A Game of Thrones - TV Show Discussion Thread

[Dinner]

WRT "cheaper too" - If he goes to the library then he can read them absolutely free.

[Krill]

Don't be retarded, libraries are socialist, he'll never go to one of them.

[DinoDoc]

Don't be retarded, libraries are socialist, he'll never go to one of them.

Ah well. If reading the series is the best option, how would you rate them as compared to The Black Company (another fantasy series I really enjoyed)?

[Dauphin]

Re book vs TV series, I reserve judgement, but would say the books are better. If the TV series can make the following spoiler funnier than when I read it in the book, the TV series may win on that one count.

Spoiler:

Tywin's death

[Guynemer]

Ah well. If reading the series is the best option, how would you rate them as compared to The Black Company (another fantasy series I really enjoyed)?

Interesting comparison. Loved the first couple Black Company books, then it seemed to go completely off the rails (in my opinion). There hasn't been such a stark decline in this series thus far. Some of the themes are similar, the futility of war, especially in regards to missing the forest for the trees, etc. ASOIAF has a bit of a broader focus, both in characters and geography and politics.

[Krill]

Ah well. If reading the series is the best option, how would you rate them as compared to The Black Company (another fantasy series I really enjoyed)?

I haven't read that book series, but I can't think of a single fantasy or SF book series that is better than ASOIAF. I literally cannot think of anything else I'd rather read (and re-read) than this series.

[rah]

I probably should go back and reread them, especially since i haven't read the most recent one.
But I'm enjoying watching the series without remembering all the little details, since it's been soooo long. While I remember the major items, I'm still surprised/entertained on how they get there.

[DinoDoc]

I haven't read that book series, but I can't think of a single fantasy or SF book series that is better than ASOIAF. I literally cannot think of anything else I'd rather read (and re-read) than this series.

This makes me feel better about searching for the books. After reading on wiki that it had originally planned as a trilogy that later got expanded, I was afraid it would be a little unfocused and that I'd loose interest because of that.

[Dinner]

Re book vs TV series, I reserve judgement, but would say the books are better. If the TV series can make the following spoiler funnier than when I read it in the book, the TV series may win on that one count.

Spoiler:

Tywin's death

Spoiler:

Yeah, the whole Tywin Lanister ****s gold thing along with Tyrian confirming that Tywin Lanister did not in fact **** gold after he killed his own father.

[Imran Siddiqui]

I haven't read that book series, but I can't think of a single fantasy or SF book series that is better than ASOIAF. I literally cannot think of anything else I'd rather read (and re-read) than this series.

And the world George R.R. Martin creates is ridiculously intricate. I mean I spend part of this afternoon reading about the Blackfyre Rebellion (well, it started as an attempt to satiate curiosity of whether Blackfyre is in fact Lightbringer). And that stuff happened 100 years before the first book began and tangentially relates to the plot...

Spoiler:

The Golden Company, now in the employ of Aegon Targaryen and Jon Connington, was formed by Bittersteel, a half brother of Daemon Blackfyre, and is determined to put a Blackfyre on the throne, but the male line of the Blackfyres was extinguished in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, so perhaps merely a Targaryen will do

[Cort Haus]

Back to my question, would the 1st 2 seasons blu rays largely catch me up with yall? They way you people have been talking about it makes me interested.

I'd say get the discs, yes. Read the books too, if you don't mind being dicked about a bit by an author who can't finish what he started. (Puts on flame-retardent suit).

They're both good. Although I was utterly engrossed and transfixed by the books (which might never be finished) at the time, after I finished them as far as they go I felt a bit frustrated by his meandering lack of focus. I should take this to the book thread really, and will (it's actually why I came back to this forum) but I honestly think he has over-indulged himself. I know some will strongly disagree, but it is fair to say that there has been some widespread disappointment at the endless procrastination of some story threads, and the introduction of new ones which some of us found tiresome.

Not a spoiler, just an honest personal answer to DD which differs from the opinions expressed so far.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

So he needs an editor just as badly as Tolkien did?

[DinoDoc]

Although I was utterly engrossed and transfixed by the books (which might never be finished) at the time, after I finished them as far as they go I felt a bit frustrated by his meandering lack of focus. I should take this to the book thread really, and will (it's actually why I came back to this forum) but I honestly think he has over-indulged himself. I know some will strongly disagree, but it is fair to say that there has been some widespread disappointment at the endless procrastination of some story threads, and the introduction of new ones which some of us found tiresome.

Not a spoiler, just an honest personal answer to DD which differs from the opinions expressed so far.

This is what I was afraid of when I saw it had been originally planned as a trilogy.

[Cort Haus]

[Dinner]

And the world George R.R. Martin creates is ridiculously intricate. I mean I spend part of this afternoon reading about the Blackfyre Rebellion (well, it started as an attempt to satiate curiosity of whether Blackfyre is in fact Lightbringer). And that stuff happened 100 years before the first book began and tangentially relates to the plot...

Spoiler:

The Golden Company, now in the employ of Aegon Targaryen and Jon Connington, was formed by Bittersteel, a half brother of Daemon Blackfyre, and is determined to put a Blackfyre on the throne, but the male line of the Blackfyres was extinguished in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, so perhaps merely a Targaryen will do

The guy has been writing the series since 1990 and has only published six books during that entire time (at least for this series). He has had decades to come up with background material, refine it, and incorporate it in subtle ways into the main story line. He's done a hell of a job doing it too. I could see this series having the lasting power of Tolkien's work where people are still doing stuff with it 50 years from now just like people have been running with Tolkien's stuff decades after the man's death.