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| A Song of Ice and Fire *spoilers book 1*; by George R.R. Martin | |
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| Topic Started: 21 Oct 2007, 15:33 (611 Views) | |
| Kevin Thomas Riley | 21 Oct 2007, 15:33 Post #1 |
High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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So, has anyone but myself and Rigil read this? I have read the first book - A Game of Thrones - and just started on the second one - A Clash of Kings. I'd appreciate no spoilers beyond the first book (or wherever I say I have progressed to after that). I really enjoy this series. It's a darker and more "realistic" (i.e. not so much "magic") fantasy that chronicles some royal/noble houses as they struggle for power. On the cover of book one is a fitting quote from a review: "Characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias"! :lol2: A very fitting description. But there are "good guys" as well, but they're far from perfect. And even on the supposedly "good" side there are som strange and rotten apples. I was really surprised when they killed Lord Eddard. Somehow I had expected him to be and remain one of the major characters throughout. So I guess I shouldn't get too attached to anyone, 'cause you never know what Martin will do to them. :wink: But I do have some favourites. I really like Eddard's bastard son Jon Snow, and despite everything I'm fond of the Lannister dwarf Tyrion. But man, I wanted to slap some sense into Eddard's daughter Sansa. What a shallow, stupid brat! I hope her character improves. Heh, speaking of this, I found this cartoon online: Posted Image So damn true! :guffaw: I'm not sure what to make of the Daenerys Targaryen storyline yet. In book 1 it seemed pretty removed from all the other events. But the ending did have some strange develoments, with one of the few "magic" moments, with the birth of her dragons. Book 2 is a bit slow going thus far. Not that much has happened yet. Oh, HBO is planning on doing a TV series about this and that could be really good. One season would cover one book. I wonder who they'll cast. Does anyone have any ideas? I'm thinking Tricia Helfer would make a good Cersei. |
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| Rigil Kent | 21 Oct 2007, 15:48 Post #2 |
Moderately Evil (but Depressed) Mastermind
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I'm actually a bit behind on the series. I own the fourth book, but haven't gotten around to reading it and have had some problems finishing the first one when I try to reread it. That said, it remains one of my favorite "fantasy" series, mostly due to its more realistic approach. More "magic" begins to appear as the series progresses, but I appreciated the fact that it isn't overbalanced (ala the One Power in Jordan's Wheel of Time series.) My personal favorite character is Jon Snow, and it's my theory (based on some things hinted in the first book) that he was actually Eddard's sister's son (the one that the King was supposed to marry). If my theory tracks, Eddard's sister (whose name eludes me) fell in love with that Targaryen guy who ostensibly abducted her in the backstory of the first book, and the two eloped. That would make Jon a Targaryen, and I wonder if they're planning on having Jon and Daenerys marry to create a unified kingdom to face the Others (that showed up in the prologue of book 1). Tyrion is easily my second favorite character, mostly because he's the only truly honest member of the Lannister family. Yeah, he'll lie like the best of them, but there's something more ... honest about how he approaches life. As to the "don't get attached to anyone" rule, I can tell you that this is very much the truth. So far, only Daenerys, Jon, and Tyrion really strike me has having an active character shield (i.e. story immunity), but that's not taking book 4 into account ('cause I haven't read it yet.) There are a couple of deaths in book 3 that caught me totally by surprise (even moreso than Eddard's death)... Excellent series... |
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| Jedikatie | 21 Oct 2007, 15:57 Post #3 |
Moderate you, I will...
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I haven't read it, but I might give it a try next month when work decides to give us a break for basically the last 6 weeks of the year at my one job... So what are the names of the books (in order)? I know our local bookstore has their annual booksale the weekend of my birthday, so I can get the paperback copies at a nice discount then... if I can't get to the other booksale at the fairgrounds the weekend before (which lets you buy a bag of books if you go on Sunday for like $2 a bag). |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 21 Oct 2007, 16:03 Post #4 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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I have to admit that it took me a while to "get into" the first book when I started reading it. It felt a bit slow.
I haven't actually read Jordan.
Now that's an interesting theory. And Ned's sister was called Lyanna. So you mean that she and prince Rhaegar (who was slain by the king-to-be Robert Baratheon) had an affair?
Exactly. I actually felt sorry for him for the way he was treated by Lady Arryn. Heh, funny that we have the same favourites! |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 21 Oct 2007, 16:08 Post #5 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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| Jedikatie | 21 Oct 2007, 16:24 Post #6 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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^ Thanks. I can get Mom to look for them at the fairgrounds booksale in case I can't go (because I'm reasonably sure I'm going to be working that Sunday, since I asked for the following Saturday off). And any she can't find I can buy at the bookstore's sale the following weekend. |
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| Rigil Kent | 21 Oct 2007, 17:05 Post #7 |
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Moderately Evil (but Depressed) Mastermind
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Yup. That's my theory, based on some of the internal thoughts of Eddard in regards to Jon. Ironically, I've since discovered that I'm not the only one who believes this... |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 21 Oct 2007, 17:26 Post #8 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Hey, about casting the HBO series, I just thought, why not a role for Jolene Blalock? |
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| Rigil Kent | 21 Oct 2007, 17:52 Post #9 |
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Moderately Evil (but Depressed) Mastermind
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Given the short lifespans of most of the characters, I dunno... |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 22 Oct 2007, 16:58 Post #10 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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<--- Check out my new av! B) |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 24 Oct 2007, 14:03 Post #11 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Heh, I have now read the part where Tyrion starts to take control in King's Landing as "acting" Hand. I loved how he disposed of that upstart Janos Slynt. :lol2: Stannis seems like an odd figure. While his claim is legit, he must realize he has little hope of doing something about it. He doesn't really have an army. And I wonder what that religious zealot Melisandre is up to? And the Greyjoys. I already hate the father and wonder what he's up to. While Theon wants to join forces with the Starks, it seems daddy has other things in mind. I'm waiting to find out about Renly. His older brother Stannis have a legit claim. So does Joffrey (if we pretend he's actually Robert's son). And Robb Stark only claims to be King in the North, not the iron throne. But how does Renly twist his claims over his brother I wonder? |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 27 Nov 2007, 18:17 Post #12 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Ok, my main "gripe" about these books are that each chapter is just from one strict POV. While I like the writing style, it also means that you sometimes have to wait a long time before you find out what happens to any given character, since there are so many of them. At any given moment there are things happening to a lot of persons spread over this world - Jon, Arya, Catelyn, Daenerys, Tyrion, Sansa, Davos, Theon, Bran. It also has the effect that there sometimes are leaps in the narrative. For example, we have a chapter with Theon Greyjoy (from his POV) planning on marching on Winterfell. Then, a few chapters ahead, there is a Bran POV chapter where Theon and his men just take the castle. There is never in the narrative about how Theon got there. And then some of the action is left out (for example Robb Stark's campaigns, and Tywin Lannister's) The writing style also means that sometimes you want to know what someone is thinking about something, but you never learn because the chapter is from someone else's POV. Back when Ned was executed I wanted to know how he felt before he died, but it was an Arya POV chapter. And there are characters whose POV we never learn, so I will not know what Cersei or Stannis, for example, are thinking. Still, I really like this story a lot. Oh, I've actually changed my view on the character of Sansa. I hated her stuck up, stupid, "spoiled princess" attitude (that got her father killed) in the first book. But now I feel really sorry for her, being the subject of king Joffrey's repeated torments. Man, I hate him and his Kingsguard (except for the Hound). But Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister are still my favourites. |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 30 Nov 2007, 18:57 Post #13 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Well, I finished A Clash of Kings last night. I was dead tired at work today from a lack of sleep. Anyway, the ending surprised me. I really expected King's Landing to fall and I kept hoping that Joffrey and Cersei would get killed. But alas, Renly's old forces joined the Lannisters. But the battle scenes were awesome. I hope they will be done justice when HBO puts it on the air. And poor Tyrion got his face maimed. I never expected Winterfell to fall and get burned either. I'm still not sure how and why that happened. Yeah, I know about Theon Turncloak, but those other guys, weren't they allies to the Starks? So basically everyone thinks all Stark children, save Robb and Sansa, are dead! Speaking of Sansa, I don't understand why she didn't try and take off when the Hound made his offer to bring her along. She'd wanted to escape for the entire book but when the opportunity came... nope! And Jon has now gone undercover with the wildling army up north. I still wonder why everyone would be so afraid of what could come from the north. It mostly looks like a rag tag undisciplined army. Yeah, there are "the Others" undead and whatnot, but mostly there just seems to be a lot of human brutes. |
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| Jedikatie | 6 Dec 2007, 11:01 Post #14 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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Well, I bought the first book in the series this morning when I went over to get my mom's Christmas present from my dad... I'll let you know what I think of it when I get done... |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 6 Dec 2007, 18:01 Post #15 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Note that it can be a tad slow in the beginning. |
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| Jedikatie | 10 Dec 2007, 15:14 Post #16 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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I finished the first book a little earlier today. It was a nice start to the series. I'll have to get the rest of the books (though that probably won't be til after Christmas, since Don got me a $25 gift card for Barnes and Noble, and the only ones of that store around here are at the two malls. No way I am fighting traffic at either of those places before Christmas). Did you guys think that the direwolves and the kids are connected in some way, like maybe they were part of each other? And that maybe their fates are intertwined? Arya's direwolf was driven off by her early in the book and lost (at least for now), and so is she by the end of the book. Sansa's Lady was killed, and I don't think that bodes too well for her eventual fate. Bran, while in the coma, waxed or waned in health depending on whether or not he could hear his wolf. And so on... I can't help but wonder if maybe it has something to do with the fact that their family kept to the old gods (as well as the fact that they had the blood of the First Men in them), and that the kids and the wolves are going to be necessary to stop whatever is coming when winter arrives. And I suspected that Daenerys's dragon eggs would hatch at some point into dragons, well before they actually did (probably right about the first time she touched them, I think). Joffrey certainly is a little brat, and I can't help but wonder what will happen one of the times his mother tells him one time too many to do something that he doesn't want to do. I suspect his mother should be afraid for her own life in that case... 'cause I rather think that he won't stand her bossing him around for too long, especially since he is (or at least thinks he is) the legal king. Sansa is a twit. Her dream world certainly was shattered when Joffrey ordered her dad killed. I wonder how her brothers and sister (and her mother) would react if they knew that she was the one who told the Queen what Ned's plans were, and that she was, ultimately, the cause of the deaths of so many people, including their father? Nice little parallel between Joffrey and Robert Arryn, too. Both of them are brats, even if how they got there is by different paths--Joffrey from a power-hungry mother who wanted him on the throne so she could rule, and Robert by a mother who refuses to let him out of her sight and gives him whatever he wants. I'm wondering if Jon Snow is actually Lyanna's son and not Ned's. He'd still have the blood of the Starks in him, so he would look like them, and the timing would be about right if I remember correctly... It might explain why Ned steadfastly refused to tell him who his mother was. Especially if he happened to be the son of Prince whatever-his-name was, whom King Robert slew to take the throne, since she was raped by that guy... (Oh... just reread some of the earlier posts in this thread--I see that I'm not the only one who thinks that this might be the case.) I wonder if Catelyn's stance against Jon would soften any if she realized that Jon was actually her husband's nephew and not his son (if it's true, that is)? |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 10 Dec 2007, 16:47 Post #17 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Wow, that was fast considering how long it is. With my work schedule I can only manage 2-3 chapters a day.
Well, answering that could be something of a spoiler...
Yeah! He's actully worse than just a brat! I hate him!
I hated her too after the first book. But she'll improve in the next. Now I feel sympathy for her. Glad you enjoyed it! :) :read: |
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| Jedikatie | 11 Dec 2007, 00:46 Post #18 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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^ Well, as far as reading fast, I would have had it done on Sunday, actually, had I not had to work and do other things that day (I was only home about 2 hours or so between 8:45 am and about 10:30 pm). And I took some breaks in reading on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well, 'cause I went to bingo and had to work both Friday and Saturday (and I didn't read constantly when I wasn't doing those things either). But yeah that's about right, considering the type was small in my paperback and there was a lot packed into that book... It helps that one of my two jobs doesn't have a lot of work at this time of the year, so I have a bit more free time than I otherwise would have. As for my speculation about the kids and the direwolves, don't tell me, I'll find out... :lol: Just have to get the next book in the series, which means (unfortunately) a trip out to one of the malls so I can use this gift card... ETA: Well, I got the last three books in the series with that gift card, after braving the mall traffic... I ought to have them all read by Christmas. Not bad, I only had to pay 53 cents for them myself. |
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| Kevin Thomas Riley | 11 Dec 2007, 14:57 Post #19 |
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High Acolyte in the Church of T'Pol Worship
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Gah! You'll definitely end up finishing all the books way before I do. I'm still at the beginning of the third volume... :eek3: |
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| Jedikatie | 11 Dec 2007, 15:05 Post #20 |
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Moderate you, I will...
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:lol: Well, so far I'm on page 38 of the second book (in other words, at the start of Sansa's chapter). But then I'm motivated to finish these books before Christmas, because I know I'm getting two more books then, and I'd like to get those read before January starts and I don't have time to read again... |
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5:46 AM Dec 5