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A Song of Ice and Fire Books aka a Game of Thrones

polycounter lvl 18
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JO420 polycounter lvl 18
So I dont know how many Polycounters are are avid readers of fantasy,well even if you are not i would like to recommend the Ice and Fire Series: Aka A Game of Thrones series by George R.R Martin.

Just like many people i saw season 1 and 2 of a Game of Thrones on HBO and i loved it. So since i have a long commute to work each morning by train i decided to buy the book and i loved it! Its been a long time since i have been so enthralled by a series of books but this series has had me hooked ever since. Not since i first read the Hobbit or LOTR have i enjoyed reading so much.

Unlike Tolkien however this world Martin has created isnt black and white,good versus evil,so there will be many characters who are complex and easily relateable. A warning however,never fall in love with a character too much because just like in real life,people die all the time unexpectedly and sometimes its people you really like..:)



If you saw the HBO series but didnt read the books,dont be discouraged,youll know alot of the events but there is lots of background information the show doesnt mention and you will eat through the pages regardless.......and if you can make it to book 3,my favorite,you will see how truely fucking awesome season 3 will be.

Ive just hit book 5 and i still cant put these books down



ALSO IF YOU DISCUSS THE BOOKS!!!! Add Spoilers tags along with the description to which book.




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  • Lazerus Reborn
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    Lazerus Reborn polycounter lvl 8
    Had the audio book's playing while I was working. Got 3/4 through the 2nd book before the project ended. *easier to just read it aha*

    Good books, and the series doesn't do justice to some parts of the books but follows well enough not to piss off fans so.

    Give em a read!
  • JO420
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    JO420 polycounter lvl 18
    Had the audio book's playing while I was working. Got 3/4 through the 2nd book before the project ended. *easier to just read it aha*

    Good books, and the series doesn't do justice to some parts of the books but follows well enough not to piss off fans so.

    Give em a read!



    I would recommend the books because they all have maps that help you keep track of where all the events happen as well as index to every important character.
  • TimPogson
    I love the books, the show is great to but the books get to go way more into detail with everything. I'm just over halfway in the second book. Some people don't like the show though saying its to slow, they're crazy in my opinion :D.
  • kn0r
    Reading book 5 now which I like a lot more than book 4.
    A Storm of Swords is still my favorite, good thing they decided to do that one in 2 seasons!
  • Skamberin
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    Skamberin polycounter lvl 14
    Roy Dotrice has read me every single book out so far, there has been a lot of shocks towards character development and what happens within the world of Westoros, I rarely get this pissed off and feel this much inbridled hatred towards fictional characters :P

    In book three the
    Goddamned Red Wedding

    And in the last book
    "For the watch."

    Rage everywhere. Now to wait for winds of winter.
  • dfacto
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    dfacto polycounter lvl 18
  • Skamberin
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    Skamberin polycounter lvl 14
    Book 3 Spoiler, SERIOUSLY BIG FUCKING SPOILER, I WARNED YOU BRO, SERIOUSLY.
    Joffrey horribly choking to death as Tyrion watched was pretty close to the highlight of book three for me and ALMOST made losing Rob and Cat worth it, almost, but not really >:(, even if Beric brought Cat back as a corpse it's not the same, never the same D: damnit. Martin.
  • zicoV
    dfacto wrote: »
    This exactly

    tumblr_m62nj63syS1rw2o17o1_500.png
    More or less how i felt towards the end of book 5 :'(
  • Skamberin
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    Skamberin polycounter lvl 14
    zicoV wrote: »
    More or less how i felt towards the end of book 5 :'(
    Jooooooon D:::::, damnit all.
  • mospheric
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    mospheric polycounter lvl 11
    I got into the books from the tv show... even though my friends have been recommending the books for ages. The thing that appealed to me was the dialogue. So smart and witty. I'm glad that the dialogue is even better in the book. More recommendations couldn't be thrown toward this series.
  • JO420
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    JO420 polycounter lvl 18
    [Book 3 Spoiler] I think
    The red wedding was the biggest shock so far for me,i reread the last part of the chapter just to make sure it was correct in what i read
  • Andreas
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    Andreas polycounter lvl 11
    Reading A Feast for Crows... and by reading I mean struggled to about 25% into the book, and haven't picked it up since.
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    okay,

    at the risk of turning this into a spoiler thread, i'd actually like to discuss some of the books, particularly regarding characters and events. so... be warned, fucking EPIC spoilers below, if you highlight this shit you do so knowing it covers events from (possibly) all of the books, including the characters therein.

    !!!you've been warned!!!

    on Jon Snow
    I've gotten to the point now, where i'm 99% sure he's the bastard child of Rhaegar Targeryan and Lyanna Stark (Eddards sister). there have been references to Eddard fathering him from several other random women, but i dunno... it doesn't speak to his character, it just doesn't make sense that it's something he would do. what DOES make sense, is that he would hide his sisters child from Robert Baratheon, and his followers, knowing the child would be killed, and having been begged by Lyanna "promise me Ned...".

    and with that in mind, when he's betrayed by his black brothers, his wounds are described as "smoking", not steaming as you'd expect for blood hitting the snow in the north, but smoking. GRRM is certainly not the kind of writer to mix those two words up by accident.

    so i don't think he will die from his wounds. especially not with Melisandre around. and i think he may be one of the few characters who can reconsile the north with Danaerys when she crosses the sea.

    on book 3:
    The Red Wedding literally made me throw my book across the room. i was reading it in shock, not quite believing... kind of thinking there was a way out, that Robb and Cat would be able to leave, even if it cost Robb his army, or he had to take the black or something... but when Bolton put his sword through Robbs chest that was it man... fuck, i couldn't take it... i don't think i can even watch season 3.
  • Skamberin
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    Skamberin polycounter lvl 14
    I really like that theory on Jon, Gir. I didn't even notice that he used smoke instead of steam there, really good argument for that.

    Also on Brans chapters in book 5
    Brynden Targeryan is the three eyed crow, I really can't wait to have his life and how he became so explained. At the same time I hope Bran doesn't end up like him, it would just be too goddamn rough if the Starks all stay separated forever, thinking everyone else related to them is dead.
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    oh man...

    on Bran:
    i can see him ending up like Brynden, but while Jon and Arya might believe that Bran is dead, remember that he can see through every heart tree now, and through countless animals throughout westeros... maybe even the world, he just has to learn to control it now. so i'm certain he will know at some point that the others are alive.

    he's also demonstrated a very limited (very very very limited) ability to communicate through nature too. i'm certain he saw through the heart tree in winterfell's godswood, when Eddard was polishing Ice and mourning the justice he carried out on the deserter. Bran tried to speak to him, and Eddard became "disturbed by the wind".
    certainly this is about as limited as it gets, communication wise... but it's kind of interesting that he can almost paradoxically influence the past? even if it's in the most minute of ways.

    i'm really interested in finding out more about Bran
  • zicoV
    on Jon Snow
    I've gotten to the point now, where i'm 99% sure he's the bastard child of Rhaegar Targeryan and Lyanna Stark (Eddards sister). there have been references to Eddard fathering him from several other random women, but i dunno... it doesn't speak to his character, it just doesn't make sense that it's something he would do. what DOES make sense, is that he would hide his sisters child from Robert Baratheon, and his followers, knowing the child would be killed, and having been begged by Lyanna "promise me Ned...".

    and with that in mind, when he's betrayed by his black brothers, his wounds are described as "smoking", not steaming as you'd expect for blood hitting the snow in the north, but smoking. GRRM is certainly not the kind of writer to mix those two words up by accident.

    so i don't think he will die from his wounds. especially not with Melisandre around. and i think he may be one of the few characters who can reconsile the north with Danaerys when she crosses the sea.

    [/spoiler]
    Holy crap i never though about it until you said it but it honestly fits really well.

    I also dont really believe he will die from his injuries but you never know with GRRM.
  • JO420
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    JO420 polycounter lvl 18
    Do any of you guys notice this easter egg in Book 1 ?
    There were 3 bracken men at arms who were escorting Lady Catelyn to the Eryie when she took Tyrion captive, their names where Mohor,Kurleket and Lharys,otherwise known as Moe Curly and Larry,aka the 3 stooges :)
  • katana
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    katana polycounter lvl 14
    I read the box set. The author's writing style was interesting and took a bit to get into it, but then it quickly became a formula, that required you to buy the next one, because he hops around with out really telling you much...

    ..Personally, in this case, I find the show far more entertaining without the filler.
  • Autocon
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    Autocon polycounter lvl 15
    Loved books 1 2 and 3. Seriously couldn't put them down. But now I cant get though this shit storm that is A Feast for Crows. I practically couldn't care about any of these characters at all. I'm sure I will power through it, and REALLY hope book 5 is better.
  • Will Faucher
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    Will Faucher polycounter lvl 12
    Autocon wrote: »
    Loved books 1 2 and 3. Seriously couldn't put them down. But now I cant get though this shit storm that is A Feast for Crows. I practically couldn't care about any of these characters at all. I'm sure I will power through it, and REALLY hope book 5 is better.
    Don't worry, you're not alone here. Book 4 was my least favorite of them all. Trust me, book five will blow your socks off. All your favorite characters are back and the plotline is just... wow.
  • Brendan
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    Brendan polycounter lvl 8
    Yes, after The Boss deals out some serious ownage at the end of Storm of Swords, Feast for Crows does take it a bit slow. But, if you liked Arya and Tywin in the TV show you'll warm up to the book.

    Book 6 had better deal with Morocco and the squid with the funny eye (trying to make it ambiguous, sorry). Melisandre seems to be a fairly useless amateur, why couldn't Monaco find Stannis instead of her? Those Lannisters wouldn't have lasted even 2 seasons.
  • almighty_gir
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    almighty_gir ngon master
    i think the thing with book 4, that got to me as well, is the introduction of a bunch of new people who you really don't care about... and all you want to know is "wtf happened after book 3?!".

    but when you go through books 5 and 6 you start to realise those characters, or at the very least the events they're involved in are pretty important, that there is more going on in the world than what you see from the viewpoint of the characters you loved. it's important to get the understanding from those viewpoints because they help make you compassionate towards people you never thought you would... like Jaime Lannister. good god, i hated him with a passion, and now he's a strong contender for my second favorite in the series.
  • JO420
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    JO420 polycounter lvl 18
    Book 4 was difficult indeed but there was things to like....

    I really liked seeing all of the changes Jaimes Lannister,like Al Mighty Gir i hate him but he has grown on me, i think in Clash of Kings i began to sympathise with him a bit more when he revealed to Brienne that Mad King Aerys planned to blow up Kings Landing with all of the Wild Fire he had made in the case he lost his throne to Robert all of which was stopped by Jaime killing the King and Lord Rossart.

    I also enjoyed reading about Queen Cersei and seeing what was the result of all her scheming and blunders at the end of book 4
  • Will Faucher
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    Will Faucher polycounter lvl 12
    JO420 wrote: »
    Book 4 was difficult indeed but there was things to like....

    I really liked seeing all of the changes Jaimes Lannister,like Al Mighty Gir i hate him but he has grown on me, i think in Clash of Kings i began to sympathise with him a bit more when he revealed to Brienne that Mad King Aerys planned to blow up Kings Landing with all of the Wild Fire he had made in the case he lost his throne to Robert all of which was stopped by Jaime killing the King and Lord Rossart.

    I also enjoyed reading about Queen Cersei and seeing what was the result of all her scheming and blunders at the end of book 4

    Absolutely, book 4 was great for that. I used to hate Jaime with a passion, but I really grew into liking him a lot. He quickly became one of my favorite characters along with many others. I particularly enjoyed Arya's development. Cannot wait to see where she ends up.
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