. My guess is at the end of the series Jon and Daenery's will be together. It's going to prove a long wait for the next book though. I haven't enjoyed a book series this much since Flashman and the Parker series. Lonesome Dove came close but the follow ups pale to the original.

Just my opinion.

[Officer Aggro]

Really hoping Arya develops into a major character she is a force of will even as a young girl. My guess is at the end of the series Jon and Daenery's will be together.

I second that about Arya, as she's one of my favorite characters. She'll be pretty dangerous when she completes her training at the House of Black and White.

Hadn't considered that possibility with Jon and Daenerys, though. It would definitely be an interesting turn of events.

[Officer Aggro]

Mr. Martin released a sample from Winds of Winter! Check it out:
http://georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html

[Fierro]

Martin could give lessons in class to some folks in the fantasy camp (I'm looking at YOU Richard K. Morgan).

After a year of genre-smashing success on an unprecedented scale, Martin could be puffing out his chest about how his work "transcends genre" and is "fantasy for grownups" (I know, he has said that, but context is everything — he was saying that his characters have sex and get killed A LOT). Instead, on his "Not a Blog" he was beside himself with excitement over The Hobbit trailer, proclaiming his Tolkien fanboy status and acknowledging the professor as the writer who turned him on to fantasy in the first place.

In his retrospective on his incredible 2011, he exulted not at "transcending genre" but that perhaps the genre has transcended prejudice against it. And he acknowledged that he "stands on the shoulders of giants."

Whatever your opinion of his work — and mine is decidedly mixed — I salute him for staying true to his roots, for his genuine humility and for showing that you don't need to dis what came before you to differentiate yourself — you just have to reach readers.

[duaneshadow]

I sacked sky t.v. because I don't like Murdoch, and I don't like lining his pockets, and because I got a better deal from virgin media. I was informed that they will be getting sky atlantic soon. this was april. It hasn't arrived yet. I am narked.
I think the book series is starting to flounder a bit. FFC took me two goes to get through, and ADWD, while better, was plodding I thought. He's lost the momentum.

[Officer Aggro]

As much as I love the series, I got a good laugh out of this:

http://www.theonion....rge-rr-m,26934/

[deuce]

Martin could give lessons in class to some folks in the fantasy camp (I'm looking at YOU Richard K. Morgan).

After a year of genre-smashing success on an unprecedented scale, Martin could be puffing out his chest about how his work "transcends genre" and is "fantasy for grownups" (I know, he has said that, but context is everything — he was saying that his characters have sex and get killed A LOT). Instead, on his "Not a Blog" he was beside himself with excitement over The Hobbit trailer, proclaiming his Tolkien fanboy status and acknowledging the professor as the writer who turned him on to fantasy in the first place.

In his retrospective on his incredible 2011, he exulted not at "transcending genre" but that perhaps the genre has transcended prejudice against it. And he acknowledged that he "stands on the shoulders of giants."

Whatever your opinion of his work — and mine is decidedly mixed — I salute him for staying true to his roots, for his genuine humility and for showing that you don't need to dis what came before you to differentiate yourself — you just have to reach readers.

Pretty much agree with everything you said. WAY too many fantasy writers have thrown the genre under the bus as soon as they get a taste of mainstream acclaim. GRRM hasn't forgotten his roots (hello, Moorcock). He'll always have my respect for that. BTW, he called Tolkien "the master" a while back.

I thought Martin was a good writer 30yrs ago. I praised GoT when it came out to EVERYBODY. That said, I gotta call a spade a spade and the promise of the first novel didn't deliver on down the line (IMO).

[deuce]

As much as I love the series, I got a good laugh out of this:

http://www.theonion....rge-rr-m,26934/

EXACTLY why the Onion is so LEGIT.

Loved their Kim Jong-Un piece as well.

[Fierro]

Martin could give lessons in class to some folks in the fantasy camp (I'm looking at YOU Richard K. Morgan).

After a year of genre-smashing success on an unprecedented scale, Martin could be puffing out his chest about how his work "transcends genre" and is "fantasy for grownups" (I know, he has said that, but context is everything — he was saying that his characters have sex and get killed A LOT). Instead, on his "Not a Blog" he was beside himself with excitement over The Hobbit trailer, proclaiming his Tolkien fanboy status and acknowledging the professor as the writer who turned him on to fantasy in the first place.

In his retrospective on his incredible 2011, he exulted not at "transcending genre" but that perhaps the genre has transcended prejudice against it. And he acknowledged that he "stands on the shoulders of giants."

Whatever your opinion of his work — and mine is decidedly mixed — I salute him for staying true to his roots, for his genuine humility and for showing that you don't need to dis what came before you to differentiate yourself — you just have to reach readers.

Pretty much agree with everything you said. WAY too many fantasy writers have thrown the genre under the bus as soon as they get a taste of mainstream acclaim. GRRM hasn't forgotten his roots (hello, Moorcock). He'll always have my respect for that. BTW, he called Tolkien "the master" a while back.

I thought Martin was a good writer 30yrs ago. I praised GoT when it came out to EVERYBODY. That said, I gotta call a spade a spade and the promise of the first novel didn't deliver on down the line (IMO).

We are — surprise! — in complete alignment on this topic.

[deuce]

I work at Amazon. Every single day, I see boxed sets of the ASoI&F (so far) or individual hardcovers get shipped out. Most often, MULTIPLE times a day. I haven't worked there quite a year yet, so I asked several people if THEY remembered shipping that many a year ago. All said they DEFINITELY did not. Knowing that was like a poniard in the heart.

See, Avi? See Nispel? When a quality literary property is closely-adapted, well-written and well-cast, the original works BY THE AUTHOR just fly off the shelves.

[Ironhand]

See, Avi? See Nispel? When a quality literary property is closely-adapted, well-written and well-cast, the original works BY THE AUTHOR just fly off the shelves.

But is this a lesson that movie-makers would even bother to resonate with? Or is it a lesson for Paradox/CPI?

Edited by Ironhand, 09 January 2012 - 04:43 AM.