People starting with ASOS or just skipping chapters

[Ordos]

I get so tired of answering this same question over and over again on an answers community I'm on: "If I watched season 3, I can start with A Feast For Crows right?"

Ugh, it's enough to make me scream! Not only do they want to jump right in, but they also think they'll have an understanding of the series if they just watch the show.

I know what you mean by this. I asked the question after watching Season 1 as my first post but now after reading the books I know better.

[WeirwoodTreeHugger]

And really, I think it's bad practice to look down on "non-readers." I think the American fetish of reading for the sake of reading has given us a vast number of readers who plow through dreck undiscriminatingly and then get all smug about it.

25% of Americans don't read even one book a year. When they do it's usually the same thing everyone else reads. Such as Dan Brown or 50 shades. I'm not sure where you're getting that from. Too few people love to read.

[SaltpansResident]

I'm saying there's no high ground in being rude about people because they don't read a fantasy novel in exactly the way they're "supposed to." There is no "supposed to." GRRM and Twilight and 50 Shades are all popular fiction (ok some are higher quality than others). A reader should be able to read for pleasure any damn way he or she pleases.

[Kahl Trollo]

At least they're reading....

I've met people who have debated the themes and meanings behind Hamlet, based entirely on Mel Gibson's portrayal.

Personally I think they're missing a lot of good stuff, and I'd take most discussions with them with a grain of salt and a handful of patience - but at least they dragged their eyes from the screen and opened a page - even if it's only 'to see how it all works out'.

In this day and age that's a remarkable thing.

[Jslay427]

I saw season 1 before I picked up the books. I'll admit, I was very anxious to get to Clash for new material, but I did read all of Game, which was covered in season 1 obviously.

[SaltpansResident]

25% of Americans don't read even one book a year. When they do it's usually the same thing everyone else reads. Such as Dan Brown or 50 shades. I'm not sure where you're getting that from. Too few people love to read.

You know, maybe it's just my own experience but I have met people who talked contemptuously about people who didn't read and then it turned out that the speaker had proudly read all 500 pages of whichever Twilight was current. Which is fine. But they clearly felt they had earned respect by that feat.

I like reading a lot, I do read a lot, but I am suspicious of an approach that seems to give it a higher moral value than woodworking really well or watching all of Kurosawa.

[SolFreer]

I started reading about mid-way through season 2's release and went back to aGoT. I will admit that it was hard at times because I didn't have the *drive* to read in wonder of "what would happen next" because I knew the major events already, so it made reading aGoT and aCoK a bit 'slow' and required disclipline, but I would never skip chapters or books out of principle! Asoiaf is far too complex to just dive in based on what you've seen on the show, unless you just want a superficial understanding.

[SaltpansResident]

Maybe I'm just sulky because no one ever praises me for reading the chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

[WeirwoodTreeHugger]

My mom managed to read Atlas Shrugged. Something I could never do.

[SaltpansResident]

Some people are just gluttons for punishment.

Seriously though, it really is nice to read the Dany chapters last. Because then, instead of rushing through them to get to the Tyrion chapters, you're actually enjoying them because they're the last fresh part of the book.

[Lala]

I'm saying there's no high ground in being rude about people because they don't read a fantasy novel in exactly the way they're "supposed to." There is no "supposed to." GRRM and Twilight and 50 Shades are all popular fiction (ok some are higher quality than others). A reader should be able to read for pleasure any damn way he or she pleases.

There's an enormous difference in quality of writing between ASOIAF and Twilight/50 Shades - which means that if you fail to read ASOIAF critically you are missing half the story. If you're reading for pleasure, it's entirely up to you, but please don't come to forums and pretend to participate in discussions on the same level as people who have put time and thought into their read throughs of the series

[James Sucellus]

I knew a few people that started with A Storm of Swords after Season 2 of the show had finished. It infuriated me, especially as they'd be pretty lost regarding things like the Reeds and Ramsay not being set up in the show.

We live in a society where reading is viewed as a chore, so people don't wish to read more than they have to. Horrible, but true.

[thetitansbastard]

I swear by "book is always better" and all that, but my gosh if I didn't dig right into ACOK after finishing Season 1. Had to know what was happening n asap. Honestly didn't really miss much of the main story, the backstory you totally miss obviously. Didn't realize how much until discovering this website actually. In retrospect wouldn't have done it. Obviously.

[Bluesnow]

Never skipped chapters on my first read through... I'll be honest that I did skip one page of Davos though because I was falling asleep. I regretted it on my reread though because I realized how cool Davos was later, and the page I skipped happened to be really important.

I did skip all of Dany's chapters on my second and third read through.

[WhiteWalder]

I tried that but there is so, so, much that you miss, like things revealed about one character in a chapter you skipped because you didn't like that character. But once you have read and reread it is kind of fun to go back and just read one particular storyline all the way through, but I wouldn't even recommend that unless you have reread enough that you know what's happening where and when.

But definitely do not start any theories if you have only done that because the comments will be filled with things you have missed.

I like that idea...

It would be nice if there was a knowledge test to pass before starting a new thread in certain forums. All the questions could be on backstory and things that happened in the books and not the show.

[space]

I started reading after season 2 and I read every book (although I admit I could have started at acok...def. not asos though) and while i enjoyed the vast majority of the books and chapters...i do have to admit I H A T E D almost every second of pre adwd bran and virtually every chapter titled "brienne"...so while i read all of those chapters...i have to admit i did a bit of "power" or "speed reading" through many of those pages

[mindchap]

I like that idea...

It would be nice if there was a knowledge test to pass before starting a new thread in certain forums. All the questions could be on backstory and things that happened in the books and not the show.

Actually it wouldn't even be so bad if they didn't take offense at every comment that disproves something. I always thought the point of posting a theory was to see how well it holds up against people who have better memory than me, but if you haven't even read it all what's really the point.

[WhiteWalder]

I started reading after season 2 and I read every book (although I admit I could have started at acok...def. not asos though) and while i enjoyed the vast majority of the books and chapters...i do have to admit I H A T E D almost every second of pre adwd bran and virtually every chapter titled "brienne"...so while i read all of those chapters...i have to admit i did a bit of "power" or "speed reading" through many of those pages

I did that on my first read of Brienne in AFfC. On successive rereads I really enjoyed Brienne chapters.

[WhiteWalder]

Actually it wouldn't even be so bad if they didn't take offense at every comment that disproves something. I always thought the point of posting a theory was to see how well it holds up against people who have better memory than me, but if you haven't even read it all what's really the point.

I definitely feel you on that one.

I don't really mind asinine or crackpot arguments either, as long as it is based on SOMETHING in the books. Sometimes I will even try to argue points on the side that I don't personally agree with - because there are a ton of people that are more knowledgeable than me, and I like to see their viewpoints or bring up points that I don't think about. Not saying I like to cause conflict, but I like to play devil's advocate to keep thoughts and debate flowing on something I find interesting.

[mindchap]

I definitely feel you on that one.

I don't really mind asinine or crackpot arguments either, as long as it is based on SOMETHING in the books. Sometimes I will even try to argue points on the side that I don't personally agree with - because there are a ton of people that are more knowledgeable than me, and I like to see their viewpoints or bring up points that I don't think about. Not saying I like to cause conflict, but I like to play devil's advocate to keep thoughts and debate flowing on something I find interesting.

Yeah every once in a while you'll see a who killed Jon Arryn topic pop up, I think mainly because Sansa is the most skipped POV in the whole series.