A Game of Thrones

[ithildin]

Since several people had good things to say, and since it's going to be a mini series, I ordered 'A Game of Thrones', which arrived yesterday. And I was enjoying it, thinking I might order the second one, until....


My favourite character was killed off. Now I'm kinda meh about the whole thing. Not sure wicked queen [insert dire music] and presumably, the spunky younger daughter posing as a boy to escape the wicked queen/avenge her father (it just seems like the fantasy novel cliched sorta thing that one expects) is going to hold my interest through three more very long books. And from what I understand, the series isn't even finished yet.

So tell me, is it worth plugging away? I'm almost done, so I will at least finish the first one. I'm kind of bummed, since I really did think the series had promise.

at least tell me that there's no posing as a boy!

Comments

[strangevisitor7.livejournal.com]

Hubby is on Book 4 of the series and he's really enjoying them exactly because the author kills off characters. He feels like it's more realistic then other fantasy series he's read. I haven't read the book, but I personally hate it when characters I'm attached to are killed off so i probably won't be reading.

Jeff wants to know who your favorite character is.

[beccadg.livejournal.com]

He feels like it's more realistic...

Heh, like I said elsewhere in this thread -- I never trust talk about character death making something "real". I've seen unrealistic heavy-handed use of character death defended that way too many times. Realism is more than a matter of having someone die. Yes people die, but not everyone all the time. From what I've heard about the series it sounds to me like the author is more interested in the "drama" of a lot of character death than he is in actual realism.

...I personally hate it when characters I'm attached to are killed off so I probably won't be reading.

*Nods.* Character death is something I'm very particular about. It can be done very well. I think Boromir's death in the Lord of the Rings is an example of it being well done. But, it can also be terribly overused. I've gotten the impression directly from George R.R. Martin that he overuses character death simply because he can.

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

Eddard was my favourite. And he seemed to be one of the main characters, unlike some of the others, so wasn't expecting him to die quite so soon.

[tequilajen.livejournal.com]

I don't miss Eddard as much as I thought I would -- I too was shocked when he died, but Dave has warned me not to get too fond of anyone before I started.

My favorites are currently Arya and Jon, and they're both still kicking at the point I am in the series. I might even catch up by the time the next one is published, but they're so long I make no promises. :P

[ithildyn.livejournal.com]

So far no one has assured me that Arya doesn't pose as a boy, so I'm assuming she does.

I may read more of them, but they've now moved way down my 'to read' list.