are the books good and worth reading?
the new game of thrones game has gotten me into game of thrones, now i started watching the show and was considering started to read the novels.
are they any good?
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the new game of thrones game has gotten me into game of thrones, now i started watching the show and was considering started to read the novels.
are they any good?
Comments
Well I suppose so lol. They are worth reading, but just don't fall in love with the character because he wanted to break his readers down.
Well, is the author of books who created the universe. If you liked TV series and/or the game, you should give it a try.
In my opinion, Books > TV series.
Series one of the show and the book are very similar. They become more different from then onwards with slight changes at first then larger ones. It depends on what sort of books you are in to. These are essentially, political thrillers set in a fantasy world with some horror, violence and sex jumbled in. If you do want to watch the show, I'd advise watching it asap as this game will spoil series 4 which does have some big surprises.
(Also, book three is the best so even if you don't like the first two, power through to that one).
The books are excellent, easily in my top 10 all time fiction reads, the show is very mediocre IMO, but I still watch it out of curiosity because I'm a huge fan of the books
They're good but nothing Tolkien level
I thought you hadnt read the books?
Oh and the books are great though I usually have to read it three times to get whats happening
I much more prefer the show, but the books at okay. :P
I didn't read the book. I'm just telling her the truth what fan said. lol
For me it boils down to what sort of books you enjoy. Since there are so many characters in this story, the books became more difficult for me to follow - had to go check the index at the end a bunch of times which interrupted the reading flow and often wasn't all that helpful anyway. This is just my personal experience since I am terrible with remembering names, which makes it easier for me to watch the show since I can the have a face connected to a character. Also, in the books there can be long descriptions of all the families/clans in a room even though they don't contribute to the scene, which make it a bit tedious unless you're into that sort of thing.
In the end, the books are good enough but I won't likely be reading them more than once - since they are so long and the show is a faster and more visual alternative to experience them.
Absolutely.
No. Too long and too complicated. Reading sucks.
In a word, yes.
Yes but the fifth book was boring, nothing really happens on that book until the very end so you´re desperate all over the book. What´s more, in the fourth book not a single main character as Jon Snow or Tyrion appeared. The whole book was filled with shitty characters.
I would save 5 or 6 chapters from a Dance with Dragons no more.
If you consider book 4 and 5 as one giant megabook and seek out a chronological reading order (like FeastDance or Ball of Beasts) it becomes far more enjoyable reading it that way, especially on a reread.
Ive never known a series that's so rewarding to reread, GRRM is the master at subtlety and repeatedly foreshadows future events, reading them will keep you theorising for as long as it takes for the next GOT season or Winds of Winter to release
Ever read much Epic Fantasy? Their great books but Epic Fantasy is very wordy, he has top introduce the reader to an entire new world and thus has to build it through exposition. So be ready for lots and lots of explanations for the first half of the book.
There are people who foreshadow much better then GRRM, he kind of hits you over the head with it.
I knew that books 5 and 4 were going to be just one giant book, but I have never considered to read them at the same time. It's definitly a good idea but I cannot imagine how rare would be reading two different books (physically I mean).
Its great if you have a device for reading epub files, if you search for Ball of Beasts you can download the combined reading order. You can tell his decision to split the book came quite late in the writing process
The next time I read it I will do as you say.
I think he strikes the right balance, maybe because Im not a particularly smart man it all went over my head on the initial read! I love how he leaves so much in plain sight at times
I will read all the books soon. Will be a lot of fun! >:D
Books are amazing, they have to be the second best fantasy series I have ever read. I am almost done with the third one and I enjoy them much more than the show (then again, I'm only on the second season of the show so that could change).
Definitely give them a try, you won't regret it
Holy fuck, you really are a troll.
Generic good vs evil < Morally questionable characters with diverse personalities.
I love them. So... Yes! It was definitely worth it for me.
I also like GRRM more than Tolkien but I understand if someone likes the Tolkien-style fantasy better, it's just what you prefer. And Tolkien is a good writer there is no denying that and even more he has made a huge universe, even bigger than the universe of asoiaf.
The problem with Tolkien is that while he was the driving force behind modern fantasy, other writers have far surpassed him now. Middle-Earth is a big place but lacks character and detail, everyone is either lawful good or chaotic evil, or neutral, and the plot is a straight forward white vs black storyline. GRRM has a world full of detail and character where everyone is a wild card.
I agree with your points and that's why I prefer GRRM.
Yep, they're really good
I'd say they are worth reading...but that's a very hesitant yes. They are tremendously overhyped. Actually that isn't fair, the first three books are easily the best fantasy and maybe even the best fiction I have ever read. I devoured each page. As things get into the 4th and 5th books it really started to fall apart for me. I've read lots of critiques of the series and I think the best theory that I've read is that he starting writing with a great idea but with no end in mind. The current books it feels like all the characters have lost direction and are just shadows of what they used to be.
I've heard from a lot of people that while the books are good books, and the show is an amazing show. Like the show cuts through a lot of chaffe and makes the source material sing. Some books fans will disagree, the tv show is diminshed for having less stuff in it.
But a lot of people I've talked to who started with the show said they preferred the experience of the show. And the books were just like, cool supplementary information. "Oh so that's how Tarly's father is."
Well there are certain less important events that are very different from the show and there is a lot more input about the characters thoughts so it's really a good idea to read the books. And you can enjoy situations like this:
Then again the middle-parts of the stories are always problematic and AFFC and ADWD were the second part of what was originally supposed to be a trilogy. I still have my hopes up for the last books
There's no way the show improves the source material but you couldnt hope for a better adaptation. Storm of Swords is a masterpiece but some of the big moments are dealt with very differently in the show, now that we've covered most of that book the omissions have really piled up and the timeline has changed dramatically, as a result the show is nowhere near as emotionally draining as Storm! I understand people's frustrations with book 4 and 5, I love both but Id encourage fans of the show to try and read up until Storm of Swords because that trilogy is outstanding
Yes read them better than show almost
The books are %100 better than the show. The show begins to cut out fun and exciting characters and events during the second season. I admit I'm a book snob about it, but for me the show can never really make you care for the characters as the book does. It has a way of making you feel for everyone no matter how bad they are made out to be. I understand those who enjoy the show more though. I'm not trying to put them down. I just enjoy the slow build up to the crazy events.
It really depends on what sort of books you like. I enjoyed them but I know a few people who can't stand the books. If you like long novels and are good at keeping dozens of different characters straight in your head, I'd say give one a try.
They are far better than the show.
The books are really good. Dont make the same mistake as me though. Ive read the books after I watched the show. I dont imagine how characters may look = I have the exact appearance of them in my head because I saw most of them in the show. xD
They are the best books ever written.
I loved the first three! The fourth book(A Feast for Crows) really turned me off the series though -- I just could not get through it. Now I just watch the show. Once the final book is out(so like 5-10 years from now?), I may give it another go.