Did the show subconsciously or otherwise influence your opinion/project itself onto the books for you?

[Garlan Marius]

Iain Glen is way too sexy for Jorah. I really liked Jorah on first read through the series because of this. Second time... not so much.

[StannisBamfatheon]

Well, when it turned out Lysa wasn't portrayed as an obese behemoth, I pretty much gave up on the show completely. Syrio Forel having hair was just the nail in the coffin, the last insult, a true spit in the face for all true fans; I went straight to the nearest computer to complain vigorously about this unforgivable bastardization.

hah the sarcasm is strong in this one....You may have more sass than I do Lannister and for that I commend you. And it's funny on the blu-ray commentary GRRM specifically mentions how fans complained about Syrio having hair and he said it was bullshit, and that Miltos(the actor who plays Syrio) is Syrio, which I took for a very high compliment. GRRM said fans shouldn't get caught up on meaningless aesthetical details and just enjoy the show.

And K3, you actually waited for Storm of Swords....I....I.... there are no words. My respect for you just increased by about 500000%. You.....you're a hero.

[courser]

Watched GOT and after the first season I picked up the books... My partner had read them and some other friends...I have to confess that view the two separately... just like the harry potter series. I see the books differently and see the show as 'based on the stories created by GRRM'. I find that I don't really see the characters in the book (in my mind's eye) as the characters in the series... except strangely for Jaime...in the book and in the series he reminds me of 'Charming' from the Shrek movies...

[Lonin]

Season 1, episode 3 was my first exposure to ASOIAF - I then went out and got the first 3 books. Watched episodes 1 and 2, and finished reading agot...then read the next two books while finishing season 1. Read book 4, then waited abit for book 5.... Kind of lucky that I did not have a long wait for the "next" book.

The TV show did impact my view of characters. I have a pet peeve related to casting teenage males... Often, ~25 year olds are cast as mid teen males, and they are usually short - as if teens can not be taller than the adult males - this negatively impacted my views of Jon, Theon, and Robb to a lesser extent. While I dont dislike those characters, I would have liked them more if I had read the books first. Yes, I do have petty, pet peeves :devil:

Also, Show Sansa and Dany being older helped - I would have had issues with 12 year old Dany being married off.... I tend to picture show Dany when reading the books.

[Kittykatknits]

hah the sarcasm is strong in this one....You may have more sass than I do Lannister and for that I commend you. And it's funny on the blu-ray commentary GRRM specifically mentions how fans complained about Syrio having hair and he said it was bullshit, and that Miltos(the actor who plays Syrio) is Syrio, which I took for a very high compliment. GRRM said fans shouldn't get caught up on meaningless aesthetical details and just enjoy the show.

And K3, you actually waited for Storm of Swords....I....I.... there are no words. My respect for you just increased by about %500000. You.....you're a hero.

LOL. Waiting for Storm wasn't that big a deal. Waiting years for Feast and then being told in the book and on his web site that Dance would be out the next year. That was painful. The year after Feast was published, I was checking Martin's web site for news all the time. As the years went on, I would still check. At one point, I really did think he'd given on the series.

[Jamie Lannister]

hah the sarcasm is strong in this one....You may have more sass than I do Lannister and for that I commend you. And it's funny on the blu-ray commentary GRRM specifically mentions how fans complained about Syrio having hair and he said it was bullshit, and that Miltos(the actor who plays Syrio) is Syrio, which I took for a very high compliment. GRRM said fans shouldn't get caught up on meaningless aesthetical details and just enjoy the show.

Yeah, it's hilarious; I could nitpick about how piss poor Robb's revised romance was for hours, but this (reasonably) minor character not being a thick-skinned monster to look upon? Come now...

But yeah, aside from Tyrion and perhaps Robb, most of my head-canon prevails over the actors. Characters like Theon are a quandary -- I love Alfie's portrayal, but he couldn't be less alike the tall, strapping, dark bowman I've always pictured.

[Booknerd2]

Sean Bean drove the point home and really brought Ned to life. How honorable and noble and good-hearted, but how he can be tough, and stubborn to a fault. You can believe naive Ned was also the tough guy that joined up with Robert and took back his sister's body and Jon, and fought with Robert, etc. I think he is sorely missed still in season 2. His acting was that good.

My book/movie experience was funny. I was given book 1 as a gift for christmas and started reading. Then I realized I had On Demand and GOT was on it. I stopped reading and started watching the series. I was in my living room and shouted when Lady got killed. I think it was better and more moving to see it first before reading. The SHOCK...the cute pet never dies in movies. Then I kept on with the show and kept reading but I was behind.

I literally, LITERALLY, had my hand on my mouth and broke out into a sweat when Joff condemned Ned to die. Up until the sword swing I never believed it would happen. I remember the tenseness and my stomach clutching watching Arya's grief and fear and Sansa flipping out and dead fainting, and Ned's look of astonishment when Joff's words registered to him.

What a moment, the first time. Time stood still. So happy I saw it first before reading.

[The Frostfangs]

I too was a show watcher before a reader...

For me Dinklage is Tyrion and for some reason Alfie is Theon. I also imagine Jack Gleeson as Joffrey but with long curly hair.... ;)

[The Sleeper]

I saw the first season and I was hooked. I read the books after that. Strangely many of the characters in my head look like an amalgam of the actors and the descriptions from the books. Robert Baratheon looks like a taller, broader version of Marc Addy, while Tyrion looks like a deformed version of Peter Dinkage. Jamie's book version and show version are identical. The same with Charles Dance and Tywin. For Roose Bolton on the other hand I imagined someone looking cleaner.

[Été]

Characters like Theon are a quandary -- I love Alfie's portrayal, but he couldn't be less alike the tall, strapping, dark bowman I've always pictured.

Show-Theon is a distinctly separate entity from my book-Theon. Book-Theon is lean, charming and roguishly attractive, which is the only reason he gets away with being a complete dickbag for two whole volumes.

[Elder Sister]

I read the first two books before I watched the show and (ahem) actually began thinking more favorably about Jaime Lannister after watching the hottie actor that plays him. Hubba, Hubba!

I think that's the only character I am aware of that the show influenced me on, but I have noticed that when I'm re-reading the books, I have the show's sets pictured in my mind, which bugs the crap out of me; especially King's Landing. I hate the way the Throne Room and the Red Keep look in the show.

[Booknerd2]

Maisie is the perfect Arya in looks, attitude, spirit, and well, everything.

Whenever I read the Mountain I see Conan Stevens, who was cast perfectly.

And Peter Dinklage is just perfection. When I read I see them as the characters the most.

[danana]

Since watching the show, I haven't been able to read the books without imagining the TV series portrayals - at least for the major characters with a lot of screentime. Most of the casting doesn't particularly bother me, mostly because I don't care that much about the characters' appearances, but some of the characters in the show have altered my perception of them.

Sam - I don't know why, maybe it's his beard, but something about him just really annoys me in the TV show, whereas I liked him despite his whimpiness in the books

Dany - Her "I'M DAENERYS STORMBORN LAST OF THE TARGARYENS AND MOTHER OF DRAGONS HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME??!?!?!?" speeches only mildly bothered me in the books but I still tended to root for her, but once I saw the TV portrayal she just pisses me off.

Littlefinger - I think he looks more badass in the TV show than I had imagined him, so I've found myself liking him more than I used to (but not in the sense that I want him to succeed)

[oliewankanobe]

I have Peter in my head, too, and the problem for me is that Tyrion, as written, is ugly.

Peter Dinklage is a hot little beastie.

[Booknerd2]

And I did go to the movies this weekend and when I saw Aiden Gillen in a movie, like an idiot I did shout out, "Is that LIttlefinger?" He is another one I picture too.

[carmela28]

If I may...How'd you discover the series K3? I'm gonna sound like an illiterate hillbilly or something but I had never heard of A song of Ice and Fire until watching Game of thrones and reading that it was inspired by books. The series had me hook line and sinker when Ned told Bran "the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword" and I scurried away to my local barnes and noble soon after to get AGOT.

I never heard of the books before the show either. And once I sat thru S1, I immediately began reading...and re-reading. Agree with all of those that like (love?) Show Jorah. When Iain Glen says "khaleesi", I melt. There is nothing that Book Jorah could say or do that would cause the same reaction. He is actually kind of pathetic.

I hated Book Tywin. Surprisingly, I don't hate TV Tywin and I attribute it all to Charles Dance. He is still an arrogant pick but at least I understand why he is an arrogrant prick.

And Shae...why is the show making me like her?

Show-Theon is a distinctly separate entity from my book-Theon. Book-Theon is lean, charming and roguishly attractive, which is the only reason he gets away with being a complete dickbag for two whole volumes.

Agree about Theon. I love Alfie's portrayal but it doesn't seem match up with Book Theon's description. TV Theon was never particularly charming.

[Dacie]

I too am a post-first season GoT n00b.

I cannot picture Tyrion as ugly, as Peter Dinklage is quite handsome. Same with Jorah.

I also think of the characters as older: Jon, Robb, and Dany mainly. In my mind they are the tweny-something actors playing them and not 15 year old kids.

[TheFlayedMan]

I manage to read without seeing Peter Dinklage, probably because of how much GRRM emphasises how ugly Tyrion is.

[StannisBamfatheon]

I manage to read without seeing Peter Dinklage, probably because of how much GRRM emphasises how ugly Tyrion is.

It kinda makes you wonder how book Tyrion is always such a hit with the ladies. I guess most of them are prostitutes, but still. He lusts after Septa Lemore whose supposed to be an older but very attractive woman and it's like....come on dude you're a drawf without a nose and an enormous gash across your face. Maybe she's a little out of your league?

[Kittykatknits]

I never heard of the books before the show either. And once I sat thru S1, I immediately began reading...and re-reading. Agree with all of those that like (love?) Show Jorah. When Iain Glen says "khaleesi", I melt. There is nothing that Book Jorah could say or do that would cause the same reaction. He is actually kind of pathetic.

I hated Book Tywin. Surprisingly, I don't hate TV Tywin and I attribute it all to Charles Dance. He is still an arrogant pick but at least I understand why he is an arrogrant prick.

And Shae...why is the show making me like her?

I didn't think that I would like Shae in the show but she's really grown on me. I really like the changes they made to her.

It kinda makes you wonder how book Tyrion is always such a hit with the ladies. Because all of them are prostitutes , but still. He lusts after Septa Lemore whose supposed to be an older but very attractive woman and it's like....come on dude you're a drawf without a nose and an enormous gash across your face. Maybe she's a little out of your league?

There, fixed that for you. ;)