The SONG OF ICE AND FIRE Thread

[Kimarhi]

The first few books of Wheel of Time were awesomesauce.  They had DBZ level magic and the fights were epic.

Spoiler

But after the first three when you find out Ishmael was playing whatever the main badguy was is a safe point to stop because even though the fourth book is pretty good they get progressively and progressively slower.  Last I saw they were being made into movies though.  After a while I just reimagined the third book without the Ishmael/Badguy plot twist revealed later and just called it quits.

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[KiramidHead]

The first few books of Wheel of Time were awesomesauce.  They had DBZ level magic and the fights were epic.

Spoiler

But after the first three when you find out Ishmael was playing whatever the main badguy was is a safe point to stop because even though the fourth book is pretty good they get progressively and progressively slower.  Last I saw they were being made into movies though.  After a while I just reimagined the third book without the Ishmael/Badguy plot twist revealed later and just called it quits.

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I bought the box set of the first three, and only finished the second. I kind of dug how it was a kind of Grail quest story, but I never felt the urge to continue.

[Nightmare Asylum]

From what I've read, I'm not fond of how Martin split those two. It would have been better if it were chronological, instead of by region. Going a whole book without Tyrion sounds like agony.

I felt the same way before starting the books, but as soon as I started reading them I realized that my concerns were unwarranted. I think that splitting them the way he did was a rather smart choice, and made for a much better end result. Also, there's nothing stopping you from reading them alongside one another now that both are out; fans have compiled a recommended reading order for those who wish to read AFfC and ADwD as one book.

The story and the progression (and introduction) of characters in the two most recent volumes had been nothing short of amazing. The direction that the story took feels quite natural and the books expand greatly on the world, the mysteries, and the future of the series in ways that match and even surpass the excellent material that came before them. Given the rather dramatic ending of ASoS it only makes sense for the recent volumes to go in a bit of a different direction, and they do so with all of the intrigue, brutality, and elegance that one has come to expect from this series.

If you're interested in this series don't not read books 4 and 5 just because of some bad reviews you read online. Give them a go yourself and remember, there is still more coming. Not everything is going to be wrapped up in a neat little bow just yet. Allow yourself to get immersed in this world that Martin has so beautifully crafted. I have, and I'm with him 'til the end.

[KiramidHead]

I've always been meaning to read them. What really put me off was the thought of potentially having to wait a decade before I could finish the series off.

[SpaceMarines]

I understand fans being miffed and disappointed after the huge waits for those two books. But as finished products, they are very good.

[Nightmare Asylum]

I've always been meaning to read them. What really put me off was the thought of potentially having to wait a decade before I could finish the series off.

With the rate that preview chapters for the next book have been churned out lately, I'm feeling kind of optimistic about the release of the next book. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I'm thinking it may be out by the end of 2015.

I understand fans being miffed and disappointed after the huge waits for those two books. But as finished products, they are very good.

Aye, I definitely understand being disappointed waiting so long for half story not just once, but twice. But at this point, with both books already out and the next well on its way, that really shouldn't be a problem for new readers getting into the series.

[KiramidHead]

I understand fans being miffed and disappointed after the huge waits for those two books. But as finished products, they are very good.

Yeah, I'm one of those people who read all of the Dark Tower books after they were already out, and didn't understand the hate the last three had garnered.

I've always been meaning to read them. What really put me off was the thought of potentially having to wait a decade before I could finish the series off.

With the rate that preview chapters for the next book have been churned out lately, I'm feeling kind of optimistic about the release of the next book. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I'm thinking it may be out by the end of 2015.

But there's still one more after that... and that's only if Martin keeps to his plan this time.

[SpaceMarines]

I have confidence in him. He's been working slowly recently, admittedly, but when push comes to shove, I believe he can deliver. He spent most of his career working under television and publisher deadlines, afterall.

[Nightmare Asylum]

Yup. And one has to remember that the reason the last couple tookafter so long was because he scraped his original book 4 despite being about halfway through (it was going to be set five years after ASoS, but he ultimately decided that didn't work). After starting over again me was faced with more delays when he realized how big the story had gotten and that it would have to be split and retooled in order to work in the new format.

[Alienseseses]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXjFUpaIfSs#t=239

[Nightmare Asylum]

Spoiler

So I was just thinking more about Bran's vision in the most recent episode, and I really hope that the fact that the weirwood pointed him in the direction he needs to go doesn't mean we aren't getting (book character)

Spoiler

Coldhands I want to see Coldhands on screen so badly...

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[RagingDragon]

I think the pacing bothered me the most, or just the length. I did so much skimming through those books it was insane, lol. I usually don't do that, but honestly Martin's line-by-line prose is nothing special. His real strengths are in longer character development and weaving those huge epic plot lines that sprawl out in many directions before coming back together.

He does have great lines here and there (a lot spoken by Tyrion, lol) but I think that's common with many good writers. You can tell those scenes that he poured himself into.

[Kimarhi]

My dad would try to read them and then he'd just throw the book down and complain about martin's overabundance of description of his characters clothes.

He did actually read all the way through the fourth but then just decided to watch the show.

[xeno-kaname]

My dad would try to read them and then he'd just throw the book down and complain about martin's overabundance of description of his characters clothes.

He did actually read all the way through the fourth but then just decided to watch the show.

I wouldn't mind extreme descriptions of clothing much. One of my biggest peeves when reading is when the author describes a character'spphysical features but not their clothes. It pisses me off because I'll just assume what they are wearing based on features and personality, and then MUCH later in the book there will be a passing comment like: " As he ran, the branches pulled and scratched at his dirty jeans" or "She found herself wondering why she chose to wear shorts on this day out of all days, as if she could've predicted the unexpected events this day would bring." I hate that so much. And it happens quite often. I know Koontz does that too much. By the time he meantions an article of clothing, I have already cemented a picture of the character in my brain and have imagined said character go through the scenes in the book. It just f**ks with me 

So clothing descriptions I'll gladly suffer through. Now environment descriptions I could care less about, unless It's an important and recurring location. Like the Iron Throne's hall, for example. But I don't need to know great detail about the friggin forest or even city streets. That stuff will most definitely annoy me.

[Kimarhi]

It never bothered me for some reason, I just trucked right through it. 

The fifth book came out when we were deployed overseas and lots of people got the audiobook for it, and the descriptions of clothes do sound pretty funny when read aloud.