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Democratic Pirate posted:Flew through the first book last week on vacation, about halfway through the aCoK. I'm used to reading stuff like the Wheel of Time where there is a set number of protagonists to root for, but I'm not sure how to feel about this series because I have a bad feeling that everyone I like will end up dead, given what has happened so far. I'm just going to root for Daenerys, because dragons own. . Oh and Jon. I like him. You'll just need to pick your favorite characters and hope they get out of this alive. Your opinion of some characters is likely to change anyway. One of my favorite characters pissed me off by the last book and I no longer give a poo poo about them. While I still have 3-4 favs, there's only two that, if they died, I might throw the book across the room.
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Jan 5, 2012 07:24
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ASOIAF is like seeing a NASCAR race in person. If you don't pick one or two cars to follow around the track, you just end up dizzy.
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Jan 5, 2012 07:51
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Arms_Akimbo posted:ASOIAF is like seeing a NASCAR race in person. If you don't pick one or two cars to follow around the track, you just end up dizzy. Agreeing with this. I think the best way to read them is to just do your best keeping track of everyone but not worrying too much about it. And then when you finish ADWD, spend a day with the Wiki of Fire and Ice filling in the hundreds of things you glossed over.
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Jan 5, 2012 21:59
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I was talking with one of my friends about this the other day: what do you think the likelihood is that GRRM is just going to die before he finishes this series? There are at least two other books to be published, and there was a six year gap between A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons. George R R Martin is super fat and, like, 70(?) years old. The thought is frightening 
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Jan 8, 2012 02:49
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afgrunden posted:I was talking with one of my friends about this the other day: what do you think the likelihood is that GRRM is just going to die before he finishes this series? There are at least two other books to be published, and there was a six year gap between A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons. George R R Martin is super fat and, like, 70(?) years old. The thought is frightening Hopefully he has a lot of notes lying around that the editor/publisher can take and jam together a story if that does happen, otherwise 
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Jan 8, 2012 03:01
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Im about 150 pages into A Feast For Crows. Everyone says its boring but Im loving it. Its pretty much the same kind of political style as AGoT was, which I was hoping it would be after the actionfest of ASoS.
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Jan 8, 2012 04:21
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Veg posted:Im about 150 pages into A Feast For Crows. Everyone says its boring but Im loving it. Its pretty much the same kind of political style as AGoT was, which I was hoping it would be after the actionfest of ASoS. It's divisive, but I think more people are appreciating AFFC as time goes on. You're not alone, far from it.
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Jan 8, 2012 04:35
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afgrunden posted:I was talking with one of my friends about this the other day: what do you think the likelihood is that GRRM is just going to die before he finishes this series? There are at least two other books to be published, and there was a six year gap between A Feast for Crows and A Dance of Dragons. George R R Martin is super fat and, like, 70(?) years old. The thought is frightening He also has health problems, I believe. I thought I read that he had been in the hospital early last year but there's nothing about it in his Wikipedia (not that that means anything). I think it entirely depends on whether or not he's able to cut the poo poo and just sit down and write the loving things. I doubt he has another decade in him.
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Jan 8, 2012 11:21
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I'm about halfway in Game of Thrones, and putting it on hiatus. Finding it hard to be interested in the story. Judging by this thread, most of his books start out slow and get better later on. But that's what, a series of 4 or 5 books that's in total thousands of pages long and about half of them are slow? Even if he used them for character and world building, his cast is a hundred characters with maybe two or three interesting ones. The setting is medieval Europe, complete with a barbarian caricature. I don't know, maybe the setting becomes more evocative when you watch the TV show or read 500 more pages. Not worth all the trouble. There's nothing that makes me want to read this rather than, say, Bernard Cornwell (who does the same thing, only with less silly names).
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Jan 8, 2012 15:19
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It's not until the last 1/4 or less that the larger conflict and plot of the series starts to take shape, but by the halfway point the main plot of the book itself is in full swing. If you aren't engaged by the story or the characters or the world by the halfway point - about when Catelyn kidnaps Tyrion, which is when things start to take off - then it probably just isn't for you. Also, equating slow to bad is dumb. Conduit for Sale! fucked around with this message at 17:12 on Jan 8, 2012 |
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Jan 8, 2012 17:07
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Conduit for Sale! posted:Also, equating slow to bad is dumb. Yes, it is. I meant that I don't enjoy the way GRRM does slow. He's pretty good at making his plot twists unpredictable, though. I have absolutely no idea how the rest of the book plays out. I'll try to keep myself non-spoiled in case I want to come back to it.
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Jan 8, 2012 18:38
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GRRM dies= get Brandon Sanderson to finish the series. The characters will all become much less interesting and the dialogue less compelling, but the worldbuilding will be awesome. Plus the series will be finished in ~1 year.
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Jan 8, 2012 20:14
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I think a series where the magic is this loosely defined and unexplained would give Sanderson the fits.
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Jan 8, 2012 20:26
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I think if GRRM dies, the HBO show writers seem skilled enough to have a great ending.
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Jan 8, 2012 22:10
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Cyphoderus posted:I'm about halfway in Game of Thrones, and putting it on hiatus. Finding it hard to be interested in the story. Judging by this thread, most of his books start out slow and get better later on. But that's what, a series of 4 or 5 books that's in total thousands of pages long and about half of them are slow? Even if he used them for character and world building, his cast is a hundred characters with maybe two or three interesting ones. The setting is medieval Europe, complete with a barbarian caricature. I don't know, maybe the setting becomes more evocative when you watch the TV show or read 500 more pages. You may initially think it's not worth the trouble, but the setting and characters will pull you in no matter how 'slow' the series is. You have to keep at it; many people I've known have said this exact same thing and got addicted almost immediately.
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Jan 8, 2012 22:27
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Cyphoderus posted:I'm about halfway in Game of Thrones, and putting it on hiatus. Finding it hard to be interested in the story. Judging by this thread, most of his books start out slow and get better later on. But that's what, a series of 4 or 5 books that's in total thousands of pages long and about half of them are slow? Even if he used them for character and world building, his cast is a hundred characters with maybe two or three interesting ones. The setting is medieval Europe, complete with a barbarian caricature. I don't know, maybe the setting becomes more evocative when you watch the TV show or read 500 more pages. I think its only the first book that starts out slow. And that's primarily because you are introduced to so many characters and the whole political machine. Its very daunting and confusing. Once you break through about half way or so, it all fits into place. I didn't find the rest of the books slow in the beginning of each. It may take the reader time to get into the groove of a new book but I think 100 pages in at most and you're right back on the horse.
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Jan 8, 2012 22:38
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Veg posted:I think if GRRM dies, the HBO show writers seem skilled enough to have a great ending. INT. SOME TAVERN IN KING'S LANDING - NIGHTTIME Stannis and Selyse are going over the menu, sitting in a booth surrounded by several obscure enemy soldiers and enjoying some onion rings. Don't Stop Believin' starts playing in the background. Outside, Shireen has some trouble parallel parking her horse at the curb. She heads inside as we close up on Stannis' face. Cut to black. The end.
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Jan 8, 2012 23:26
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Joramun posted:INT. SOME TAVERN IN KING'S LANDING - NIGHTTIME fixed
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Jan 8, 2012 23:40
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Conduit for Sale! posted:I think a series where the magic is this loosely defined and unexplained would give Sanderson the fits. It's unexplained at the beginning and loosely defined in the middle. But, the story must be on a trajectory towards explaining the magical side of everything sometime towards the end.
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Jan 9, 2012 01:54
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Rosscifer posted:It's unexplained at the beginning and loosely defined in the middle. But, the story must be on a trajectory towards explaining the magical side of everything sometime towards the end. Remember that show Lost
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Jan 9, 2012 02:12
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Trico posted:Remember that show Lost GRRM did say he hated the ending of Lost.
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Jan 9, 2012 02:23
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Why does the magic have to be explained? Its fuckin magic! This ain't Dungeons and Dragons with a clusterfuck of rules on how the world works.
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Jan 9, 2012 04:37
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Kung Fu Jesus posted:Why does the magic have to be explained? Its fuckin magic! I agree, if this is a world where magic exists, even if it is rare, it wouldn't be this odd thing that needs explanation or given a source. It's just something that would be. Besides, apart from maester work there doesn't seem to be much interest in scientific pursuits.
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Jan 9, 2012 05:00
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So are there any good book recommendations for those of us finished the series up to ADWD in the last six months? It is starting to sink in that I'm going to have to wait 5+ years for the next installment after going cover to cover on the last ones.
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Jan 9, 2012 05:02
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lifts cats over head posted:I agree, if this is a world where magic exists, even if it is rare, it wouldn't be this odd thing that needs explanation or given a source. It's just something that would be. Besides, apart from maester work there doesn't seem to be much interest in scientific pursuits. Right most stories don't need any explanation for it, but magic isn't just this thing that exists perpetually in this world. It doesn't seem to exist much at all at the beginning of the story. And it seems not to have existed for a long time and then BAM it all comes back at the same time as all these magical beings are coming back. Obviously there's a connection. Rosscifer fucked around with this message at 10:48 on Jan 9, 2012 |
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Jan 9, 2012 10:43
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Rosscifer posted:Right most stories don't need any explanation for it, but magic isn't just this thing that exists perpetually in this world. It doesn't seem to exist much at all at the beginning of the story. And it seems not to have existed for a long time and then BAM it all comes back at the same time as all these magical beings are coming back. Obviously there's a connection. To be fair there were mages and the like mentioned several times in the first book. Hell, Sam's dad brought in two of them to try and make him not a pansy. They failed, of course, but people who can cast/believe they can cast magic have existed in setting since the first book, plus all that history with magic swords and dragons and poo poo. Kung Fu Jesus posted:You'll just need to pick your favorite characters and hope they get out of this alive. Your opinion of some characters is likely to change anyway. One of my favorite characters pissed me off by the last book and I no longer give a poo poo about them. While I still have 3-4 favs, there's only two that, if they died, I might throw the book across the room. May I ask who? One of my favorites pissed me off so I'm curious to see if it's a common complaint or not. ZenMasterBullshit fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Jan 9, 2012 |
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Jan 9, 2012 17:39
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ZenMasterBullshit posted:May I ask who? One of my favorites pissed me off so I'm curious to see if it's a common complaint or not. Luckily, both of the characters I enjoy following are still alive. The only thing wrong with them is that one is missing a hand, and the other is missing a nose.
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Jan 9, 2012 18:54
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ZenMasterBullshit posted:To be fair there were mages and the like mentioned several times in the first book. Hell, Sam's dad brought in two of them to try and make him not a pansy. They failed, of course, but people who can cast/believe they can cast magic have existed in setting since the first book, plus all that history with magic swords and dragons and poo poo. Jon Snow. I enjoyed him at first because he was an outcast and I love outcasts. He also had some integrity and selflessness, which is a nice change from all the other characters. But then his earnestness and need to save everyone, while making more and more enemies within the ranks got to me. I am one person hoping he is dead for real and good(he isn't). Actually writing this, I could almost put Dany here too. Her arc in ADWD was very hard for me to get through but she has motherfucking dragons.
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Jan 9, 2012 20:40
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Kung Fu Jesus posted:Jon Snow. I enjoyed him at first because he was an outcast and I love outcasts. He also had some integrity and selflessness, which is a nice change from all the other characters. But then his earnestness and need to save everyone, while making more and more enemies within the ranks got to me. I am one person hoping he is dead for real and good(he isn't). Actually writing this, I could almost put Dany here too. Her arc in ADWD was very hard for me to get through but she has motherfucking dragons. Looking back on ADWD Dany stuff I know it's kind of gimmicky but I wish the Danys/Mereen chapters could've been handled in a way where you get none of her POV or anyone directly involved until the end. As is, her whole arc in that book is boring as poo poo and fairly straightforward (her city is screwed up, she marries some dude to try and settle it down, Selmy unveils a conspiracy and offs her husband, she dissapears, dragon kills Dorne guy, shitberries chapter, season with a ton of fluff that explains how Tyrion and Dorne guy get there) . It would've been infinitely more interesting to approach it with the conspiracy being the main focus point of the Mereen area chapters and having these other happenings and Dany's stuff be alluded to instead of put in your face. tl;dr - Mereen chapters should've been a detective story
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Jan 9, 2012 21:24
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Enrico Cocinar posted:So are there any good book recommendations for those of us finished the series up to ADWD in the last six months? It's non-fiction, but I've been reading Lannister Against York, its about the politics and battles of the Wars of the Roses. It's a pretty good read if you preferred the political aspects of the books. http://www.amazon.com/Lancaster-Against-York-Foundation-Britain/dp/1403966729
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Jan 9, 2012 22:06
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I have been reading FfC and I was wondering if Tyrion makes any appearance whatsoever. A simple yes or no would be awesome.
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Jan 9, 2012 23:31
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Arms_Akimbo posted:Lannister Against York
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Jan 9, 2012 23:31
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Rosscifer posted:Right most stories don't need any explanation for it, but magic isn't just this thing that exists perpetually in this world. It doesn't seem to exist much at all at the beginning of the story. And it seems not to have existed for a long time and then BAM it all comes back at the same time as all these magical beings are coming back. Obviously there's a connection. It does exist, but isn't very prevalent in the seven kingdoms. It's not so much an unexplained part of the universe but an unoccuring event where majority of the narration begins.
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Jan 9, 2012 23:38
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Kung Fu Jesus posted:Jon Snow. I enjoyed him at first because he was an outcast and I love outcasts. He also had some integrity and selflessness, which is a nice change from all the other characters. But then his earnestness and need to save everyone, while making more and more enemies within the ranks got to me. I am one person hoping he is dead for real and good(he isn't). Actually writing this, I could almost put Dany here too. Her arc in ADWD was very hard for me to get through but she has motherfucking dragons. Personally, I loved how Jon was handled in ADWD. I mean, even after becoming Lord Commander of the watch he is still flying by the seat of his pants, trying to fight off problem after problem to the point he becomes blindsided by the growing hatred around him. He tries so hard he does exactly what he was trying to avoid. For all the good he does, he makes mistakes because he doesn't know what he's doing, which is how I've seen his character since he became a steward. After all, 'You know nothing, Jon Snow' is kind of his arc words.
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Jan 9, 2012 23:47
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Wizard of Wang posted:I have been reading FfC and I was wondering if Tyrion makes any appearance whatsoever. A simple yes or no would be awesome.
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Jan 10, 2012 06:25
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I want to read ADwD but I cannot be arsed to buy the hardcover. Can't wait until March for the paperback (or was it May?) but that'll be split into 2 again 
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Jan 10, 2012 09:35
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BjornOfBorg posted:I want to read ADwD but I cannot be arsed to buy the hardcover. Can't wait until March for the paperback (or was it May?) but that'll be split into 2 again Try a local library or buy an e-reader version?
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Jan 10, 2012 14:25
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pakman posted:Try a local library or buy an e-reader version? E-reader might work but the only place I would actually be able to read it was on my computer (which sucks) or only my phone (which sucks worse). Getting it from the library still means it'd be a hardcover... I don't mind the cost of the hardcover; I just hate reading hardcovers.
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Jan 10, 2012 15:07
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BjornOfBorg posted:I want to read ADwD but I cannot be arsed to buy the hardcover. Can't wait until March for the paperback (or was it May?) but that'll be split into 2 again I have to wait until July. Non-matching covers? No way bro.
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Jan 10, 2012 22:01
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BjornOfBorg posted:E-reader might work but the only place I would actually be able to read it was on my computer (which sucks) or only my phone (which sucks worse). I thought this myself but I'm currently reading Feast on my droid of an evening and it sucks far less than I imagined.
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Jan 10, 2012 22:45
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