How would AFfCs fare as a series?

[Middlejon]

Obviously all the ASoIaF books are great but A Feast for Crows is (in my opinion) the least 'eventful' of the books. What works well in the novels doesn't necessarily translate to working well on the screen, and thinking back on it a startling amount of the book is just characters moving around: Brianne wanders the riverlands, Samwell goes sailing, Jamie spends most of the second half of the book riding to Riverrun. The chapters in Dorne and the Iron / Shield Islands are a bit more intense but they only make up a small part of the book. A novel by its very nature has more detail in it than a TV show can, all the subtle nuances of a characters personality or the environment can be described by the prose itself but on TV you seem to me to need to rely solely on dialogue. A Feast for Crows doesn't have big battles like the ACoKs and ASoSs nor the struggles of AGoTs, and I'd be a bit concerned that while it's good in the books there may not be enough content there to satisfy a viewer. Unless they combine it with a Dance with Dragons I suppose (which I think they'd have to, you can't have half your cast go AWOL for a whole season).

On the other hand, it will be fun watching Cersei get nuttier by the episode :stunned:

[williamjm]

I agree it would be the most difficult of the books (so far) to adapt. I think including some bits of A Dance With Dragons might be a good idea rather than completely dropping the plotline of various characters for a season. I think there might some scope for cutting back on some of the subplots, it can still cover the same major events but I don't know if we really need to see the full detail of Brienne's or Sam's journeys.

On the other hand, it will be fun watching Cersei get nuttier by the episode

I think that's possibly the best plotline in AFFC and probably the one easiest to adapt to television.

[Scotty Kent Myrick II]

Obviously all the ASoIaF books are great but A Feast for Crows is (in my opinion) the least 'eventful' of the books. What works well in the novels doesn't necessarily translate to working well on the screen, and thinking back on it a startling amount of the book is just characters moving around: Brianne wanders the riverlands, Samwell goes sailing, Jamie spends most of the second half of the book riding to Riverrun. The chapters in Dorne and the Iron / Shield Islands are a bit more intense but they only make up a small part of the book. A novel by its very nature has more detail in it than a TV show can, all the subtle nuances of a characters personality or the environment can be described by the prose itself but on TV you seem to me to need to rely solely on dialogue. A Feast for Crows doesn't have big battles like the ACoKs and ASoSs nor the struggles of AGoTs, and I'd be a bit concerned that while it's good in the books there may not be enough content there to satisfy a viewer. Unless they combine it with a Dance with Dragons I suppose (which I think they'd have to, you can't have half your cast go AWOL for a whole season).

On the other hand, it will be fun watching Cersei get nuttier by the episode :stunned:

I'm thinking that AFFC will present it own challenges, but may be the easiest to adapt. Initial characters have less action (Jon, Theon) while side characters (Sam, Asha) will possibly get more. Without the battle scenes, the production will cost less (in extras at least) and require minimal set reconfiguration. It's hard to say. I feel that the first three are going to be more difficult: Book/Season 1-Establishing viewer interest and connection to characters and environment, Book/Series 2- Character progression throughout constant "travel" in the environment (Battles Included!), Book/ Series 3- Finishing these costly (production wise) battles and confusing character travels and then killing off characters in a way that leaves audiences ravenous for more but not feeling desperate that their "star" character has been eliminated (New comer Robb fans will flip). I think the whole thing is challenging, and everyone involved has a lot to handle.

[Andhaira]

OTOH it could be pretty fun to see Brienne wander westeros and check out all the locales.

[daimonion]

I guess they would combine AFFC and ADWD and simply cut most or all of Briennes, Sams and Alaynes chapters from AFFC. And maybe some characters from ADWD too. And only give us a brief presentation about what going on in Dorne and the Iron islands.

Regular viewers would surely be turned off by all the new POVs and the lack of arguably the three main characters of the whole series: Jon, Tyrion and Daenerys.

[The Pita]

daimon, if they do that, I will boycott it. Brienne chapters are some of the best in AFFC, which is, in my opinion, the best book. I'd rather they remove the Cersei chapters instead. If they do it well, it can be good, but I agree that AFFC is the most unfilmable of the others. as film requires your constant attention, and has to take it from you. You can stop reading a book in the middle if you get bored, and then pick it up later, but TV is harder. I think that if the series lasts as much as a fourth season, GRRM has to get the fifth season signed as well, because the fourth season will definitely have the lowest ratings. Unless they combine AFFC and ADWD into two seasons featuring all characters, which will also have its problems. I'd cut about half of Dorne, because a lot of Dorne is establishing things that by ADWD, we are supposed to know. (Dornish Targaryen support is one)

And some of AFFC can be done in a very action-ish way, so that it'll feel fast paced even though it isn't. I'd start the season with one episode that has all of the Iron Islands.

[Aoede]

Look, if ADoD is written in time and has more action, just intersperse actiony ADoD stuff with less actiony AFfC stuff, and kablam, you're good for two seasons. Eh? Damn right!

[Padraig]

Look, if ADoD is written in time and has more action, just intersperse actiony ADoD stuff with less actiony AFfC stuff, and kablam, you're good for two seasons. Eh? Damn right!

Yes. I imagine this is how they would go about it. If it ever gets that far. Can't see a TV series drop half the characters for a season.

[daimonion]

I dunno. That would mean we would follow around 20 different characters (!) It would simply be too many characters and stories for the regular viewer to follow, i think.

For me, the only likely solution seems to be to combine books and cut characters.

[Aoede]

I dunno. That would mean we would follow around 20 different characters (!) It would simply be too many characters and stories for the regular viewer to follow, i think.

Twenty different characters, but fewer narrative centers. Easier to follow than you'd think, although not easy-easy by any means.

[Sam]

Well, I think much from AFFC could be shortened, but many new (possibly very important) characters are introduced here. And I would really like to see a cool kingsmoth and perhaps there are fewer battles, but my favorite warrior Victarion is fighting. :)

[Silverstar]

I say the most likely scenario would be that they would take both AFFC and ADWD and do half of each per season. It'd be really silly to spend a whole season just on the King's Landing politics, and then a whole season just on the North and the East, and lose half the cast for each one, as you'd also lose a big chunk of viewers whose favourite character wasn't featuring, with no guarantee of getting them back for the next season. You might also lose the actors who weren't featured in a season, who may well go off and sign up for something else in the meantime.

[red snow]

If it should get that far I'm sure it would be a merge of AFFC and ADWD. Either condensed into one season or split into 2. That's how the books were supposed to be initially anyhow.

Part of me thinks they would be as well ending with ASOS though or, dare I say it, write their own 4th season conclusion. I like AFFC but it's clear that it is setting up an even bigger picture and I'm not sure whether TV can stetch that far. It will only get more complicated when ADWD is released. Hopefully by 2014/15 the books will almost be done (in reality we'll be lucky to get book 6 of 7/8) and the writers can make a condensed ending to the series. I think it may be possible to finish the show off in 5 seasons with 4 and 5 being a "TV interpretation" of the final books.

[Frank Stark]

I'll echo that a merge of Crows and Dragons, then a split into 2 seasons seems most likely and the right thing to do. I'd like to point out though that as this series gets longer as it goes on (each book was longer, then we had an actual split of books), I think the liklihood of characters or sub-plots getting written out increases.

[williamjm]

I dunno. That would mean we would follow around 20 different characters (!) It would simply be too many characters and stories for the regular viewer to follow, i think.

It's not that much greater a number than the number of major characters in other HBO series, it would be about the same number as a typical season of The Wire, for example.

[daimonion]

It's not that much greater a number than the number of major characters in other HBO series, it would be about the same number as a typical season of The Wire, for example.

Yeah, but (in a combination of AFFC and ADWD) all or most of the characters have their own story in which the other main characters do not appear.

[LordNedsHead]

In a TV show it will be very hard, if not impossible to pull off a true PoV similar to the style of the books. Unless they do something compltely oddball like film each scene through the PoVs eyes (which would be a disaster), the PoVs importance is sure to blend with other important non-PoV characters. This may make things easier in the story telling of the series. I'm guessing that Jon will have Stannis, Mel and Davos to interact with on the Wall for example.

I also agree that the best thing to do is to combine the two books (as originally intended) and film them as two seasons. The potential problem with that is the lack of major climaxes midway through AFFC. There are no major battles and things simmer throughout the book until the ending (an enjoyable style while reading, but one that won't translate to the screen well I fear). I'm hoping that the saving grace will come with Dance. I'm certain there will be more action in that book with Dany and her dragons becoming an ever more menacing power. Also there's got to be more happening along the Wall. If you think about it, AFFC is a pretty weak title for a book that only features one traveling Crow (Sam). I know there are other meanings to the title. The war is over and the 'crows' aroung the realm are picking apart the leavings. But the title hints to me that Martin may have originally intended some big events at the Wall for that book. Perhaps with Dance we'll get enough material to cut up both books into a couple of dramatic and climactic seasons.

[pfitz]

Unless they're planning on giving half the major characters a year off they'll have to combine AFFC & ADWD although they might find it hard to find a good spot to split the two book's combined story :hat:

[daimonion]

Twenty different characters, but fewer narrative centers. Easier to follow than you'd think, although not easy-easy by any means.

No.

At least in AFFC the characters are (for the absolute most part) off on their own without the other POVs interacting with them. They have their own, completely seperate story.

I don't know if ADWD will be the same, but theres reason to believe that it mostly will.

[Aoede]

At least in AFFC the characters are (for the absolute most part) off on their own without the other POVs interacting with them. They have their own, completely seperate story.

Interaction is not needed for there to exist a single rough narrative center.