Next Game of Thrones book The Winds of Winter won't be out until 2016

[Lorizael]

This is why you shouldn't give in to peer pressure. I think most people have a fair idea of the kind of literature they're going to enjoy, at least if they've read a good deal. For my part, I was just trying to explain what I got out of the series, not necessarily why you specifically would/should enjoy reading it.

[Jon Miller]

You read it faster than I have been able to read books since fatherhood.

I agree somewhat with your perspective, I don't reread them (or watch the show) because the world is too harsh. However, it is still a series I am closely following.

But you agree now with I and others, all people in the book are not vile human beings.

And if you read on (not pushing you to do so), you would find others who were not vile human beings and you would see people change (at least a bit).

JM
(still not sure how anyone could be on Cs side, she has caused far more harm to other women than the amount of harm she experienced)

[FlameFlash]

I am jealous of that reading speed... but it looks like I came to the same conclusion after reading the first.

[Elok]

I used my lunch breaks at work/baby-rocking time. Also I developed the habit of skimming over crap I didn't care about, like the details of ludicrously impractical armor or whatever they're eating to go with the lemon cakes. Some of the scenery description too, since it was always "picturesquely medieval stuff."

Re: non-vile human beings, it seems the Starks mostly exist as victims, like the faceless peasant sword-fodder but with more personality. Of the eight Starks (nine including Jon Snow), only Rickon, Catelyn and Robb are intact and safe at the end of the book.

Bad guys getting hurt: Tyrion, the most sympathetic of the Lannisters, is briefly in a tight spot but comes out of it with a private army. Jaime is a hostage, but in no real danger, and it's mostly his own fault. Young Visene Taggeryagger dies ugly, but that's totally his own fault, he spends most of the book being an insufferably obstinate dumbass. Mongol dude snuffs it through a mixture of his own stupidity and his wife's naive mercy. Good guys get punished in this book.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Depends who you consider "good" sometimes .

[Elok]

Well, you could make a case for Sansa not counting b/c of the stupidity/own fault rule, but she's a child so I don't think it really counts. She's basically good-natured, she just has this "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha" thing going on with her sister. Eh.

By the by, why the hell did he have to give the dwarf an axe? He's not even a fantasy-type dwarf, but the moment a fight breaks out, they give him a mother****ing axe. A double-bladed axe, at that. I'm not sure axes had even been mentioned up to that point, except as a twee woodcutting accessory. Suspect GRRM is just messing with me. Also: gold doesn't melt in boiling water, last I checked, unless it's really chocolate wrapped in gold foil. Also also: do Stark children have a gene for stumbling across bad guys discussing their evil plans while exploring randomly, then not being able to do anything about it?

[Elok]

Also also also: does he have like eight people independently coin the titles of the sequels, too? Do people keep mentioning "storms of swords" in the next one?

[Lorizael]

Nope. Only Game of Thrones title drops.

[Guynemer]

You might--MIGHT--like the next book quite a bit better, if you're willing to chance it.

Book 2 is essentially Tyrion's book. He kicks many kinds of ass. Also, two new major characters are introduced who are both unquestionably good, capable individuals.

[Hauldren Collider]

I had basically the same reaction of Elok and still didn't like book 2, for what it's worth.

[Elok]

You might--MIGHT--like the next book quite a bit better, if you're willing to chance it.

Book 2 is essentially Tyrion's book. He kicks many kinds of ass. Also, two new major characters are introduced who are both unquestionably good, capable individuals.

Might chance it. They're certainly readable books, in spite of the misery and fantasy cliches (seriously, he has to be ****ing with us about that axe thing, that's not a coincidence). Worst case scenario, I get a new book to grumble about and irritate Ken.

EDIT: Looking back, I can't say I really liked it, per se; I got kind of numb to the brutality, started skimming over the rapey pillagey bits, so it got more tolerable. I can't say I identified with any of the characters, either. And I can live without finding out what happens next. They just bribed the king's guards to interfere in the succession, which is basically like tattooing PENIS GOES HERE on the buttcheeks of the kingdom, so I can sorta guess where this is going. But, somehow, I'm not totally averse to reading more. I don't get it.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Re: depends on who's good. By the end of Book 5, the main people I'm rooting for are two Lannisters.

[Jon Miller]

Re: depends on who's good. By the end of Book 5, the main people I'm rooting for are two Lannisters.

I don't understand that.

But then, while I understand why Tyrion is liked I never understood the Tyrion fanboys either.

JM
(I am not sure that I am even rooting for Tyrion, other than for him to survive and find a good life.)

[Imran Siddiqui]

Ok, I'm also rooting for 2 Starks and some Dornishmen. Screw the overseas folk.

[DinoDoc]

Ok, I'm also rooting for 2 Starks

So the entire surviving family then?