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A Song of Ice and Fire Reread (1 Viewer)

KarmaPolice

Footballguy
Yes, we need one more ASOIAF/Game of Thrones thread going!  Maybe this will fizzle, maybe it will gain traction.  Seemed like there were a few in the other thread that also expressed an interest in going back through the books now that the show is over (and daresay hold out mild hope that GRRM will give us a better ending ;) )

I've only read ADWD once, and I did it too quickly that it's all a blur, especially now that the show has bled into my memories.   

I am a slow reader, so will probably fall behind, but if the thread has mild legs I guess we can just pop in here and post our thoughts of stuff we forgot, stuff we love or hate, and just to :nerd: out in general.    I was going to try to read a little more tonight, but I am only a few chapter into a Game of Thrones. 

 
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I will be honest - I have 0 clue what you are talking about with these GOT/King Arthur comparisons.
No problem, I understand.

It is an odd hobby of mine since mid 70's, and I don't expect it to be of interest to others. However, all of the things that others see - that I don't - during reading and watching, helps me figure things out better - and have more fun.

I am going to try and read ASOIAF along side Le Morte D'Arthur - and comment on it. I don't expect others to necessarily agree or even read that part. But, if only one person sees something that I miss - wonderful.

Also, it helps to have others point out where I may getting too far "out there".

Does that make sense?

I was thinking of Spoiler-tagging my Arthur comparisons - to keep things orderly - I am open to suggestions on best way to do this, without making the Ice & Fire read more complicated than necessary.

 
Just black dotting this but much like shuke, with my advanced age and reading speed, GRRM might very well finish the series before I finish a reread.

 
Listening to the audiobooks as I type this.  Interesting, after the Prologue, the very first chapter is Bran.

Listening to the history of what went on during Robert's rebellion gives me a renewed appreciation for Tywin Lannister.  He was masterful at playing the game and knew, that being King wasn't where the real power was.  Sucks he was killed off.        

 
Listening to the audiobooks as I type this.  Interesting, after the Prologue, the very first chapter is Bran.

Listening to the history of what went on during Robert's rebellion gives me a renewed appreciation for Tywin Lannister.  He was masterful at playing the game and knew, that being King wasn't where the real power was.  Sucks he was killed off.        
That's all dependent on who is actually king.  Robert, who wants to drink, fight, and ####....  Obviously he's not gonna care what's happening in his country as long as the wine keeps flowing.  On the other hand, if Tywin had been hand to Rhaegar Targaryen I doubt he'd have held nearly as much power.

 
Listening to the audiobooks as I type this.  Interesting, after the Prologue, the very first chapter is Bran.

Listening to the history of what went on during Robert's rebellion gives me a renewed appreciation for Tywin Lannister.  He was masterful at playing the game and knew, that being King wasn't where the real power was.  Sucks he was killed off.        
Charles Dance was the ####### t1ts as Tywin - that first ever sceneof him, skinning the deer in the Lannister tent on the battlefield, as he dressed down Golden Boy Jaime ... that role was written for him - one of my favorite all-time characters. 

 
Charles Dance was the ####### t1ts as Tywin - that first ever sceneof him, skinning the deer in the Lannister tent on the battlefield, as he dressed down Golden Boy Jaime ... that role was written for him - one of my favorite all-time characters. 
It really was.  I remember a forum about a potential movie series or tv show years before it happened and Charles Dance and Ed Harris were the two most popular choices for the role.

 
Have all the ebooks and am in but it will be my first read and not a reread. Also read extremely slowly. That needs to change as I've accumulated about 700 ebooks because hey, that one's on sale!, And I've only read about 70 of them.  :bag:

 
A Game of Thrones: Prologue

I read the series years ago around the time the HBO show started.  A co-worker recommended the series so I picked it up.  I remember reading the Prologue and considering for a moment bailing.  Zombies and the like aren’t my cup of tea.  I persisted and glad I did but the Others, the Wall and the Nights Watch were some of my least favorite storylines.

 
A Game of Thrones: Prologue

I read the series years ago around the time the HBO show started.  A co-worker recommended the series so I picked it up.  I remember reading the Prologue and considering for a moment bailing.  Zombies and the like aren’t my cup of tea.  I persisted and glad I did but the Others, the Wall and the Nights Watch were some of my least favorite storylines.
I will post more thoughts of the chapters I read soon, but I think it was @shuke?  that brought up in the other thread that we start this series with zombies and Bran. 

GRRM does a good job of setting the tone that there are these powerful forces coming for our characters.  If I remember right don't all the prologues have a magical element to them? 

 
I will post more thoughts of the chapters I read soon, but I think it was @shuke?  that brought up in the other thread that we start this series with zombies and Bran. 

GRRM does a good job of setting the tone that there are these powerful forces coming for our characters.  If I remember right don't all the prologues have a magical element to them? 
I remember on first reading how unique the POV chapters were.  It quickly amazed me the trials that our protagonists would go through - up to and including death.

Should we have some kind of designation for the chapters?  Just calling it Bran won’t work.  I guess you can provide context.

LAST WARNING ABOUT SPOILERS

Bran

- introduction to the Starks - it still amazes me that Ned was and is one of my favorite characters despite the brevity of character

- The direwolves - just badass

- Jon Snow - the naming of bastards left me feeling sorry for Jon from the start

 
I wish I could do audiobooks.  I listen to a buttload of podcasts, but when I try to do an audiobook it becomes clear to me how little I am actually paying attention as I listen to stuff in the background.  

 
I remember on first reading how unique the POV chapters were.  It quickly amazed me the trials that our protagonists would go through - up to and including death.

Should we have some kind of designation for the chapters?  Just calling it Bran won’t work.  I guess you can provide context.

LAST WARNING ABOUT SPOILERS

Bran

- introduction to the Starks - it still amazes me that Ned was and is one of my favorite characters despite the brevity of character

- The direwolves - just badass

- Jon Snow - the naming of bastards left me feeling sorry for Jon from the start
It gets confusing, but most of the time I see them listed as Bran II, Ayra IV, etc..  

 
Random thoughts on:  Prologue, Bran I , Cat I, Dany I

- again, in the opener we get the reminder that despite the quibbles in the NW, the Wildlings, there is bigger evil coming that is damn powerful

- it usually takes me a bit to adjust to the ages of the kids, and thankfully the show aged them up quite a bit. Bran is only 7, Dany 13, Jon 14?  :oldunsure:

- along with The Others introduced we do get a bit of talk of the Godswood and the Weirwood trees.  

- piggybacking the above, I am always impressed by how GRRM can tell you history without making it feel like a huge exposition dump.  In these chapters we actually get quite a bit of info on Robert's Rebellion, Ned and Robert's past/relationship, the Children of the Forest, intro to the religions, on and on.   

- this is probably the last time I actually like Cat - pretty soon we will get her being a complete ##### to Jon

- the other thing GRRM is great at doing is giving us a sense of the characters very quickly.  In the Bran chapter we get Theon kicking the head and being a ####, Jon being the supporting one for Bran (will do the same with Arya), and a sense of the hierarchy of the Stark boys to each other.  

- oooh did I hate Viserys

 
otb_lifer said:
Charles Dance was the ####### t1ts as Tywin - that first ever sceneof him, skinning the deer in the Lannister tent on the battlefield, as he dressed down Golden Boy Jaime ... that role was written for him - one of my favorite all-time characters. 
The was a real deer he was skinning.  He had someone show him how to do it.

 
encaitar said:
That's all dependent on who is actually king.  Robert, who wants to drink, fight, and ####....  Obviously he's not gonna care what's happening in his country as long as the wine keeps flowing.  On the other hand, if Tywin had been hand to Rhaegar Targaryen I doubt he'd have held nearly as much power.
Tywin was hand to Aerys.  

 
Eddard I/Jon I

It's going to get a little dull at the start me saying how much I like reading these, but at the start of this book, I really love the contrast of the scenes in the dark crypts and the fun Jon chapter at the banquet.  We get a good intro to Tyrion in the Jon chapter as well as he talks about dwarves and bastards.  We also get the first glimpses of R+L = J stuff as we are in Ned's head for the first flash of Lyanna on her deathbed.  

Also going through these, I am realizing how hard it's going to be to get the images of the actors who played these people out of my head.  The descriptions of some of the characters are throwing me off a bit - how ugly Tyrion is supposed to be, Joff being taller than Rob or Jon, how tall Robert was, etc..  

 
Great write ups KP. 

I began as planned yesterday, but I only read the Prologue. Since it is the absolute beginning, I stopped right afterwards and really thought about it. 

I will post my 1st comments tonight. 

I will try to catch up with you shortly, as I won't stop this way after every chapter going forward. 

 
otb_lifer said:
Charles Dance was the ####### t1ts as Tywin - that first ever sceneof him, skinning the deer in the Lannister tent on the battlefield, as he dressed down Golden Boy Jaime ... that role was written for him - one of my favorite all-time characters. 
just went back and rewatched that scene, and while I admit, I'm not very good at all at remembering bits of dialog or situations from episodes years ago, in this scene when Tywin tells Jaime about the family name living on after they were all rotting in the ground "It's the family name that lives on....not your personal glory, not your honor, but family"

And then I think of the missing ending in that book under Jaime's name that Brianne fills in during the ending. IDK if those 2 items were intended to be tied together, but its pretty amazing if they were. 

 
just went back and rewatched that scene, and while I admit, I'm not very good at all at remembering bits of dialog or situations from episodes years ago, in this scene when Tywin tells Jaime about the family name living on after they were all rotting in the ground "It's the family name that lives on....not your personal glory, not your honor, but family"

And then I think of the missing ending in that book under Jaime's name that Brianne fills in during the ending. IDK if those 2 items were intended to be tied together, but its pretty amazing if they were. 
great points ... yeah, gotta believe that the opposite played out for Jaime (and Cersei) - their family was destroyed (all 3 children), so, in Jaime's case, it was his honor and glory that lived on ... opposite of what Tywin said - good catch on your part, i believe they definitely tie in. 

still wish we would've seen Ser Brienne give us a sign that she was pregnant after closing the ledger - that would have run opposite of your theory, seeing as how he would have had family to live on - but we saw no signs of her carrying Jaime's kid at all.  

and, yeah, the final irony on Tywin is that it was Tyrion to carry on the Lannister name - though it certainly won't be in the fashion of it's storied lineage - i'd like to think Meera reappears soon to reach out to Bran, and her and Tyrion strike up a marriage.  

 
Reading MOCS's post makes me realize I need to read more, or smoke more weed.  ;)

Great stuff, I need to read that again tonight.  I didn't get any more read last night, but will try to get a couple chapters done tonight.  

 
I liked the first 3 books, thought it became tedious after that. No way I got back to re-read though. I may check back in to see what people think though. 

 
Some interesting things I picked up on second listening of the audiobooks that I didn't remember.

1.  As it turns out, the Mountain has a temper.  It is hinted that he probably killed his first two wives and his father.  He was basically just a murdering lunatic.  Throughout his life, the Mountain has gotten away with everything.  The Hound tells the true story of how he got his burns to Sansa but tells her if she tells anybody he'll kill her.    

2.  Robert Baratheon married Cersei at the suggestion of Robert Arryn.  He did so to ensure that should Viserys (or any other Targaryen) return to try and reclaim the throne that Tywin would have no choice but to back Robert.  This political marriage was doomed from the start.    

 
I liked the first 3 books, thought it became tedious after that. No way I got back to re-read though. I may check back in to see what people think though. 
I remember liking book 4 quite a bit more the 2nd time through after I knew how it was broken up.  Also, I am guessing that I will like books 4 and 5 a lot more now that I got a big helping of D&D writing the last couple seasons.  ;)

 

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