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[BOOK SPOILERS] The Book Was Better


MercenaryChef

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but, once again. perhaps i just expected too much?

Yes, you were expecting too much. It's a miniseries of a VERY involved (and great) book. It has to be judged on it's own merits. If you can't do that, best to just not watch it I guess!

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  • 1 month later...

If they prolong one thing, they will basically have to cut something out entirely. The reason things are shorter is because they have so little time.

And apparently titties were more important than plot... I mean, I like breasts as much as the next lesbian, but hello? There's like 10 minutes of graituitious boobitude that does nothing to give the viewer background information or move the plot. It's like the producers are saying "we swear it's a good show, just look at all the naked girls!"

Me no like.

Other than that, it was pretty OK. The one thing that stood off as odd was having the wedding at seashore. It's not like it's not mentioned some three times per book that Dothraki mistrust the sea... it's like they had this stormy shore and were just racking their brains to have something cool happen there so that they could use it as a backdrop.

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  • 3 weeks later...

lol There is NO comparing a TV series to The books. the TV showing will ALways fall short. Our fav writers can put a book out there of nearly 1k pages and we salivate and eagerly tell the world to go away. The TV producer looks at that 1k pages and goes OMG I need to translate this to the screen???. I watch to see how well or fail they actually do. so far not too bad.

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There might have been a few things that were missing when you compare the tv series with the books. Then again, there's no way everything written in a book can also be shown on screen. Think of budget and such.

For what I've seen, (note, I've read the book after watching season 1 of GOT n tv) I think the writers and editors did a good job.

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  • 1 month later...

I don't go into any literary adaptation expecting it to exceed the original, it can only lead to disappointment. Any show that even attempted to pack the level of detail and backstory into it's narrative would be doomed before it starts.

In my case, it was good enough to convince me to pause at episode 2, buy and finish the book before watching the rest- and I'm still enjoying both. Job done I reckon.

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  • 1 month later...

MC, I agree with your assessment that the pace seemed off. I mean, to us, the readers of the novel, a lot of the exposition was just that.

However, I totally saw something different in the tower scene. The way Jaime delivered the line, as flippant, and casual, and matter of fact, was more chilling than the book's version, where he said it with loathing.

I'm rewatching the scene now, and Cersei is frantic, saying "He saw us he saw us!!!" Jaime replies (with a bit of loathing), "I heard you the first time." Then you see his resolve. He knows what he has to do. He's got to act, to protect his family, their secret.

I thought it was a great delivery. (If you can't tell.)

I thought it was pure Jamie. Rash, callous, impetus and totally devoid of humanity?

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You can't really compare 2 different mediums like this. Both are top quality in their own right, and the producers did a phenomenal job of bringing the book to the TV screen, where they're limited by time/# episodes. The slight changes from book -> TV were great too.

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First time I read the book, I actually lost interest around the time Robb was calling the banners. I don't know if the book wasn't fulfilling ym expectations or if I just had too much on my mind, I can't figure it out. But I quit reading and I didn't give the book a second chance until next year. I had a similar reaction to the HBO adaptation. It started strong, interest waned by episode 6, and I quit watching, only to pick up the series again afew months later. I imagine my particular case is one of reconciling expectations with reality, but I can't say if it applies to everyone else.

Going back to this thread's original topic, I don't believe the book was better. It offers a more immersive experience, there's more story to tell, we get to spend more time with the characters, get to know them more intimately, which is everything a good book should offer. Considering the constraints imposed on a TV series, I think Game of Thrones did en excellent job of telling the essence of the story at an acceptable pace without leaving any important stuff behind. If I were to choose which one I like best, it'd be the book, but that doesn't mean I believe it is inherently better than the TV shows, just that it is more accomodating to my taste.

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  • 2 months later...

I agree completely with the original post in this thread. I've got some thoughts regarding the series, and this seems to be the right thread for them.

The television adaptation is destined to be a pale imitation of the majestic story us readers know very well. For that reason I've boycotted the tv show and not seen a single episode. I've been disappointed too many times by movies. In a selfish sort of way, I wish GRRM had refused HBO's offer. On on the one hand it's good that many of my friends are finally reading A Song of Ice and Fire (only because of the hype generated by tv). I've been telling them about this sage for nearly 15 years, and now I can finally talk to someone else at work about the adventures of these complex characters. (Also, I can say, "I told you so.") Hopefully, the increased interest in the story will stimulate the author to do his very best in finishing the work to the best of his abilities. Furthermore, who can blame GRRM for cashing in on all the creative work he has done? He must have known his story beats the pants off of Harry Potter. Why not make a lot more money with sales stimulated through HBO. Even if the tv series is terminated before telling the full story, it will have some redeeming aspects.

But on the other hand, I think there are serious disadvantages to the tv series. I don't see how one can adequately tell the back story (which becomes more and more important as the series advances, especially as it motivates the actions of many characters). To the reader, the unfolding real time story and the back-story of Robert's Rebellion can both be imagined with equal vividness. However, viewers of the tv series will be robbed of the back story. Characters can reminisce or have flashbacks, but those will fall short in communicating the story. For this reason, I think many viewers will judge the story too harshly. Finally, I don't think a lot of people will watch a story to which they already know the ending. The non-invested fans will leave the tv series because it is too heartbreaking or too complicated, while the invested fans will know exactly what is going to happen in each episode. Unfortunately, I think the fervor around the tv series will fade soon after the second season.

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You can't really compare 2 different mediums like this. Both are top quality in their own right, and the producers did a phenomenal job of bringing the book to the TV screen, where they're limited by time/# episodes. The slight changes from book -> TV were great too.

:agree:

It's my favourite book series and my favourite TV show. As it happens, I prefer reading to watching TV, but the TV series is as good as shows get, IMO.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I watched the first episode and had read none of the books and unlike the OP when Jaime pushed Bran off of the tower my jaw dropped, I was shocked utterly! I was livid at the Kingslayer and wanted to watch the next episode immediately. I ordered the books after it.

Of course the books are 'better' in that they have more details, the backstory is written down for you to see as are the emotions of the people we are imagining.

My thoughts probably would have been different if I'd read the books first. Of a certainty though for those that hadn't read the books until then and saw the first episode many were hooked.

The adaptation is very well done in many ways but of course it's not perfect. Besides if HBO doesn't do all the books then we can still finish the saga off with them!

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  • 3 months later...

Yep, the book is better; that's almost always the case for adaptations. I think it's pointless to directly compare the different media.

Personally I prefer to gauge the show against other TV shows. And it's one of the best shows I've seen.

And there you go, the best, most accurate reply.

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