It
was inevitable I write another post about Game of Thrones/Song of Fire and Ice.
Why? Because it is just so awesome! I resisted the GoT movement for a while
until I gave the sample read a try and was immediately hooked. Now I’m like a
junkie waiting for my next ebook or HBO fix!
 |
| Or read one book of the series either! |
I
like to read with an eye toward what makes a book good (or not so much). So
I’ve been thinking a lot about why Game of Thrones is so successful. It has far
too many characters and plenty of foreign language bits – these are both no-nos
according to typical novel-writing wisdom, but GoT fans would say they only add
to the awesomeness. After all, this imaginary world is enriched by so many
diverse, well-drawn characters, each with their own complex motivations and
relationships to the other characters.
What
Game of Thrones does really well is the unexpected. Again, typical story-telling
wisdom fails here, which says that good will prevail and your favorite
characters will dodge adversity time and again. This is not always the case in
the world of Westeros (I’m trying really hard to be spoiler-free here, but
readers/watchers know what I’m talking about. Just keep it out of the comments
for those who haven’t read it yet, please.). The story always keeps you
guessing!
If
you haven’t checked it out, pick up a book or turn on HBO!
I haven't watched this season of Games of Thrones but the episodes have been recorded. I plan on watching them this week.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the books, but I've been tempted. :)
The books are awfully lengthy, but worth it. So much more detail than the TV show!
DeleteThe show is great. Maybe I will tackle the books... :)
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've been telling you, Marani! ;)
DeleteYes, the best movies and books are those where the unexpected plays out, which means that good doesn't always prevail each step of the way.
ReplyDeleteThat's one reason I liked the TV series Lonesome Dove so much. Anybody could and just about did die in that movie, and the characters were very rich.
I never did see Lonesome Dove! I might add that to my Netflix list.
DeleteI love this series! Currently waiting for the fifth book, on hold at the library.
ReplyDeleteI'm the same way. In fact, I finally was able to pick up the 5th book in ebook form from the library a couple days ago! :)
DeleteI've been debating. Everyone I know who watches it raves about it and I've got about 5 coworkers who are convinced that this is "totally your kind of show, Amy."
ReplyDeleteI might have to break down and read the books. :-)
If you like Tolkein and Eddings and those big fantasy epics, you should like Song of Fire and Ice. Download the Kindle sample and see what you think!
DeleteFantastic series. Just love it. It's on paid tv here in New Zealand so I'll guess I'll have to wait until one of the free to air channels picks it up in a few months time.
ReplyDeletePopping by on the A to Z Challenge.
Thanks for stopping by Rowena! I definitely recommend checking out the tv series when you have a chance!
DeleteHis imagination is unreal! There's so much detail given to every single charater down to what they wear and the reason behind the signet on their House flags. The only down-side I would say is that you get attached quickly to certain charaters which makes you want to skip ahead to the parts about them :)
ReplyDeleteThe show is doing an awesome job! Deviating from the book was a given- but taking the opportunity to explain or show something that was glossed over in the book is awesome!
- with love from the A to Z challenge Heather, the Evil Twin @ thewinetwins.blogspot.com
I agree about the detail! It's amazing. The only downside I find about that is sometimes you want to skip to the action, and occasionally I get lost in all the family history stuff. I think I would have a much better appreciation for and grasp of all those details on a second read-through though.
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