A Song Of Ice And Fire

[Roosechu]

A Song Of Ice And Fire is a series of dark-fantasy novels written by George R.R. Martin.
The series, started in 1996 with "A Game of Thrones", revolves around the claims various characters advance on the Iron Throne, the main seat of power in the continent of Westeros, which is ruled with some sort of feudal system.

The series, far from being over, was recently popularized by the HBO tv series "Game of Thrones".

Have you read the series?
Do you want to sperg on which claim is the rightful one?
Do you want to sperg harder on wacky theories?

Discuss.

 

[P.A]

The only thing that really matters to me in regards to that series is Tyrion.

I tried to get into the books, managed to finish the first one, but I just couldn't get through the second. And from what I hear, that's still a fair bit away from when the series really starts to lose steam.

 

[Roosechu]

The only thing that really matters to me in regards to that series is Tyrion.

I tried to get into the books, managed to finish the first one, but I just couldn't get through the second. And from what I hear, that's still a fair bit away from when the series really starts to lose steam.

The second book is mainly about politics and accounts from the battlefield.
And the court of Dragonstone.

 

[Butta Face Lopez]

Up until A Storm of Swords it's fantastic, but the drop in quality after was precipitous, and GRRM is a smug douche. I'll watch the shit out of the show and probably read the remaining books when they come out, but I definitely won't be shelling out the cash for the hardcovers and I don't care nearly as much about when they come out as I did before ADwD was released.

 

[女鬼]

I did very much like the books, never watched the series.

ADwD was a disappointment though, mostly because it focused on characters I don't really care for and did not do much to move the plot forward. It felt like it was padded to hell and back.

 

[DeadwastePrime]

The valyrian extinction was an inside job. Volcanoes can't melt stone buildings.

 

[Roosechu]

I like Dance and Feast, although I can't stand Dany's POVs.
She's the Mad King with tits.

 

[dickwad]

Storm of swords and dance with dragons were the best books. Feast for crows was to much of cersei being a mad hoe. Don't really care for dany. John, Tyrion, Arya and Bri are the best characters. Only believable strong woman on screen that I have seen is Brianna. Holy shit if you want to make strong warrior woman make her look like one.

Also I hope Hound will come back...

 

[For The Internet]

A Storm of Swords is definitely my favourite book of the series, then probably A Feast for Crows. I initially disliked A Dance with Dragons, but the more times I read it the better I like it. ASOS is my favourite by a long way though. It's definitely the most interesting and well-written of the books imo.
People are saying The Winds of Winter should be out towards the end of this year and I hope that's true even though I think 2017 is more realistic.

There are only two unconfirmed fan theories that I fully support: R+L=J and Gravedigger. The names of the theories themselves aren't spoilers but I'm going to write about Gravedigger (which is about The Hound) in particular as it pertains to @dickwad's post.

Gravedigger:

Spoiler

This is a fan theory that The Hound is alive. It has an extremely large amount of textual evidence to back it up compared to the vast majority of ASoIaF fan theories. The idea is that The Hound survived his wounds and was healed by a monk, who brought him to the Quiet Isle. While there, he shed his identity as 'The Hound' and began the life of a novice monk, living and working in silence on the island's graveyard as a gravedigger.

Proof:

- The monk Brienne speaks to says that 'The Hound' is dead many times, but never says Sandor Clegane is.
- The Gravedigger is bigger in stature than Brienne. Brienne is over 6 feet tall and there are very few characters in the books who are larger than her. Sandor has been mentioned as one of those few characters in the text who is larger than she is.
- The Gravedigger obscures his face with his hood, which would of course be necessary for someone with a very recognisable face.
- The Gravedigger walks with a noticeable limp on the leg that The Hound injured during his fight at the Crossroads.
- Sandor's horse, Stranger is stabled with the monks.

This is probably the most compelling piece of evidence to me. Stranger is constantly referred to as being a mean, violent horse who is impossible to wrangle for anyone but Sandor. He will bite, kick and even kill anyone who isn't Sandor.
Geographically, there is only one way to the Quiet Isle. It's through a very long, narrow, treacherous path. The danger of this path cannot be stressed enough. There is absolutely no way Stranger would have been able to cross the path if he was bucking, biting and kicking as he always does with people other than Sandor. We know the monks haven't tamed him, because the monk Brienne speaks to mentions he still does all those things in his stable.
It's very hard to imagine any other way for Stranger to have safely crossed than for Sandor to have led him through himself.

So yeah, that's pretty much the only fan theory I give any credence to apart from R+L=J. I definitely believe he's alive.

 

[AN/ALR56]

I really liked this series until i met Bernard Cornwell's amazing historic romances(Think game of thrones style of writhing but in a real setting).
Also he writes battles far better than George,which i think its great.

 

[Dudeofteenage]

I really liked this series until i met Bernard Cornwell's amazing historic romances(Think game of thrones style of writhing but in a real setting).
Also he writes battles far better than George,which i think its great.

What, you mean Sharpe? I'd hardly call the Sharpe books "romances".

 

[AN/ALR56]

What, you mean Sharpe? I'd hardly call the Sharpe books "romances".

Errr,shit,''romances'' in brazil are any books that are written in prose.
I never read sharpe,yet,they are not available here,i have only read the pagan lord and 1356.
I'm currently Reading Agincourt and its very good.

 

[Sable]

I like 'em. The only chapters I dislike are Bran's I think.

I don't like the show as much, for 20 good reasons.

If I'd never read the books I'd love it, but as I have I'm like 'Wait, what, why?' with a lot of decisions.

No-one is going to 'win' except the Others. Everyone in Westeros is damaged, and Dany isn't competent enough to handle Mereen, so she's not holding Westeros.

I don't think she's Aerys levels of mad. She might not even be Rhaegar levels of mad- she's just even worse at the game than Bobby B.

Give it 15 years and she'll get fat and give up.

 

[Emperor Julian]

I honestly don't care about anything Dany does in mereen, she should have been gearing up for her invasion of westeros two books ago. Also stannis fanboys are weird.

 

[Ponderous Pillock]

I really enjoyed these books myself. The strange historical parallels mixed in with actual magic and dragons etc is a kind of interesting world to settle in to.

I actually found the world book for sale in a discount bookstore near to me and bought it on a whim, it's a LOT more detailed and the gorgeous illustrations inside make you realize just how tiny the TV world is in comparison.

Like many I felt a little empty with Dance With Dragons, it seemed to focus too much on characters who just don't seem key to the main story, even tangentially. That being said, Dany is supposed to be key later on (allegedly).

For those who enjoy similar (but historical and factually based) I definitely recommend the books by Bernard Cornwell like those above (who writes with more class and less underage banging and incest). I also recommend Simon Scarrow's book series, the Saxon Saga and his Marco and Cato books (set during the roman Empire).

 

[Cunty Boo Boo]

Love these books. These books are to my adult years what Harry Potter was to my childhood/teen years. I only hope GRRM doesn't die before he finishes them, as it takes like 5 years per book, and he's already said he doesn't want anyone to take over for him if he dies (a la Brandon Sanderson for Robert Jordan).

Probably my favorite character is Davos, just because I think he's a stand-up guy. Even if he is stupid for following Stannis. I'm most curious about Patchface, I think. Creepy motherfucker.

 

[Sable]

Love these books. These books are to my adult years what Harry Potter was to my childhood/teen years. I only hope GRRM doesn't die before he finishes them, as it takes like 5 years per book, and he's already said he doesn't want anyone to take over for him if he dies (a la Brandon Sanderson for Robert Jordan).

Probably my favorite character is Davos, just because I think he's a stand-up guy. Even if he is stupid for following Stannis. I'm most curious about Patchface, I think. Creepy motherfucker.

Davos is kinda like Bronn, if Bronn were a water type. By being honest with someone like Stannis he's been able to carve out a niche in a world of liars.

I like Stannis - considering he's really bad with people and only has sex with his admittedly ugly wife once a year- it's like Richard III with legit autism. He'd be good at ruling in some ways, but he's too inflexible to be really good.

Patchface creeps MEL out. At this point I wouldn't feel silly saying he's probably a mouthpiece for the Drowned god.

But yeah, Winds is almost out...I hope. So long as Gurm doesn't eat himself to death we're ok.

 

[Cunty Boo Boo]

Davos is kinda like Bronn, if Bronn were a water type. By being honest with someone like Stannis he's been able to carve out a niche in a world of liars.

I like Stannis - considering he's really bad with people and only has sex with his admittedly ugly wife once a year- it's like Richard III with legit autism. He'd be good at ruling in some ways, but he's too inflexible to be really good.

Patchface creeps MEL out. At this point I wouldn't feel silly saying he's probably a mouthpiece for the Drowned god.

But yeah, Winds is almost out...I hope. So long as Gurm doesn't eat himself to death we're ok.

See, I think Davos is actually more like Ned/Jon. Like those two, he's incredibly honorable and loyal. That's what gets him in so much trouble (although, you can debate how loyal Jon is...I mean, he's totally done the right thing, but I get why the rest of the NW get pissy with him). But that's why I love Davos. I think he makes incredibly stupid decisions, but at the same time, he's probably the most trustworthy person in the series. Even when he was a smuggler, he never lied about what he did.

Patchface is 100% a mouthpiece for the Drowned God. If he isn't, I'll be very, very surprised. And if the Drowned God isn't a form of the Others, I'll be very surprised too.

Does anyone here read the book AND watch the series? How do you feel about

Spoiler: Season 5 GOT spoilers, potentional TWoW spoilers

Shireen being burned alive?

Also, has anyone watched the trailer for season 6? I'm actually very excited, because this will be the first season (well, not counting torrented season 1) where I don't know what's going to happen. I'm both afraid of spoiling myself and also excited to see 100% new content.

 

[Abethedemon]

I read the first book and a quarter of the second. I need to get back on to it.
So far, I really like Essos, it has a unique Asian flavor to it not present in other medieval fantasy stories. My favorite character, though, is Melisandre.
I don't like Theon or Caitlyn, but I do like most of the other characters, even Cersi, in a weird way.

 

[Sable]

I read the first book and a quarter of the second. I need to get back on to it.
So far, I really like Essos, it has a unique Asian flavor to it not present in other medieval fantasy stories. My favorite character, though, is Melisandre.
I don't like Theon or Caitlyn, but I do like most of the other characters, even Cersi, in a weird way.

Essos is kinda weird. It's a mix of Asia (when you go far east enough but it's not an issue outside of AWOIAF), the Mongolian Steppe/North Africa (Where Dany's been hangin') and Renaissance Europe/Italy with Braavos and likely the other Free Cities.

Basically, Westeros in a lot of ways is a backwards shithole even IN setting.

As for your view on the characters, Cat is villified for being mean to Jon (though TBF he's a whiny bitch and is a living representation of Ned's unfaithfulness to her...look SHE doesn't know R+L =J or whatever), the Tyrion thing and TRADING AWAY A VALUABLE ASSET AND FUCKING THE FUCK UP, but other than those colossal mistakes she's actually right a lot of the time.

Theon's just a bit of a prick, but the way he'll act later (or how he's just acted, fuck I forget chronology) is partly Ned's fault but mostly Balon's fault.

No spoilers here ('Cept for names I guess), Balon is worst Greyjoy. Asha is plenty clever for an island of insane wannabe vikings (though it helps her favourite uncle does what any seafaring power SHOULD do and gets rich through trade),

Victarion is...well, he's certainly stupid, but he's really good at killing people to death, and is not stupid in dangerous ways like Balon.

Aeron is just a harmless Dagon...sorry, Drowned God supporter.

As for Euron, I mean yeah, he's completely insane. Like horribly, but least he goes all the way with like, sorcery and stuff.