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

[calime]

Yeah, I mostly don't trust killing charaters as a sole prop for realism either, but to be honest, actually, in this series, so far to me (as loath I may be to admit it), the deaths do make sense - I mean, they actually do advance plot and serve the story. I haven't reached the point yet where I'd feel that it is overused. It may have something to do with the fact that in most 'conventional' fantasy/sci-fi works I do feel sometimes that killing the 'redshirts' while the main characters always escape (or killing their friends etc) is a)getting old b)implausible c)disrespectful to the redshirts, it's kind of positing that some persons are more worthy of life than the others.
I do dislike killing of a beloved main character just to get a deeper reaction out of the audience, but in the case of George R.R. Martin, I'd have to admit he did not surprise me too nastily in a very late phase (like maybe some other creative minds tend to do, recently) of the story, in this universe, it's pretty much down from rather early on that no-one is immune to being killed.
Like I said, I'm not yet sure how exactly I feel about it,and it certainly does not fill the escapism niche for me, but I do admit to liking it as a work of fantasy lit nevertheless. Of course, I'm also someone that loves well-written realistic deathfics in fanfic (though they're not my comfort read, I go looking for them when I feel the need to sort of stretch myself).

[beccadg.livejournal.com]

...they actually do advance plot and serve the story.

Firstly, let me repeat something I've said elsewhere in this thread -- 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.

Secondly, just as I dislike character death as a realism prop, I equally dislike it as a plot/story prop. I don't approve of a character, any character since you mentioned 'redshirts,' having their whole life be reduced to a plot device/story prop. I don't see that as realistic. For me, it too clearly shows the author's hand, and reduces the characters to chess pieces in the story rather than organic parts of the narrative.

It may have something to do with the fact that in most 'conventional' fantasy/sci-fi works I do feel sometimes that killing the 'redshirts' while the main characters always escape...

I could tolerate the only character deaths being 'redshirts' if I felt authors could consistently make clear which characters are doomed 'redshirts' versus who are the safe sacred regulars. The problem I have is that too many authors seem either inconsistent about it, or just plain poor at writing 'redshirts.' As far as I'm concerned once an author's allowed a character to grow outside of the tight little box in which 'redshirts' should stay they need to then treat the character as more than an expendable chess piece. The character's life should be valued.

I do dislike killing of a beloved main character just to get a deeper reaction out of the audience ... I'd have to admit he did not surprise me too nastily in a very late phase (like maybe some other creative minds tend to do, recently)...

*Nods.* I HATE writers that pull that stunt. I've crossed Kim Harrison off of my reading list for it, and I'm still grieving the loss of Ianto Jones on Torchwood. One of the things that has kept my anger about the treatment of Ianto Jones up is the talk of everyone dying young in the series without acknowledgment of the characters that have been brought back from the dead on the show, or of Gwen Cooper not only having protected status but having been given Rhys back in "End of Days".

...it certainly does not fill the escapism niche for me...

For me that's all I really need to hear. Ultimately I read/watch fiction to feel better. It can contain heartbreak, but in the end I want to feel better not worse. A story that kills off the wrong character, or too many characters too easily isn't a story that will make me feel better.

Of course, I'm also someone that loves well-written realistic deathfics in fanfic...

I'd say the keywords there are "well-written realistic," since I'd say a deathfic that meets those standards is one where a character may die, but they are still very much a part of the story. The story is in a way all about them. There's nothing cheap about the death.