Game of Thrones (A Song if Ice and Fire)

[oOGarrettOo]

So, recently I've been reading the Game of Thrones series, or more appropriately, A Song of Ice and Fire. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon so much as reading to discuss them with my mother since she's read the whole series so far.

Has anyone else picked it up?

Not gunna lie, the first book especially is tough as s**t to get through. The story is amazing, it's very invovled and there are lots of twists and secrets - it's very entertaining. But damn can Martin talk...and talk, and talk, and talk, and talk.

So much so that in some parts things get very dry and there is often a lot of bullshit that just DOESN'T MATTER. My biggest peeve in this instance? The ******** feasts. He will spend paragraphs explaining what's on the table, how it's cooked, who is eating it, how they're eating it, so much so that I'm convinced he wrote most of this series while he was absolutely starving.

I'm also not a huge fan of the layout. Each "chapter" is a different character's point of view. While I understand that it gets difficult when there are 10 different characters doing completely different things, it's also annoying. Some of the characters aren't doing s**t and he'll give them a whole chapter talking about the s**t they aren't doing.

So...yeah. I don't want to get to in to it because I don't know who all has read what and I don't want to spoil it.  

[too2sweet]

You must have been reading my mind, I was so thinking of starting this thread earlier. xd

I read "A Song of Ice and Fire" a few weeks back, and I've been sort of disappointed that there isn't anywhere that I can watch the HBO series. I'm on the waiting list for the next books, but they aren't in yet. gonk

I really liked it, though I'm not a huge fan of the multiple view points thing either - it sort of drives me a bit nutty that he doesn't stick to just one (or even a couple) POVs. Still a good book though.

Also agree that there was just a ton of stuff that could have been left out - like whole chapters of particular characters' point of views, that really just could have been noted in passing in one of the main character's chapters.  

[too2sweet]

Just finished the 2nd one. And as with the first one, still so much stuff that was just sort of pointless. I mean it gave you certain insights, but the same could have been done in a quick flashback or something, rather than spanning multiple chapters. Still a good book, but just too much going on, and it makes it hard to keep up with it all.  

[oOGarrettOo]

too2sweet

Just finished the 2nd one. And as with the first one, still so much stuff that was just sort of pointless. I mean it gave you certain insights, but the same could have been done in a quick flashback or something, rather than spanning multiple chapters. Still a good book, but just too much going on, and it makes it hard to keep up with it all.

OMG the second book and ALL THE ******** FEASTS O.O It's like every chapter for a third of the bloody book was "And they ate this, and this, and this, and this, and--" OMFG WE GET IT THEY WERE ******** EATING OKAY! burning_eyes

I am not surprised that their is now a companion cookbook. But it still made me facepalm when I saw it.  

[too2sweet]

oOGarrettOo

too2sweet

Just finished the 2nd one. And as with the first one, still so much stuff that was just sort of pointless. I mean it gave you certain insights, but the same could have been done in a quick flashback or something, rather than spanning multiple chapters. Still a good book, but just too much going on, and it makes it hard to keep up with it all.

OMG the second book and ALL THE ******** FEASTS O.O It's like every chapter for a third of the bloody book was "And they ate this, and this, and this, and this, and--" OMFG WE GET IT THEY WERE ******** EATING OKAY! burning_eyes

I am not surprised that their is now a companion cookbook. But it still made me facepalm when I saw it.

Especially considering how scarce food was in some places.  

[oOGarrettOo]

too2sweet

Especially considering how scarce food was in some places.

Well, I would expect Lords to have kept their stores well stocked, regardless of the scarcity surounding them. The people are starving? That's all right, we'll have a feast with more ******** food than we can eat.  

[too2sweet]

oOGarrettOo

too2sweet

Especially considering how scarce food was in some places.

Well, I would expect Lords to have kept their stores well stocked, regardless of the scarcity surounding them. The people are starving? That's all right, we'll have a feast with more ******** food than we can eat.

True.

I feel sort of bad for people who have been reading this series from back when the first book was published. I mean I want to rip my hair out at how slow it's going after the 2nd book, can't imagine having had to go through this for 16+ years (even the whole Harry Potter series only took like 10). And there's still like 2 more books to go, which haven't even been written yet. crying  

[oOGarrettOo]

too2sweet

oOGarrettOo

too2sweet

Especially considering how scarce food was in some places.

Well, I would expect Lords to have kept their stores well stocked, regardless of the scarcity surounding them. The people are starving? That's all right, we'll have a feast with more ******** food than we can eat.

True.

I feel sort of bad for people who have been reading this series from back when the first book was published. I mean I want to rip my hair out at how slow it's going after the 2nd book, can't imagine having had to go through this for 16+ years (even the whole Harry Potter series only took like 10). And there's still like 2 more books to go, which haven't even been written yet. crying

OGOD burning_eyes

I know what you mean. I'm half way done with the fourth one now and the fifth isn't out in paperback yet, so I won't get to read that one for awhile and according to my mother it's a MAJOR CLIFFHANGER and who the hell knows how long we have to wait for the sixth one.

Omg I can't believe there will be six books, and probably more, holy s**t.

I thought HP was over? (I stopped reading at book six.)  

[too2sweet]

HP had 7 total, the last one is totally worth reading if you can get it. One of my favorites, though it's hella long.

A Song of Ice and Fire, (according to wiki) is supposed to have a total of 7 books as well, he's in the process of writing 6, but it took him like 5+ years to write the last one, so not holding my breath for anything soon.  

[oOGarrettOo]

too2sweet

HP had 7 total, the last one is totally worth reading if you can get it. One of my favorites, though it's hella long.

A Song of Ice and Fire, (according to wiki) is supposed to have a total of 7 books as well, he's in the process of writing 6, but it took him like 5+ years to write the last one, so not holding my breath for anything soon.

Oh good lord gonk

I mean, I understand, they're so long and complex, I just...it's actually getting kinda boring because they're so long and complex sweatdrop Like, there are some PoVs that I enjoy reading and I can't wait to wade through the junk to get to them but...WHY some of the others? Are they realy all that necessary? Some of the chapters are pages of NOTHING important to the plot gonk  

[too2sweet]

oOGarrettOo

too2sweet

HP had 7 total, the last one is totally worth reading if you can get it. One of my favorites, though it's hella long.

A Song of Ice and Fire, (according to wiki) is supposed to have a total of 7 books as well, he's in the process of writing 6, but it took him like 5+ years to write the last one, so not holding my breath for anything soon.

Oh good lord gonk

I mean, I understand, they're so long and complex, I just...it's actually getting kinda boring because they're so long and complex sweatdrop Like, there are some PoVs that I enjoy reading and I can't wait to wade through the junk to get to them but...WHY some of the others? Are they realy all that necessary? Some of the chapters are pages of NOTHING important to the plot gonk

Exactly!!

Spoiler Alert (white chat)

The whole thing with Stanis and Renly meeting up was almost entirely pointless. We'd already seen evidence of whatever the hell her name is' powers, didn't need 1/4 of a book dedicated to more of it. Even if it has bearing later, thinking that there were other ways of getting the point across.

The whole thing with Greyjoy too, I mean yeah it furthers Bran's story, but still... whole thing went nowhere.

Also as much as I like Arya, that s**t drags on a bit as well.  

[Sanguina Cruenta]

I read a quote from the books once and he ended a sentence with an adverb. I mean I'm not one of those total adverb-haters.... I use 'em, but I try to keep it sparing because I can see why they would be ugly if overused or in some situations. But ending a sentence with one just seems so clumsy. So I'm not sure I want to read them now. emo xd  

[too2sweet]

Ugghhh... just finished "A Feast for Crows". Seriously that man wastes soooooo much time going on about s**t that no one cares about. GET TO THE POINT!!!

To know that there are at least 3 more books (2 of which haven't even been written), makes me want to scream. Especially considering that there is no foreseeable deadline for the last two.  

[oOGarrettOo]

too2sweet

Ugghhh... just finished "A Feast for Crows". Seriously that man wastes soooooo much time going on about s**t that no one cares about. GET TO THE POINT!!!

To know that there are at least 3 more books (2 of which haven't even been written), makes me want to scream. Especially considering that there is no foreseeable deadline for the last two.

I was all set and ready to read "A Dance of Dragons" or whatever.

And then I read the prologue.

Yeah... that's on hold.  

[too2sweet]

oOGarrettOo

too2sweet

Ugghhh... just finished "A Feast for Crows". Seriously that man wastes soooooo much time going on about s**t that no one cares about. GET TO THE POINT!!!

To know that there are at least 3 more books (2 of which haven't even been written), makes me want to scream. Especially considering that there is no foreseeable deadline for the last two.

I was all set and ready to read "A Dance of Dragons" or whatever.

And then I read the prologue.

Yeah... that's on hold.

I wouldn't mind, but it's just on and on and on, about things that could probably be resolved in one chapter (or even as a recap in someone else's chapter).

Instead of 200 pages of we walked down the road and saw dead bodies, and more dead bodies, and more crap that at this point doesn't seem to have any real bearing on anything (like oh yay, someone else is pretending to be the Hound... who F-ing cares), and then this and this and this... just a simple - We arrived and "trip sucked", and a few highlights, and then .

I'm also starting to get annoyed at the fact that he clearly was not able to come up with unique names for any of his characters - so many people have similar names, that other than the main ones, it's sometimes hard to keep them all straight.