Feologild Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 As i have not actually read the books. I have only watched the show ( season 1-4, Will watch season 5 when i get the DVD ). But i wonder would i get a better understanding of the show, the world and the characters in Game of Thrones if i also read the books ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melisandre's White Pubes Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Not really, the show explains everything you need to know to understand the show, and a lot of stuff in the books is drastically different. You'd probably just end up confused. Preston Jacobs has a youtube series "What you missed" that goes through the show episodes one by one and explains how it's different from the books, you should probably check that out for at least the first season, and realize that the first season, with all it's differences, is by far the closest to the books of all the seasons. Not trying to discourage you from reading the books, but they aren't really going to add to your enjoyment of the show. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiveFirstDieLater Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Let me answer the question you should have asked... No, the show will not help you understand the books better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feologild Posted February 12, 2016 Author Share Posted February 12, 2016 4 minutes ago, LiveFirstDieLater said: Let me answer the question you should have asked... No, the show will not help you understand the books better... You know i would rather that you answer the question i asked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Greenhood Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Nah Brah you can stick with only watching the show, it is a very faithful adaptation of the novels and it explains everything you need to know very well IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ned's Little Girl Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 If the show is leaving you confused, I wouldn't blame you. The show doesn't seem to prize internal logic, thematic depth, credible storytelling or character consistency. Trying to attain a better understanding of anything the show presents is a losing battle IMO. If you just enjoy the ride without putting much thought into it, you'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 48 minutes ago, Feologild said: As i have not actually read the books. I have only watched the show ( season 1-4, Will watch season 5 when i get the DVD ). But i wonder would i get a better understanding of the show, the world and the characters in Game of Thrones if i also read the books ? No, you most definitely would not. That said, you should definitely read the books if you really want to experience the wonderful world Martin has created, which has nothing to do with show anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Macgregor of the North Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Short answer no. Not at all. The show is running off in its own weird direction. But go get the show watched up to date pronto, then read the books as soon as you can. Then at best you will at least have visuals on characters and locations that may heighten your enjoyment of the books. Not garaunteed mind you, as there are people cast in the show who could have been cast better in regards to their book counterpart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallTale Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 The books will not help you figure out who Jon's parents are or what is the motivation of the white walkers. In fact they would create waay more questions than answers. I would suggest you read the books if: You want to really live and breathe the nuances of the world Martin has created Get a deeper understanding and appreciation of the characters Learn about other characters you missed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Melnibonean Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 No. The books are just fanfic. The show though, no that's entertainment... Tyrion with Roz and multiple hookers, Messandei skinny dipping, the true definition of a Meereenese knot, a grown up Daenerys on all fours, the true conquest of Westeros aka "making the eight," and let's not forget the royal teats! The only things of value the books add are Arianne's round ripe breasts with her huge dark nipples, and the Myrish swamp. This thread will fill you in on the only stuff that you missed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxxine Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 The books won't help you understand the show. As many characters and storylines as the show has, the book has 10x as many. And the book doesn't really answer any questions presented in the show. I would argue the show sometimes helps with the understanding of the book because you get to see the motivations and actions of characters that don't have POVs in the book (ie Margery, Petyr, etc). Granted the motivations and actions may end up being completely different from the book, but I like seeing the "missing pieces" you don't get in the book due to the lack of omniscient narrator. So if your motivation for reading the books is to understand the show you're going to be disappointed because the book is much more convoluted and complicated. But, I still recommend the books. They're really enjoyable especially when you read it the first time just for the plot on its face. Inevitably, you'll be sucked into dissecting every single word to try to figure out the mysteries of the series (which is enjoyable too), but don't do that the first time. Just enjoy the book. Save the note taking and analyzing until the 2nd or 3rd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Greenhood Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Lost Melnibonean how do you access archived threads? Lol The nipples are dark and full of wonders: Words of House Knockers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qhorin Halfhand and Yoren Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 Yes, reading the books will definitely give you a better understanding of the world and characters of ASOIAF. It did for me, since I read the books after watching the first season of the show. The books are also better than the show so there is that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nozlym Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 to keep it simple, yes the books will help the show, especially with remembering names. is it necessary, no, but if ur a fan of the show and story in general then i would highly suggest u read the books as they are a lot better compared to the show and give u a lot more. also if u read the books then u can come to this site more often and chat with us :). but seriously do come to this site if u do, ur knowledge of the world will greatly enhance and open ur eyes to a lot of things hidden in the books which will make u realize why the books are so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Alienor Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 The show and the books are two different stories at this point. Multiple story lines don't match up at all, several characters are just completely different, which might leave you confused if you approach reading the books as a way to understand the show. However, I would definitively recommend to read the books, as they tell a wonderful, exciting story with great characters and a wonderful fantasy world to explore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lost Melnibonean Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 2 hours ago, Lord Greenhood said: Lost Melnibonean how do you access archived threads? Lol The nipples are dark and full of wonders: Words of House Knockers Archived threads are sorta like the babes of ASOIAF, you can look but you can't touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raisin' Bran Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 You may gain a little more insight. If your only objective is to understand the show better, then I would say that the amount of work you would need to put forth outweighs the benefit. If you do like fantasy fiction for its own sake, you would definitely enjoy the books. But if you do decide to read the books, you may just end up resenting the direction the show went with later seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetsunray Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I had seen seasons of the show first before starting to read the books, and initially it seemed to make it more confusing, because some of the good clear and logical plot stuff simply isn't even present in the first seasons, abbreviated, or even then altered. Many of the motivations of show characters are just not the same at all as their book counterparts. It helps with the names and the places, but reading the books a lot of the show deviations (and then I'm not talking of S5 totally going off track) make less and less sense. So, the story, the characters make a lot more sense with the books, but it doesn't help understanding the show any better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yevah Posted February 12, 2016 Share Posted February 12, 2016 I watched the first 5 seasons before I started the books. In my opinion game of thrones was the greatest show of all time. I had watched each season about 5 times each. Now that I have read the books, I realize the show adds a lot of generic lines, takes out important parts, and adds parts that is pointless and not even part of the story. I still think thrones is the greatest show of all time, but the books took it down a few notches for me. I wish I could have read the books first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Broke Howard Hughes Posted February 13, 2016 Share Posted February 13, 2016 Absolutely. You'll be a bit thrown at first because you'll start to notice stuff the show doesn't have time for. But reading the books will ultimately make you love the series more. In fact it may dampen your enjoyment of the show because some very cool stuff is left out because of time constraints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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