I wonder how many people bought the book just because they can’t stand to wait another week to find out what happens next. To avoid spoilers, I will say two things.
1. Badass. Completely badass.
2. Walder Frey appears in maybe four pages total. By the second he had joined my pantheon of all-time great literary characters.
Discuss here. Try not to give away anything that has not yet come up on TV.
Loneoak
Not me yet, but that will probably be me at the end of the first season. Don’t know how I missed this series entirely …
Fencedude
Big fan of the books (WHERE IS DANCES WITH DRAGONS GODDAMMIT), but I haven’t checked out the show yet.
Mostly because I don’t watch American TV. Or anything live action actually.
Keith
Dammit! And I’m stuck in a hospital this week (dialysis – beat that, Cole!), so I am gonna have to track down a download because the wait would hurt. I love almost all of HBO’s dramas (although Big Love sucked without Hollis Green), but none – except for Deadwood – has started so fully developed and rich IMO. Gotta go with The Imp as my favorite character so far, given that he has turned out more interesting than I expected
handy
This is the one with Boromir in it? Damn I wish I had HBO because that show looks good.
me
Plot advancement in the books is so slow it gets frustrating. You just know there will be a war between a human-dragon army and the ominous things that may or may not have appeared yet in the series (I don’t get HBO).
Wick
I remember finishing the first book many years ago, and thinking that it was 600 pages of the best exposition that I had ever read.
wetcasements
Meh. It’s a perv’s take on Lord of the Rings. Pretty disappointing so far.
Wick
Incidentally, Dances with Dragons should be out in July. It has, finally, been turned over to the publisher.
MikeJ
@wetcasements: That would be a huge improvement on the original.
stuckinred
I have to say I don’t get it but I’ve never liked whatever it’s supposed to be, fantasy? Give me any of the David Simon works.
NobodySpecial
DVR, it’s a wonderful thing. That said, I try to avoid Wheel of Time clones like the plague. ‘This is the novel that doesn’t end’ has no appeal for me, usually.
JGabriel
Tim F.:
(Raise hand somewhat embarrassedly.)
.
Wick
@Nobody Special Wheel of Time is to Game of Thrones what Root Beer is to Beer.
If you want to wait until it’s finished, fine, but it is hard to imagine two series more different in tone. I like Wheel of Time, but . . . no.
JGabriel
@handy:
Ahem. You do have internet.
.
freelancer
Here is a link for those who need to catch up/don’t have cable, and don’t want to buy basic cable so that you can add an additional HBO package. I watch tv via the web, netflix, and this site.
Shoemaker-Levy 9
Sure, that’s what they said about Remembrance of Things Past.
Walker
@Fencedude:
Officially finished and turned into the editor last week. On track for a July release.
Walker
@NobodySpecial:
That series has gotten better since Sanderson took over. Plot elements actually get resolved these days. I will admit, however, that books 7-11 made me question my support of the series.
The real modern fantary star, however, is Rothfuss and the Kingkiller trilogy.
Linnaeus
Fantastic series. I own all of the books (so far) and I’ve read them all at least 3-4 times over. Never gets old.
Ange
The audio books, narrated by Roy Dotrice, also kick ass. IMO.
PeakVT
@Walker: Ho-ly shit. Maybe Martin will finish the series before he croaks after all.
Books 7-11 of WoT made me question reading fantasy at all, they were so bad. The book 10 reviews are still the funniest thing I’ve found on Amazon.
JGabriel
@Walker:
Editing, copy-editing, and printing and distribution in 10 weeks?
Is that likely for a hard-cover book that will probably have a 500,000+ initial print run?
Not rhetorical. Anyone here with a publishing background or experience that can answer that?
.
Mr Stagger Lee
The theme song is kick-ass, just like the theme to John Adams, I would suspect if HBO released theme soundtracks of their shows, they would have a best seller!
David
@JGabriel: considering just how pissed people have been over the delays to date, I can’t imagine that they would actually give a release date if they didn’t think it was realistic.
Hmm, so new Dresden Files book and new Game of Thrones book both in July…looks like I’ll be spending a lot of time in a chair near the a/c unit.
Pooh
@Fencedude: COMES OUT JULY 15!!!
Pooh
@PeakVT: yeah, WoT goes so badly off the rails after the first few books, it’s sad. Like Nikki and Paolo era Lost sad.
lou
Episode three was the best one so far — great character development. Sean Bean and Peter Dinklage and the little girl playing Arya rock. If I want scary stories told, think I’ll hire the actress playing Nan.
And I’ve read the books already. have Dance of Dragons on pre-order.
Gordon Guano
Rothfuss gets a lot of love, but I don’t feel it myself. I like the world he paints, but the people in it seem lackluster at best, or some kind of parody of a Gary Stu at worst. Yes, I’m talking about Kvothe. Pro tip: give a protagonist at least one flaw. Having him drop from the womb able to sing, play, fight, fornicate, and wizard at Olympic level doesn’t leave any room for him to grow. Also, the poetry is gawdawful. Still, Rothfuss shows lots of room for improvement. I wish I could have started with his fourth novel, he should have the hang of it by then.
Tyrion the Imp is a pretty kickass character, on the other hand, and Dinklage is doing him justice. Not to typecast, but I imagine him when I think of Miles Vorkosigan now.
And it would not be exaggerating to say that I am slavering for Walder Frey’s blood. Talk about loving to hate someone.
Walker
@Gordon Guano:
That’s why you don’t like Rothfuss. He has this lyrical style that you either love or you hate.
Kristine
@JGabriel: I don’t have the absolute word. All I know is what an editor for Jordan’s house once told me when I remarked about his rapid manuscript-to-HC turnaround time: “A million hardcover sales buys a lot of overtime.”
AT
@lou – the actress that played Nan actually has passed away, so that’s her last scary story sadly.
piratedan
@Gordon Guano: well to be honest, multi threaded stories are pretty common-place in the sf/fantasy genre, especially David Weber and John Ringo. I have to wonder if Dinklage is now too old to do the first three or four Vorkosigan stories but I’d guess that he’s about the right age for Komarr and the stories beyond.
Gordon Guano
@piratedan: back in ’05, I was lucky enough to have dinner with Lois (with like 12 other people, but still), but the pitcher of Sam Adams I drank kept me from asking anything smart like who she imagined playing Miles, so I just basked in the brilliance.
Nerem
@piratedan Too bad Weber sucks and OH JOHN RINGO NO. The only liveaction I watch is Fringe, House, and Kamen Rider. Bookwise we need some Muvluv Alternative, When They Cry, and Kim Harrison’s stuff. Showwise I can’t wait for season 2 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
Nerem
@piratedan Too bad Weber sucks and OH JOHN RINGO NO. The only liveaction I watch is Fringe, House, and Kamen Rider. Bookwise we need some Muvluv Alternative, When They Cry, and Kim Harrison’s stuff. Showwise I can’t wait for season 2 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica.
akaoni
There are any number of Walder Freys running around Westeros…
IrishGirl
@Wick: I agree with you, I actually love both Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones but they are truly different stories. Wheel is a long, rambling tale. Game of Thrones is a very tightly written story. Martin’s experience as a television writer comes through loud and clear. Not that I mind Jordan’s writing style either. You just have to have an open mind, stylistically speaking.
JamieB
@JGabriel –
It’d be cause for concern if Martin had just dumped all 2,000-odd MS pages with the editor last week, but that isn’t the case – a good quantity of the book has been complete for some time and is presumably already edited.
Morganti
@Nerem Wow, really? Let me guess, you don’t like Patrick O’Brian either?
Ringo I’m so-so about, but Weber… Boy, I can’t say I’ve read everything he’s written, but not much that I have read has been bad.
Neither is GRR Martin though. Man, I ALREADY can’t wait to see season 2/3/etc… MMmmmm tasty.