Game of Thrones

[JKL2000]

I know there was a Game of Thrones thread a longish time ago, but back then all I knew was that it was a series of books. But my son and I just finished watching season two, and we're totally hooked. (He's reading book two now.) I was skeptical at first (just looked like some HBO fantasy soft porn to me), but I have to say, it's Tolkien, Anne McCaffrey, and "I, Claudius" (and who knows what else?) in a blender, and extremely absorbing. the ending of season two was stirring, to say the least. Good timing on our part, too, since season three starts so soon.

No spoilers, please! But I'd be interested to find out who else here is watching the show, reading the books, etc. and maybe we can discuss it in a non-spoiler way, somehow.

[SteveSly]

Love the show, but have not read the books. Looking forward to season 3.

Steve Sly

[Yves]

Started reading this about a decade ago (or whenever they were first released in paperback)and never imagined they'd bring this to TV one day. I have watched Season 1 on BluRay and just bought season 2 this week. One of the best book-to-TV adaptation I have ever seen!

[Jerjo]

Read the books so I know spoilers which will rot your soul. I'll keep my mouth shut. Seriously jonesing for season three.

[NogbadTheBad]

Love the show, but have not read the books. Looking forward to season 3.

Steve Sly

Same here, I do have book 1 sitting on my bedside table but I'm a very slow reader and have two other books on the go so it'll be a while.

[wideopenears]

Well, the show's plot lines have already diverged substantially from the books...so I'm not sure reading the books is going to give anyone sure-fire spoilers.

[Jerjo]

Well, the show's plot lines have already diverged substantially from the books...so I'm not sure reading the books is going to give anyone sure-fire spoilers.

Though when it comes to the big, knife-in-the-gut issues they stick to the story. From what I understand, they're splitting the third book into two season. Which means, given all the battles and horrendous shit that went down in the last third of book three, season four is going cause heart attacks.

[Progatron]

Read the books so I know spoilers which will rot your soul. I'll keep my mouth shut. Seriously jonesing for season three.

This.

I don't like some of the changes that have been made on the show but overall it is quite well done. Doesn't even compare to the books, of course.

I have a feeling I know how they will end seasons three and four, respectively. Book three ("A Storm Of Swords") features the most jaw-dropping stuff in the series IMO. Amazing.

[Moribund]

I happen to have a lengthy commute to work and have started to listen to audio books. Having seen season's 1 & 2 of Game of Thrones, I listened to Book 1. Roy Dotrice is the reader and he does a different voice for every character. He's amazing. I finished the 40 or so hours of book 1 and moved on to the second book (I'm about 3/4 done). Both are excellent. The show is great and the books are better. Can't wait for Season 3 (and book 3).

[VickiLynn]

I'm waiting for the next book -- not very patiently! I read all the books before starting the series. I don't have cable -- on purpose -- so I have to order on Amazon or the discs on Netflix. I'm just getting ready to watch season 2. Yes, I know I am hopelessly behind, but it's the best I can do

[Joe F.]

Started reading this about a decade ago (or whenever they were first released in paperback)and never imagined they'd bring this to TV one day.

+1

This was also the reason I subscribed to HBO for the first time prior to season one starting. Looking forward to Season 3.

[MissKittysMom]

Read the books so I know spoilers which will rot your soul. I'll keep my mouth shut. Seriously jonesing for season three.

After I finished reading the books, I remember reading an interview with Martin in which he talked about his love for gratuitous sex, gratuitous violence, gratuitous feasting, and gratuitous heraldry. All on display in book three.

Interesting that they may split book three into two seasons; that will help them keep pace with Martin's writing/publishing. I'm more concerned with how they will handle Martin's split of book four into books four and five. (And I guess there's no point in kvetching about book six being late for at least another two years....)

Just finished viewing season 2, and it was very well done. That damned theme is now an earworm.

[Jerjo]

Check this out. This guy mashed the themes of Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones on his piano

[scags]

I'm not a tv person, but the books were great. Any word on the next one?

[Jerjo]

George has released a handful of "sample chapters". From what I understand, because they cut off the last 100-200 pages of Dance with Dragons, that put him that many chapters ahead in writing the next one so he's got a running start. He has said at a few cons that the story knot that caused the delay with DwD won't be an issue with the new one. So we'll see how fast a sixty-something man can write.

[MissKittysMom]

Martin wrote the "Blackwater" episode of season 2, so he does still know how to write. He's also got a new deal with HBO (separate) and other things going on, as well as attending a lot of cons. My hope is that he isn't getting too many distractions.

Given a roughly three-year pace of turning out books this size, I wouldn't expect the next one until late 2014. And given a rumor of books 6 and 7 turning into 6, 7, and 8, who knows?

[VickiLynn]

I watched the first four episodes of season 2 yesterday. I wish I had cable, but I'm not going to subscribe just so I can watch one series!

[BobM]

So, is this thread going to be discussion about the books, or discussion about season 3 which is starting in about a month?

If it's about the books, then it's hard not to have spoilers, because many of us have read them all. If it's about the show then I think it might be much easier to keep things in line with the mose recently aired episode.

[JKL2000]

I guess it's more about the TV show. Yeah, if people really want to discuss the books a separate thread might be best.

[Jerjo]

Yeah, last season we had an open thread for the TV show and one PM for the people that read the books.

[scags]

Not much to say about the books, until the next one is ready to be released.

[Progatron]

I suppose I should be careful as I still have only read the first few chapters of book 5 (A Dance With Dragons) - I really need to get on that, my wife tells me it's pretty good. I was disenchanted with book 4 which I found plodding and introducing too many new characters. The end was great though.

Just picked up the season 2 blu-ray at Costco today. I guess I'll re-watch that as a refresher for the upcoming new season.

[Jerjo]

I thought Dance moved a little slow at first but in the last couple hundred pages everything slams together and man, some pretty awesome shit comes down along with the implications of even greater things to come. Definitely a return to form. Combine that with the best of book 4 and HBO will have enough for three seasons right there. See, I said that without a single spoiler.

My wife is a bit divided on the HBO series. Despite her love of horror movies, she is very uncomfortable with the brutality of this world. Some of you may remember from previous threads that she had to watch an episode or two of Merlin after a traumatic episode of GoT. God knows what she'll find now that Merlin is over. Maybe it's time to start on the BBC Robin Hood. But anyway, I showed her the trailer for the new season and she was pissed that there wasn't enough shots of her girl: Arya. Dany comes in second for her but I foresee a scene in this season when my wife will be pumping her fist for the Mother of Dragons.

[MissKittysMom]

Not much spoiler-free to say except that Arya's journey is a strange one, and Dany's journey is a long one. For both, season/book 2 is transformation-in-progress.

[BobM]

The stories and plotlines in the book continue to get more complex and convoluted, with many secondary characters trying to come forward and "play the game" to varying levels of disappointment and limited success. So I applaud HBO in lengthening the series, because trying to capture everything in a book during a single season would leave a lot (a LOT) out. I didn't think they could do this with book 2/season 2, but they did. Not possible for book 3 or 4 or 5 I would imagine, since they already announced book 3 will cover 2 seasons.

In fact, book 4 and 5 are actually happening on a parallel timeline, focusing on a set of characters in each and largely ignoring the others. HBO will likely combine these 2 books into a single timeline over several seasons as well.

We will see. Now We have to hope that Georgie boy doesn't pull a Robert Jordan on us before he is finished with this series (and he doesn't look like the healthiest individual I've seen).