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Shall i start reading the books now that i'm a fan of the show?


Danny-

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22 hours ago, Walda said:

I'd suggest you start with a library copy of A Game of Thrones. If your local public library is anything like mine, there are plenty of copies, and no huge demand for them at the moment. Hold off on the quality leather-bound edition, because there is a low probability that Winds and Dream will be published in leather-bound singles of the same size, colour, quality. When the song is sung, there is a high probability that there will be a quality leather-bound edition of the complete set. That is the time to buy the version that is too nice to read at the breakfast table.

Game is the book that is most like the show, it will give you a deeper appreciation of what they were trying to achieve in season one. From the start there is a lot that is hard to convey on the screen, a lot of subtle changes (for example, the scene that starts the show, the rangers riding through the tunnel to the north side of the Wall, gives the viewer an idea of the scale of the Wall, but also gives the impression that the wildlings they are tracking are considerably less than nine days ride from the wall, and is still smaller than the one in the books).

You then have plenty of time to decide whether or not you want to borrow Clash from your local library, whether you'd rather Yara or Asha.  Then you can read Storm and see if Styr's ears really do ruin the whole show, when you watch it frame-by-frame.

By that stage you might find you need cheap paperback editions (the more recent the better) so you can make notes in books and put postits in the pages, the better to contribute to the  "Wow I never Noticed That" thread. Or a 5-in-1 ebook version, like I did when my wrists started swelling from holding those doorstoppers up to my face for a month non-stop. Ebooks can talk to you while you are driving and in the shower, and they are easy to quote from, and not hard to annotate.

You have picked a good time to read all the books, enough time to read them all and still have enough time to read them all again, closely, before Winds is released. When you do the close read you will understand why we still call people who have only seen the show unsullied, even though the show has passed the books now. You are not too late to experience the waiting for the ultimate (and maybe penultimate) book, and when you finally have the opportunity to buy a complete leather-bound version of the series,  you will not have sacrificed the unique experience of being one of the first readers - the ones that had all those wild speculations, before everyone knew how they ended.

It might spoil you for the last series of the show, though. Actually, I think if I was in your position, I'd hold off on reading the books until after the next season of the show had started. Read the first books while watching the last series of the show. That way the hype about J=R+L is augmented. And there is a fair chance your box-set will soon be augmented with a copy of Winds of Winter, when all the details are still fresh in your blown mind.

:agree::agree:

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The books and show differ, but man I love both. Each has its strength and weaknesses -- I've loved and hated the writing in season 7 of the show and the books give us excellent Jaime & Cersei POV chapters to see how much he regrets and how insane she is along with some of the worst walking chapters since Tolkien -- but they are outstanding pieces of fiction no matter the medium.

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  • 2 months later...

Update .

i’m here to thank you guys for recommending me to read the books.

i bought the 5 book set and the world of ice and fire .

i’m on the third book now and i couldn’t be happier ,i smile when i read them ,i especially love how most of the chapters end .i preffer the books storylines over the show but i guess the producers had to make some cuts and alterations.

for all of u who read the books before the show i think the showrunners did a great job ,i guess some of u were sceptical when the show was announced but i don’t think anyone could have hoped the show would be produced in such a splendid way.

i skimmed the world of ice and fire and its really cool ,a must have for a fan.

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I bought the complete edition a few months ago, I'm about to finish ACOK, I'd recommend you get the books, I love the show, but I've come to love the books even more, AGOT is fantastic. That gives you the insight on what the characters of the show are thinking in the scenes where there's little dialogue, and more face expressions, like when Ned ultimately gets the rug pulled from under him by LF. I understand what people mean when they say, wait until the series is over, but the show stops following the books,for the most part, after S4. And there's enough subtle changes I think, between the show and the novels, that the read through still feels fresh, at least t me. Enjoy man.

 

EDIT: Glad you're enjoying yourself, I too think Benioff and Weiss did a amazing job adapting the books to television, but you'll find ALOT of book readers who no longer feel that way, in the most part it's deserving. As during the later seasons characters are changed so much from their book counterparts in terms of personality and character, ie. Stannis.

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13 hours ago, Danny- said:

Update .

i’m here to thank you guys for recommending me to read the books.

i bought the 5 book set and the world of ice and fire .

i’m on the third book now and i couldn’t be happier ,i smile when i read them ,i especially love how most of the chapters end .i preffer the books storylines over the show but i guess the producers had to make some cuts and alterations.

for all of u who read the books before the show i think the showrunners did a great job ,i guess some of u were sceptical when the show was announced but i don’t think anyone could have hoped the show would be produced in such a splendid way.

i skimmed the world of ice and fire and its really cool ,a must have for a fan.

I see you are relatively new here. First welcome to the forum:rolleyes:. Now let me warn you. This forum is highly populated by creatures called "Special Snowflakes" (lat. Nivis pluma specialis). They fill the ecological niches in our society nowadays. They don't fit nowhere else, so they gather on the Internet to feel better. Those creatures in this particular forum are specialised on the joy of bashing people who tend to not hate the show. If you see one of them, stay calm, and don't panic if one of them attacks you. Ignoring is allways effective. Never, ever, reply! They love nothing more than to teach you how stupid you must be for not recognizing what is obvious. They feed on smug. So basically treat them like a Mogwai, with the exception to never ever feed them, not before or after 12 o'clock. If you follow these rules, you may have fun :D.

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1 hour ago, Dragonsbone said:

I see you are relatively new here. First welcome to the forum:rolleyes:. Now let me warn you. This forum is highly populated by creatures called "Special Snowflakes" (lat. Nivis pluma specialis). They fill the ecological niches in our society nowadays. They don't fit nowhere else, so they gather on the Internet to feel better. Those creatures in this particular forum are specialised on the joy of bashing people who tend to not hate the show. If you see one of them, stay calm, and don't panic if one of them attacks you. Ignoring is allways effective. Never, ever, reply! They love nothing more than to teach you how stupid you must be for not recognizing what is obvious. They feed on smug. So basically treat them like a Mogwai, with the exception to never ever feed them, not before or after 12 o'clock. If you follow these rules, you may have fun :D.

This reeks (stinks).

Special snowflakes and Nivis pluma specialis. WTF does that mean?

1 hour ago, Dragonsbone said:

They fill the ecological niches in our society nowadays. They don't fit nowhere else, so they gather on the Internet to feel better.

Yet here you are with the rest of us.

 

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21 hours ago, Danny- said:

Update .

i’m here to thank you guys for recommending me to read the books.

i bought the 5 book set and the world of ice and fire .

i’m on the third book now and i couldn’t be happier ,i smile when i read them ,i especially love how most of the chapters end .i preffer the books storylines over the show but i guess the producers had to make some cuts and alterations.

for all of u who read the books before the show i think the showrunners did a great job ,i guess some of u were sceptical when the show was announced but i don’t think anyone could have hoped the show would be produced in such a splendid way.

i skimmed the world of ice and fire and its really cool ,a must have for a fan.

Cool. :)

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On 10/24/2017 at 4:29 PM, Walda said:

@Danny-, what strikes you as the biggest difference between the show and the books? Or, let me rephrase that to avoid discussing the show in the books forum, what aspect of the books has most surprised you, so far?

Good question  , i always read on this forum about fans reading the books multiple times and I thought there’s no way i’d do that.

i’m on the 3rd book now and i already see myslef re-reading them after i’m done with the set . I think i’ll be able to answer ur question better then.

For now i like the more thorough insight on the characters ,i love book jaime and his arrogance although his pov has just started in the 3d book. I learned that jon hates being a bastard and that’s affected his character alot. Tyrion is more cunning in the books .

Little things that when added together make the books amazing.

On 10/25/2017 at 1:00 AM, Dragonsbone said:

I see you are relatively new here. First welcome to the forum:rolleyes:. Now let me warn you. This forum is highly populated by creatures called "Special Snowflakes" (lat. Nivis pluma specialis). They fill the ecological niches in our society nowadays. They don't fit nowhere else, so they gather on the Internet to feel better. Those creatures in this particular forum are specialised on the joy of bashing people who tend to not hate the show. If you see one of them, stay calm, and don't panic if one of them attacks you. Ignoring is allways effective. Never, ever, reply! They love nothing more than to teach you how stupid you must be for not recognizing what is obvious. They feed on smug. So basically treat them like a Mogwai, with the exception to never ever feed them, not before or after 12 o'clock. If you follow these rules, you may have fun :D.

 LoooL !

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On 8/20/2017 at 5:38 PM, Danny- said:

I've been coming to this website for a while now for information on Asoiaf.

i don't know if its right to post this thread here but i think its the best place to get answers.

Shall i read the books after watching the show?is it worth it or just a waste of time?

I think this thread will help others like me who are fans of the show to decide wether or not reading the books will be rewarding.

Yes. Totally worth it.

If you want more details, character points of view and many differently written events from the show. 

 

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In all siriousness though , and without any jokes: Yes, the books are in general great and definitely worth reading. But if you have managed to not read them until now, I would wait until the series is finished. The chances are very high, that you will get bitter due to the long waiting for the next book. Also, at this time, it is highly unlikely that GRRM will ever finish the series. So you might end up where the rest of us is right now. You will spend money and energy for an unfinished book. So it is up to you, wheather you want to take that road.

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2 hours ago, MrJay said:

That's what I did. Don't regret it at all.

Fair warning. If you hit a brick wall with the fourth book and want to vent, be prepared for backlash. 

A Feast for crows? I thought most people didn't like that book. It's certainly not an opinion I've ever seen anyone react badly to. Personally it's my favourite and I think a lot of people miss a lot of important information in it. 

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