Game of Thrones "Winter Is Coming" 4/17/11 *spoilers*

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Let me start by saying that the wife and I are huge SF/Fantasy readers (as in I have over 2K books in this genre on my bookshelves). But neither of us had read this series.

We watched this, thinking we would get HBO if it was good. At the end, we both had the same reaction. It was OK, but not something either of us cared about enough to continue watching (much less pay for HBO just for this).

I might try the books, but we have been hesitant in the past to start a series when it was not clear the author was ever going to finish it. Although with this resurgence, there is hope now.

 

My one friend is an AVID GoT fan and based on everything he has read about the series on HBO he claims that episodes 3-6 are the best episodes by far. So if you were going to give this series a fair shot I would suggest getting through at least 3-4 episodes. If you don't like it by then surely it isn't your thing.

 

I'm a sci-fi fan but hadn't read the book(s) and found the series premier to be pretty good. Now I'm wondering if I should read the first book before I watch the rest of the season.

 

The books are so good. If you are a fan of fantasy, even in passing - you owe it to yourself to read them. I would probably advise you to go ahead and read the first book. Its probably better to have the book (which will be more detailed) spoil the show than the other way around.

 

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And I think even if you are NOT a fan of fantasy. Because I'm not...I'm more a straight-forward science fiction guy. But I love these books.

(Martin also wrote a couple of magnificent horror novels back in the day... Armageddon Rag and Fevre Dream....that were also not typical of their genre. He tends to have a very fresh take on what can be very stale and worked-over genres.)

 

Just bought the book on Kindle based on the recommendation ITT. Hope it's good!

 

Looks like it was an RCN/HBO issue. I just checked my recording and yeah, the CC's were really frelled.

Checked my SD RCN cable box (connected to the SD TV in the workout room) and the CC's were better, but not perfect.

 

Next book is being released in July. (In time for Worldcon.)

 

Previous comments have been removed.

I see where you are coming from, but with a work that has been adapted from a book to a scripted version, talking about how the work was adapted or how the actor's portrayal differs from the source material is talking about the show, not just the book.

But if that discussion is not welcome here, I guess I won't be posting very much.

 

Please bear in mind that in the same blog post where GRRM talked about the release date, he said that he hasn't finished yet.

The publisher has already jumped the gun by announcing a release date twice before (the second time resulting in the debacle that is A Feast for Crows).

The publisher, may they burn in hell, can announce release dates all they want. I'm not going to get worked up about a new book until I've heard GRRM say that he has turned in a manuscript.

 

I'd never heard of this series, but seeing all the buzz here got me to buy the Kindle book last night. Haven't had time to start reading yet.

 

Regarding the comments about the books - I'm fine with discussion of the differences between the book and the show but I'd prefer not to read discussion about future books and plotlines that will be on the show later this season.

 

Me, too!!!

I was blown away! I thought this premier was fantastic!
I've not read the books, and hadn't even considered it before - but, now I'm well more than intrigued. Looking forward to the rest of the season.

 

This is an issue that has been addressed by the online TV critics. In general, they seem to be ok with general book talk as it relates to the episode we're discussing. For example, how you pictured a character versus the actor they picked. Or how scene "X" was written in the book, versus the way they portrayed it on screen. But nothing that would be a spoiler from future episodes. If in doubt, spoilerize.

I would think we would be ok with these general guidelines here, too.

BTW, here is Alan & Mo's comments on this subject:

 

I totally agree. The books were quite exciting to read, so much so that I kept a piece of paper nearby to prevent myself from skipping down to the bottom of the page during intense scenes. That type of experience can never be duplicated watching video. Discovering the plot progression is much more exciting reading the book.

 

Who are Alan and Mo?

 

Sepinwall and Ryan, respectively (I assume). TV critics.

 

I started reading the books and was enjoying myself. The time between books really turned me off though, I don't want to get stuck with another "Wheel of Time" situation. If he ever finishes the story I will start reading again from the beginning.

 

I have no problem with that Jan. My problem was all the people talking about future events that happen in the book, but putting them in spoiler tags. I understand that's what the spoiler tag is for, but whole conversations were taking place and distracting from the actual talk about the episode.

 

Ditto