A Song of Ice and Fire

[Radial]

Written by George RR Martin.

The series is a Wheel of Time style fantasy work.

Just recently finished the 1st of the series, and decided to just buy the rest and finish it.

I was wondering if any one else is reading it - and what your thoughts are.

[Kallysti]

My comments in the thread here (http://www.guforums.com/showthread.php?t=7798) *grin*

[Radial]

I actually went back all *3* pages available in this topic and didn't catch that thread. /sigh

[$tormin]

To add some content to this thread, here's the first Tyrion chapter from the upcoming book.
Linka (Needless to say, contains spoilers) (http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html)
It gets switched out for the first Jon Snow and Daenerys chapters which used to be available unlinked from the website but I guess he changed the URL for the pages themselves to keep people from reading them when they not cycled in :/


Edit: Added another spoiler warning just in case

[Zarithar]

Written by George RR Martin.

The series is a Wheel of Time style fantasy work.



Only so much better than Wheel of Time (which I also like by the way)

[Khatib]

I was wondering if any one else is reading it - and what your thoughts are.

I'm actually just starting my 3rd time through it.

You'll definitely want to read it at least twice. There are so many twists and turns, and so much backstabbing... it's really interesting to read it again and know what certain characters are GOING to do, because then you notice the subtle nuances leading up to their actions. And you get to know some characters much better... some good guys turn out to be bad, some bad guys turn out to be... not so bad or even good... that when you re-read it, you realize how they really are, and the things they say and do early on take on a whole new meaning to them.

Hands down the best fantasy series I've ever read, and probably my favorite books, period. And I read a LOT.

Other fantasy books are so lackluster now, because you just sit there realizing all the "plot twists" are just a convoluted buildup to how the "hero" is going to save the day. In normal fantasy books, some big snag is thrown to the lead character, and you read on going "Hmmm how is he/she going to *get out of* this one..." but you know in the end they'll get out of it and save the day or whatever by the end of the book. You don't know how it's going to happen, but you essentially know WHAT is going to happen. In Ice and Fire, a character hits a snag, and you are on the edge of your seat going "Holy crap, is he/she going to *survive* this one..." And you have no clue what is going o happen at all. Incredibly refreshing twist to your general fantasy setups.

Also, for those of you who have finished the first four books... I would highly recommend checking out this website:
http://www.towerofthehand.com/
Especially the part about Jon Snow's parentage. I'm a firm believer in the Rhaegar+Lyanna theory myself. Going through the series again with that theory in mind, you see a LOT of things that support it

[Radial]

I think you really hit it on the head Khatib. Generally, the hero wins. But in Song of Ice and Fire, there are times when they don't - and that opens the field for way more plot options. Picking up the 3rd and 4th today, now that I'm not working 17 hour days.

[Zarithar]

I think you really hit it on the head Khatib. Generally, the hero wins. But in Song of Ice and Fire, there are times when they don't - and that opens the field for way more plot options. Picking up the 3rd and 4th today, now that I'm not working 17 hour days.

Not only that... but who would "the hero" be in any case? There are many characters I started out hating and later really started to empathize with (The Hound and more recently Jaime Lannister). I like the way that Martin's characters are flawed human beings, not black and white.

[Radial]

That's a good point. However I do think that Eddard Stark is your stereotypical "white" hero(To clarify I mean "white" as in yin to the yang, not "white" as the race). When they off'ed him, I knew that all bets were off.

And aside from that, I agree. The characters are portrayed human, and not so much standard-issue-copy-paste-hero-or-villian.

-edited tense for spoiler reasons

[Zarithar]

Yep thats true I think. Ned is pretty much an all around decent person, even moreso than Jon Snow.

[Khatib]

And P.S. for anyone who hadn't heard it yet... They're trying to make a SoIaF series for HBO. Most recent anouncment was that they are on the second script revision/submission, waiting on it to actually get "picked up" yet, but apparently the odds are good that it will.

They way they are looking at doing it is 12 episodes per season, one book per season. It'll be really interesting to see if they can effectively transfer all the nuance you get from the varied point of view chapters in the book while keeping a good flow to it... I have no clue how you'll get inside all the different characters heads at the appropriate times without breaking it up too much or having some crappy voiceovers or something. But that's why I'm not a screenwriter and other people are.

[Jayderose]

What I've liked most about this series of Mr. Martin's is that you do get to step into the shoes of the characters and see what drives them. A large chunk of my day-to-day job is as a facilitator, and keeping a neutral stance while exploring others mind and actions has always fascinated me.
The fact that he doesn't gloss over the facts and atrocities of war is a big plus for me too. I just have to read some piece of fluff (or several) after reading his books, or I'll end up visiting the doctor.