|
I managed to power through the four books last fall without being spoiled. I laughed, I cried, I raged, and now I check the lemoncakes/rape thread daily in the hope that someday I'll see a link to a ADwD release announcement. So all that being said, I'm pretty stoked to do a group re-read. I actually started with the audio book a couple of days ago, but I'll put the brakes on it for now until the discussion time line comes out. Let me be the first to say the prologue sucks...
|
#
¿
May 19, 2010 04:14
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 28, 2024 23:35 |
|
|
Dendra posted:Is the audiobook actually decent? I wouldn't be able to listen to a book this long on tape. You know, it's not too shabby. It's a little weird hearing a kindly British guy talk about gang-rape, but the pacing is good and he keeps the melodramatic voices at a minimum. I've been listening to it while I'm relaxing at lunch and find that it's way easier to keep track of all the characters and pick up some details that I glossed over while reading. Screw the party crashers. This was a good idea for a thread, and even if the new readers are bumming I'm still looking forward to an intelligent discussion about lemony-lemoncakes and secret Targs!
|
|
#
¿
May 19, 2010 07:23
|
|
|
Like I said, I hated the prologue and almost called it quits after that. I'm not a fantasy fan to begin with, and starting off with some pretty stereotypical fantasy BS didn't do it for me. Plus, introducing the Others that early seemed to go against the grain of the slow-burning plot lines that make up the majority of the series. I thought things really started flowing in the first chapter Bran POV. It established what the Starks were all about and introduced a major element that indirectly affects how they progress through the series. It reminds me of the wedding scene in Godfather. I dig George's writing style. I'm not sure why exactly, but it just seems comfortable. He gives a lot of detail and passes on some pretty complex descriptions and ideas without it feeling like he's droning. The only other fantasy novels I've read were the Lord of the Rings books, and that was a major problem that I had with Tolkien.
|
|
#
¿
May 19, 2010 08:01
|
|
|
Nebalebadingdong posted:how is there a water fall at the top of a mountain? Snow melt and glacial run-off.
|
|
#
¿
May 19, 2010 22:18
|
|
|
I think the minor-tier characters are far more interesting than most of the POVs. It's another reason why I really like this series. In fact, one of my favorites (Rhaegar) is dead when the series begins and another one (Howland Reed) hasn't even appeared in person.
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2010 04:03
|
|
|
jmaze posted:I agree. I hated Sansa the first read-through, but on this one, I'm not hating her as much. The naivety makes her actions more forgivable than I thought the first time around. I think Sansa is one of the more interesting characters to see develop throughout the series. Sure she starts out as a naive dumb kid, but by the events in AFFC she's catching up to the people around her and learning how to play the game. Mark my words, all that time spent around Cersei and Littlefinger are turning her into a stone-cold schemer out to gently caress with some minds.
|
|
#
¿
May 20, 2010 18:16
|
|
|
Ratios and Tendency posted:I think a lot of people overlook that Sansa was only 12 and being actively manipulated by one of the most powerful people in the kingdom and that Ned gets severely and repeatedly let down by Roberts uselessness. This. All the Sansa-hate seems really shallow. Kid gets manipulated by some pretty great manipulators. Her personality and gullibility in AGOT establishes a base for her character, and makes her growth and development through the series more interesting.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 5, 2010 01:08
|
|
|
Well, compare the Sansa that sucks and pisses you off in AGOT with the one that develops later on. Like others have said, she starts off as a stereotypical Disney princess. She's frivolous and vapid and has no concept of the danger around her or the reality of the situation that her family finds itself in. I want to be careful not to spoil anything or get too far away from the AGOT discussion, but hell, look how every single one of her loving stupid notions get turned upside down and shattered by the end of the book. I mean, by the second and third books she's getting the poo poo beat out of her by Prince Charming for his kicks and the only people who show her any kindness are certainly not your typical knights in shining armor. Sansa sucks because GRRM is deconstructing her character-type, just like he does with Ned, Robert,and others later in the series. He's putting Snow White in the middle of dirty, bloody, hostile medieval reality and I for one think it's pretty interesting. Moreover, look at who she is by the end of AFFC. That scene where she calls Littlefinger out on Lyn Corbray is great. She's being tutored in scheming by the best schemers out there, and mark my words by the end of the series (Ha ha) she's going to be loving some people over for stone cold revenge. I really don't get why so many fans of this series hate on all the female POVs. They each have unique and interesting arcs and all show growth and complexity as characters.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 5, 2010 20:24
|
|
|
C'mon bro, I thought this was the optimistic thread...
|
|
#
¿
Jun 6, 2010 05:27
|
|
|
That's just play fighting. When it comes to talent at straight up killing dudes, it's Bronn all the way.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2010 19:46
|
|
|
True. And I love that neither of them are knights because they think honor is bullshit.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2010 22:28
|
|
|
All of this "who is the toughest" conjecture is going to look pretty silly once we get to ASoS and Strong Belwas blows everyone out of the water.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 14, 2010 05:37
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 28, 2024 23:35 |
|
|
Yuran M. Bazil posted:By the way, is it ever confirmed what happens to the Greatjon? He's being held hostage by the Freys / Boltons.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 27, 2011 00:07
|
|