Song of ice and fire: A Game of Thrones,anyone?

[Ngylle]

Anyone else read or watch this series ?Song of ice and fire: A Game of Thrones, hands down, the best fantasy series being published today, and if it maintains its current brilliance, is a possible contender for best fantasy series of all time.

Think of all those staples of fantasy: the destined hero, the princess who loves the peasant, the wise old magical mentor, powerful wizards, weak hordes of monstrous enemies, dark lords, foretold quests against impossible odds, good guys, bad guys. Okay, you have all that tolkein-esque D&D stuff in your head? Good. Throw it out the window. None of it applies to aSoIaF.

Instead you just have people, the most varied, complex, well realized cast of characters assembled in a fantasy novel, ever. And they all have different things they want to accomplish, lands to conquer, battles to win, overarching schemes so complex they would make Shikamaru shit himself. And the story switches from character to character, varied points of view, so there is no "main character", just a bunch of points of view facing off against each other in bloody conflict.

And what conflict! People die in this. Not in the Tolkein or Jordan type way, when main characters only ever die in moments of heroic sacrifice. Nope. "Good" guys, "bad" guys, all can die at any time, when you least expect it. And they stay dead. And because they're so brilliantly realized, you *care*.

Nobody does political intrigue than George RR Martin, few do action this intense and realistic and exciting, no one does characterization or plotting like he does.

Here are just a few of the characters in the story

Tyrion Lannister - Stunted, ugly, twisted. Brilliant, priveledged. Such is the paradox of Tyrion Lannister. The youngest son of the ruthless, wealthy Noble House of Lannister, he is a dwarf. His misshapen appearance has earned him the scorn of the entire world save his brother Jaime, but his brilliant mind makes him too useful a tool to simply discard. Cynical, ruthless, distrustful, he has committed horrible crimes, but he has managed to maintain a scrap of morality in the face of it all. Of course, in the politics of King's Landing, a scrap of morality is the best way to end up dead, and even Tyrion may not be brilliant enough to think his way out of myriad plots surrounding him.

Jaime Lannister - Tyrion's older brother, twin brother and lover (yes, incest) to Queen Cersei. The youngest kinsguard of all time, one of the most brilliant fighters in the world. Handsome, arrogant, reckless. A killer of children, a savior of maidens, he is every bit as paradoxical and complex as his brother.

Arya Stark - Youngest daughter of House Stark, she rejects the noble way for young girls of embroidery and pretty dresses and balls, instead preferring swordplay which she studies under the swordmaster Syrio Forel. She is thrust into the harsh realities of the world, and the slow transformation from good natured tomboy into cold-blooded killer begs the question: When its all over, will there be anything recognizably human about Arya?

Sandor Clegane - the Hound of House Lannister. A towering, powerful warrior. A cynical killer who lives by the creed "only the strong survive", filled with self-loathing, failed morality and a lust for the next drink, he lives for one purpose: to kill his brother Gregor, who held his face in the fire when he was only 6 years old because he used one of his toys. But killing Gregor will be no easy task, as the 8 ft. tall Gregor is among the most feared men in Westeros.

Daenarys Targaryen - Mother of Dragons, the lone surviving daughter of the former kings of Westeros, House Targaryen, she wanders plains with the nomadic, barbarian Dothraki, seeking to reclaim her throne.

These are just a sampling, and in no way can I do them justice. Just trust me, if you like fantasy at all, you need to read this.

[saaaaaadpanda]

I have not watched the series, but I am currently halfway through the 2nd book. They are fantastic, Tolkien-esque even.

[ANBU Kakashi23]

im about 2/3 done with feast for crows, cant wait to start on a dance of dragons, and honestly i much prefer the books o the series, visual depictions always lack a certain..elegance, as opposed to the written word

edit - and the point you made about anyone dying at any time is one of the reasons why i love the book, there is no good and evil, just motivations and beliefs and what happens when they come in conflict with different people, not some cliche hero saves the day nonsense, a truly in depth look into the mindsets of the various characters and what drives them to do what they do, superb

[Ngylle]

im about 2/3 done with feast for crows, cant wait to start on a dance of dragons, and honestly i much prefer the books o the series, visual depictions always lack a certain..elegance, as opposed to the written word

edit - and the point you made about anyone dying at any time is one of the reasons why i love the book, there is no good and evil, just motivations and beliefs and what happens when they come in conflict with different people, not some cliche hero saves the day nonsense, a truly in depth look into the mindsets of the various characters and what drives them to do what they do, superb

I am actually starting to read A feast for the Crow (sounds to me like A feast for the Rats''), almost finishing and i can tell you, it is wonderful what martin have done with this serie.

Have you seen the serie? it is pretty good, it is like a resumen version of the book with a few changes but still a 10/10.

i am glad you like it because there are many that all they want to see is the main character escaping its execution and surviving by the plot not senses,having many people points of view and not just one guy that you are force to fallow and his motives.

@anbu kakashi and panda
the TC show is a 10/10 the best adaptation of a book in TV, you will fall in love with Tyrion, Jaimi Lannister, Arya stark, Lord Stark, Dany, robert, Tywin Lannister are outstanding.

Pyte din the guy who perfomce tyrion got an emmy, also A game of throne is the most pirated serie of 2011-2012, the show was so good that everyone is buying the books after the events of Clash of Kings. Also Martin is by the NY time the world best Author..

[ANBU Kakashi23]

That's the second word I've found that summons the sign...who else votes for colons around stfu emoticon?

On topic. I've yet to watch or read GoT, I wasn't sure if it was good and as far as I know it doesn't play on regular TV so I'd have pay for it or watch online somehow. Is it awesome?

its an excellent read bro, i assure you, if you like complex story lines with vivid characters and a nice dose of fantasy with medieval tendencies this book will make sweet love to your brain and leave it wanting more

I am actually starting to read A feast for the Crow (sounds to me like A feast for the Rats''), almost finishing and i can tell you, it is wonderful what martin have done with this serie.

Have you seen the serie? it is pretty good, it is like a resumen version of the book with a few changes but still a 10/10.

i am glad you like it because there are many that all they want to see is the main character escaping its execution and surviving by the plot not senses,having many people points of view and not just one guy that you are force to fallow and his motives.

honestly a feast for crows will probably be my least favorite, it really slows down compared to a storm of swords[which was epic] and goes on alot of other secondary character perspectives i dont necessarily care about, but all in all its still decent, and ive watched the entire series and theyre doing the best they can with the time they have but theres so much detail they cant include its saddens me

[saaaaaadpanda]

Also, I have no idea how he's portrayed in the television series, but my favorite character, bar none, is Tyrion.

[Shinobi Train]

Cynical, ruthless, distrustful, he has committed horrible crimes, but he has managed to maintain a scrap of morality in the face of it all.

That's the second word I've found that summons the sign...who else votes for colons around stfu emoticon?

On topic. I've yet to watch or read GoT, I wasn't sure if it was good and as far as I know it doesn't play on regular TV so I'd have pay for it or watch online somehow. Is it awesome?

[ShishaMastah420]

Game of Thrones=SoftCore Pr0n.

[Shinobi Train]

Game of Thrones=SoftCore Pr0n.

:lmao:...:rofl: Dude, you say the funniest stuff, and I haven't even seen the show yet...but that's hilarious for some reason...:rofl:

[ShishaMastah420]

:lmao:...:rofl: Dude, you say the funniest stuff, and I haven't even seen the show yet...but that's hilarious for some reason...:rofl:

All gigglez aside, i'm telling the truth.

You should defiantly check it out.

[Ngylle]

honestly a feast for crows will probably be my least favorite, it really slows down compared to a storm of swords[which was epic] and goes on alot of other secondary character perspectives i dont necessarily care about, but all in all its still decent, and ive watched the entire series and theyre doing the best they can with the time they have but theres so much detail they cant include its saddens me..

Martin Separeted a Few for the crow in 2 part. also a few is kind of slow at the begining and those not have the whole set.. but it is still great.

@skeer

Never heard of it .-. I might look into it. I'm only watching and waiting for The Walking Dead (another amazing series).

The walking dead the comic is great! a must see. you should see Song of ice and fire:A game of thrones. you wont see nothing like that. it is just a master piece.

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Also i saw the Graphical Novel of the book, A game of thrones.. it has everything, it is just the book but with graphical stuff.

[Watatsumi]

Truly epic, I must say. Storylines are intriguing and fascinating.Definitely, one of the best books that I've read.

This book is a must read for all people who love fantasy, politics, and the like.

[Xanthacl]

Truly epic, I must say. Storylines are intriguing and fascinating.Definitely, one of the best books that I've read.

This book is a must read for all people who love fantasy, politics, and the like.

This is it ^

[SeriouslyNO]

yeah its awesome, just started first book tho i watched both seasons

[voids]

Never love a character... You will be disappointed

[Germanicus]

They are really long for just being a fantasy styled fiction, but the pages fly by; seriously, it is so exciting that in spite of length it is by far one of the easiest and best reads ever. Dance of Dragons was so awesome and brought the series to such a climactic point that I was demanding more the minute after I finished reading. One of the only books where I really feel sad whenever I turn the page and it's blank. In short hand, you must read!

[orel]

It's a really good series, i'm halfway through the third book

[7PointOh]

I finished A Dance with Dragons about a 4 months ago. I need The Winds of Winter fix. Now I'm listening to the audiobooks on my drive to and from work just to take the edge off. Ghost is my favorite character.

I can't wait for (Don't click if you're not as far as me):

1) Jon Snow's Real parents (hoping for Prince Rheagar and Lyanna Stark)
2) Who the Azor Azhai (spelling) is. And is the Prince (Princess) who was promised the same thing.
3) Bran and more of his greensights.
4) Who the Others are.
5) How Arya plays a part.

[Scary Yamato]

I'm just over 500 pages into the first book. I have the second book ready on my nightstand. Now all I need is time to read.

[Wesobi]

I find the second book a bit... well, it's boring sometimes due to the fact that some parts of the story are dragged out when they shouldn't be, but that's me.

[Scary Yamato]

no doubt, the book has A LOT of setup, but I thinks that's just because the plot is so deep and interwoven

[The Alchemist]

I wouldn't compare it to Tolkiens work, but it is the best thing on t.v IMO.

[tacobelt]

buahahhaha i read (audiobook) all of em and by far its my most favorite made up world ever created in book/tv. the HBO series does not do it justice imo, there is so much that is left out for example the inner thoughts such as Ned Stark with the lyanna promise or Tyrions internal dialog that backs up his clever reasoning.