or just watch?

I’m 85 pages in, it reads like a TV script anyway (plot driven, light on characterisation or location detail).

Stills and the trailer from the TV look good.

Is the book worth reading for itself, or shall I just get the DVDs and read something else?

(Yeah I realise I only read a bit, but life is short and I have lots of other books I want to read too).

I think I’ve answered my own question, there’s not much point reading a TV script that’s been filmed anyway, and there are lots of other great books that haven’t.

I’m a bit further in than you are, enjoying it so far, I’m sure I will enjoy the series when I watch that as well.

But as you have said, I think you have answered your own questions!

I picked it up in Waterstones last year. When I realised there were 5 volumes that look to be 800 pages each I decided to watch it. Can’t be arsed to get in to these over long fantasy/sci fi epics. Assumed publishers demand that this genre books be so big. Yet to be convinced that a lot would be no worse (and maybe better) if they were 200 pages. Rather like Hollywood films which all seem to have to be a minimum 2 hours.

The books really are worth reading and whilst the HBO series is faithful to them so far, there are differences (scenes missed out).

Why don’t you watch a ‘Game of Thrones’ but then read ‘A Clash of Kings’ before the 2nd season is released?

I went to a talk by GRRM in Bath on Wednesday night – fascinating man and he signed my book, which was good!

Thx all. I think I’ll get the DVDs and read something else.

As for Bran leaping around the rooves of Winterfell, that’s straight out of Titus Groan/Gormenghast. Now, there’s a read.

Why bother going cycling?
Just stay indoors and watch a DVD of someone else doing it? 😉

About half way through the first one, only started it on Thursday.
I don’t mind it:
Good story, but some of the writing is dire and the names of people and places were obviously thought up by a 7 year old.

gormengahst a read? that was one of the biggest snoozefests ive ever struggled through, 2pages to describe a wall at one point!

i loved the books and read them all in a couple of weeks, its time well spent imho, even if some of its not the best written, still a brilliant story

Good story, but some of the writing is dire and the names of people and places were obviously thought up by a 7 year old.

+1.

“a horse trained special” is a phrase that sticks in my mind, as well as the minstrel named Marillion. Clunky!

The problem is that he is a good storyteller, just not a good writer, so I’ll fly through the pages quickly. An 800 page book that only takes a few days to read….

As for Bran leaping around the rooves of Winterfell, that’s straight out of Titus Groan/Gormenghast. Now, there’s a read.

It’s a struggle to find anything that hasn’t been ripped from other books. Originality isn’t the books’ strong points, but that’s not really the point of them.

Have read the new series book and half the next. After just one episode am already frustrated with stuff missed out (or not and can’t remember the order) and confused by new characters faces that don’t match the ones I made up in my head.

The books are very much like watching the TV but it feels like they are stretching a good book in to a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g hexalogy. Switching character perspective for the same time period maintains interest but the price is that overall not much is ever concluded.

And now I know this am concerned it will take away some excitement from the TV series, although never the delight of Tyrian’s one liners.

I’ve enjoyed the overall story of the books, and they’re certainly worth reading, but the later ones could really have done with a much stronger editor to get rid of a lot of dull crap that does nothing to advance the plot. Quentyn Martell was a complete waste of space for instance.

And now I know this am concerned it will take away some excitement from the TV series, although never the delight of Tyrian’s one liners.

A single book written around Tyrion would have been very, very good.

I enjoyed Titus Groan (Gormenghast) – it’s a dense read, like the richest of fruit cakes, and I took it a nibble at a time. But what it had in spades, that the written GoT lacks for me so far**, is what I could call atmosphere, and the plot of Titus is virtually a side-effect, an inevitability, of that atmosphere.

LOTR was that way too, though an easier read (with judicious skipping of the silly songs).

Horses for courses though, it’s all good fun.

** still early days tho

you could just read the book, i got bored of the TV series.

I gave up at page 169, as a piece of writing it’s somewhere down there alongside “what I did on me summer holidays”.

I’ll get the DVDs.

Horses for courses I guess… millions of people seem to have enjoyed it!

Taken the series off my lovefilm list after watching 3 episodes. The characterization is cartoonish and there’s some appalling acting going on to. V disappointed.

since watching the first series, I got the books on audio, can’t say i’m enjoying the second series very much now I know the plot lines. I find myself disregarding what half the characters say and do because they’ll be dead before too long. I don’t think the high death toll works in a TV series(Band of Brothers 2 suffered from the same syndrome). You want to invest your time in the characters but you can’t if they keep dropping like nine pins.

First 2-3 books awesome. As with any book that becaomes a movie, read first.

You miss a heck of a lot by just watching, particularly in this series.

Game of Thrones is boring the **** out of me at the moment. I quite like the 1st series.

It’s like Rome but with no real fighting (what’s up with this) and silly Americanized mythology.

watch it for free on cucirca
Definitely entertaining but don’t know if i would pay for the dvds, fine to watch for free though. Beware of the sex scenes if your easily shocked, as some are a gnats c*ck away from pron…

I’m reading it..on the 3rd book at present.

I haven’t watched the first series…when it was on TV there were no subtitles so I couldn’t watch it. I’ve started watching the 2nd series, but it’s difficult as I don’t know who everone is.

Although a few people don’t look right…Theon for example, he’s a bit too weedy for his character if you ask me.