Raven Tooth Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 A friend of mine is going to (finally) start reading the book series and asked if he should read the World book first (because I told him it was sort of like a prequel). At first I thought no, but now I am not so sure. What do you all think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSovereignGrave Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Well first of all describing it as 'like a prequel' is pretty much just totally wrong. It's not a story, it's a history book. And no, there's no real reason he should read it first, though if he really wanted to he could. I'd advise against it though, simply because it's written as an in-universe book and the author(s) are biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mithras Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 He should not read the World Book until he gets a good grasp of the main series. So much info dump might be boring for those who do not know ASOIAF universe enough to appreaciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Tooth Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Thanks for the advice! Ya, that was my initial thinking too I just think it would be interesting to know the history before reading the story. I know it's not a prequel, but when people ask about the book I'm not sure how else to describe it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSovereignGrave Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Thanks for the advice! Ya, that was my initial thinking too I just think it would be interesting to know the history before reading the story. I know it's not a prequel, but when people ask about the book I'm not sure how else to describe it. You could just say that it's sort of a history of the setting and a book about the world the stories take place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humble Maester Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 Starting with the World could actually be pretty interesting. It'd do a lot to reinforce the misconceptions Maesters have about things, and then when after reading that the Giants are gone you'd run into those in the books it would be even more of a shock. In-books we sort of get Maester Luwin doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Varys Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 He should read at least AGoT first as the book actually contains a lot of spoilers for the main series - in fact, he should read up through ASoS as it also reveals that Joffrey dies and is succeeded by Tommen. It also could create a misconception that a lot of the people mentioned in the book are important for the main series - which they aren't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The hairy bear Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Reading the World Book before is a bad idea. As said, there are big spoilers already in the first page. However, if he is into it, perhaps he could try reading the tale of the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms that's included as a sample in GRRM's website. It's a nice story that introduces the seven kingdoms, and explains how some of the main houses achieved power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chinoiserie Posted May 31, 2015 Share Posted May 31, 2015 Is your friend fan of the show? If he is then he could start with the World Book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Tooth Posted May 31, 2015 Author Share Posted May 31, 2015 Is your friend fan of the show? If he is then he could start with the World Book. Yes, big show fan, but he is going to read the series first Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attitude Posted June 1, 2015 Share Posted June 1, 2015 A friend of mine is going to (finally) start reading the book series and asked if he should read the World book first (because I told him it was sort of like a prequel). At first I thought no, but now I am not so sure. What do you all think? You could advice him to read the book chronologically. I am planning on doing this when I finish the awoiaf book and I asked some people about info about this here: http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/123777-read-affc-and-adwd-at-the-same-time/#entry6666454 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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