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On the Throne


Raven

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^ How do you mean? (Not a fan I take it?!).

 

I'll finish the book tonight and probably go straight into the next one. It's not a bad book; it's well written; it has good characters; the world he has created has its own unique selling points etc.

 

On the negative side it is a very slow burner with very few - if any - surprises.

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^ How do you mean? (Not a fan I take it?!).

 

I was a fan - I'm becoming less so. It's pretty much the same as what you had to say about J K Rowling. I find it increasingly irritating that he is garnering so much attention off the back of the tv series, whilst other far better, more inventive and exciting writers in the genre continue to be overlooked. He's competent without being anything special, and it's coming up on 20 years since he started the first book and there's still no end in sight. When he puts his mind to it, as in the third book, his writing and pacing can be very good, but the two books since then have been bloated, boring and directionless.

 

This is, of course, just my tuppence worth :smile:

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^ I must admit that having got to the end of the first book (nearly) I am wondering what all the fuss is about. It's better than most of the fantasy books I've read over the years, but it's not that great.

 

Perhaps it works better as a TV series? (I shall attempt to find out shortly!).

 

At the moment I'm planning on reading the second book and then taking a break to read some other books, but I'll see how things go.

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I'm of the same opinion. It's enjoyable, don't get me wrong, but I'm on Storm of Swords at the moment and I'm grinding slowly to a halt. I'm not sure I'll attempt the next one. That being said, I really enjoyed the television series and thought they did a great job.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pages 63 to 184

 

For a moment there I thought there was going to be a genuine, exciting plot development, but no, it looks like the plot is heading in another more mundane direction.

 

So, more of the same, really (which isn't necessarily a bad thing, I suppose . . .).

 

As with the first book, I think you can see some events being sign posted again. It's not happened yet, but I can see Arya and Bull ending up running from the Gold Cloaks (probably whilst everyone else gets butchered). Theon betraying the Starks seemed pretty obvious as soon as Cat had some concerns so now I'm guessing there will be an attack on Seagard (given that it was prominently mentioned that the warning bell in the city had only been rung once in the last 300 years - or something). I'm also pretty certain Tyrion's squeeze is also going to get it in the neck at some point as well.

 

Reading has slowed in the last week or so, this time through no fault of the book; I've just been too busy with other things to pick it up. I'm hoping to rectify that that by getting through at least another 100 pages before the end of the weekend, but no promises . . .

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I've just struggled my way through to the end of A Game of Thrones, and kind of need to organise my thoughts.

 

I lost interest towards the end, and there were characters that interested me a lot more than others - Arya, Tyrion, Daenerys and even Sansa (once she had seen Joffrey's true colours). I ended up skimming through most of the chapters in the last third of the book, aside from those on the characters I've just mentioned, as the rest of the story didn't really interest me. Once I'd lost track of who was siding with whom, and the various devious plans and journeys to other places that I can't even remember, I found it hard to stay focused.

 

I think there were too many peripheral characters and far too much happening, and I just found it frustrating because I didn't know who I should make a point of remembering, and who could safely be ignored.

 

I think The Hound is an interesting figure, and hopefully he is more prominent in the sequels? I haven't yet made up my mind to read the rest to find out. :giggle:

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I haven't yet made up my mind to read the rest to find out. :giggle:

 

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it, bobbly! As the first book is one of the best ones in the series, and if you didn't like it, I'd suggest it's not worth carrying on. Sure, the third book (A Storm of Swords) is the best by a country mile, but the format remains the same throughout the series, so you'll still have many (many) chapters about characters you're not interested in, and he introduces a whole lot more as it goes along.

 

You might be better off checking out the likes of Guy Gavriel Kay, David Gemmell, Joe Abercrombie and such, if you want to try more fantasy - they're all far better writers, and they write far less bloated books :smile:

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It was just a bit too bloated for me. I enjoyed sections and particular characters, but the other bits were a real chore. I saw Joe Abercrombie's The Heroes in the library a couple of weeks ago, and I remember that someone (maybe you, Karsa?) gave it an absolutely raving review. I would have picked it up except I had my hands full with other books. I shall keep an eye out for it next time I'm there.

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Pages 254 to 493

 

What Game's afoot . . .

 

Well things have certainly picked up over the last 200 pages or so.

 

Bad things are happening to a lot of people, par for the course really. Good things seem to be happening to others, it can't last . . .

 

The usual suspects are still providing ample entertainment; half right about Arya; Theon's apparent target is a bit grander than I thought - the stupid boy's gotta be heading for a whole world of hurt, hasn't he?! (don't answer that, anyone!); still thinks Tyrion's squeeze is heading for some Cersei flavoured revenge. Also, interesting things happening north of The Wall, what is going on? (again with the don't answer that . . .).

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Pages 494 to 732

 

Two days of train travel have left me with a bit of time on my hands this week.

 

Oh Theon, you bloody fool . . . To quote Ford Prefect, he is going to pieces so fast people are being hit by the shrapnel . . . There are definitely shades of Macbeth about this.

 

To say the pace of the book has picked up is a bit of an understatement. Ever since Arya and the Watch were attached by Ser Amory and his men things have been building nicely. Just finished a couple of interesting chapters where Cersei and Tyrion had a face-off, and then in the following chapter Catelyn and Jamie Lannister have a confrontation. So if the Lannisters didn't do it, who tried to knock off Bran? Robert out of some misguided sense of loyalty, or was it possibly Ned himself?

 

Oh, and I may have bought two more books today . . .

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Pages 733 to End

 

Well, that built quite nicely but then ran a little flat in the last 100 pages or so of set up for the next book (or the continuation of the story, rather).

 

I think the way the books are written, with the story being told from the point of view of the participants, has both pros and cons. It is interesting to get the characters thoughts on what is happening and to see things from their perspectives, but at the same time it means the story jumps around a lot and subsequently it quite often looses momentum (particularly when the story cuts from events in King's Landing or Winterfell to pick up Daenerys' story).

 

I was planning to take a break from the series for a while, but I'm not so sure.

 

Either way, that's 2 down, 5 to go . . .

 

Edited to change the number of books I still have to read, where the hell did 7 come from?! - R.

Edited by Raven
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A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow

 

Pages 1 to 66

 

And on we plod . . .

 

As the forward points out, some of the events at the start of the book take place before or at the same time as some of the events at the end of the previous book, but even so I still find myself asking what is wrong with Catelyn Stark? All through the story so far the Lannisters have proven themselves to be untrustworthy, duplicitous scum (even more so from her point of view as she still thinks they sent someone to kill Bran!) but for no real reason I can fathom, she's let Jamie go!

 

Yes, Martin needed to get him back in the game, but would she really let him go? Even as a grieving mother?! All though the books so far I have to say I find Catelyn to be the most erratic character. It's supposed to be her sister who has gone bongos, but I would say she's sailing pretty close to the winds of irrational as well.

 

Oh, and Tyrion had better get some good payoff for all the hurt he's suffering, poor chap.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Pages 67 to 442

 

Been a bit busy recently, so there's been a bit of a gap since my last update. I have, however, managed to get some reading done as I've had several long train journeys in the last few weeks.

 

Well things have moved on again. Well, they have a bit. Well, I think they have. Things have certainly happened, I know this because I've read about them, but I'm struggling to remember what they are.

 

Let’s see, I think you can roughly split the characters up into two groups: those who aren't going places and those who are.

 

Going Nowhere . . .

 

Cateyln seem to have become as house bound in Riverrun as her bedridden father.

 

Robb seems to have become as house bound in Riverrun as his bedridden grandfather.

 

Tyrion is still stuck in King's Landing, but at least he's got a wife out of it now.

 

Sansa is still stuck in King's Landing, but at least she's got a husband out of it now.

 

Davos seems to be stuck in a cell.

 

On the move . . .

 

Arya has come out - no, not like that - and since then she has been wondering around quite a bit with a group of rebels. I'm sure they are heading somewhere, I'll doubtless find out.

 

The Kingslayer has escaped! And since then he has been wondering around quite a bit with the - and Martin can't seem to stress this enough - rather un-comely Brienne. I'm sure they are heading somewhere, but they seem to have got themselves caught at the moment.

 

Bran has been wondering around quite a bit; at the moment he seems to be heading north to The Wall which is a coincidence, because:

 

Jon has been wondering around quite a bit (as well as dipping his wick) and he is heading south to The Wall which is a coincidence, because:

 

Samwell has been wondering around quite a bit (as well as killing the odd Other) and is heading south to The Wall,

 

And finally we have Daenerys, who seems to be wondering around quite a bit doing her best to destroy large parts of the various cultures she meets.

 

I guess the point I'm trying to make here is that the story is wondering around a lot, whilst there doesn't seem to be an awful lot happening. Large parts of the book so far appear to be set up for whatever is coming, but there doesn't appear to be a focus for any of this at present, which leads me to suspect that Martin is going to pull another plot rabbit out of his writing hat to move things forward significantly again.

Edited by Raven
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A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold

 

Pages 1 to 98

 

Anyone here a 24 fan?

 

Arya is fast becoming the season 2 Kim Bauer of Game of Thrones. Whilst everyone else is getting on with important stuff, Arya keeps lurching from one bad day to the next, it's getting old, Martin needs to find something else for her to do.

 

In fact, I could say that about several of the characters now. How long has it been since hats became an optional extra for Ned Stark? A year? Has to be the best part of. For all of that time Arya has been walking around the general area of Harrenhal, Sansa has spent all of that time a captive and Catelyn has spent most of that time in Riverrun.

 

Also, the map is broken.

 

I've oft said how I don't like them, but the ones in the front of these books are next to useless! Half the time the places visited aren't listed and then last night there was a section where Robb commanded one of the Mallisters(?) to take two ships from Seaguard around the Cape of Eagles and up to the Greywater Wash. Problem is - according to the map - the Greywater Wash is on the Greenfork, which drains into the Bay of Crabs. On the other side of the continent . . . Rubbish!

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Anyone here a 24 fan?

 

Arya is fast becoming the season 2 Kim Bauer of Game of Thrones.

 

:giggle2: Great analogy. The everlasting image of Kim, for me, is when she was suddenly faced with a mountain lion (or similar). :doh:

 

Also, the map is broken.

 

I've oft said how I don't like them

 

Really? I did not know that about you. :P

 

but the ones in the front of these books are next to useless! Half the time the places visited aren't listed and then last night there was a section where Robb commanded one of the Mallisters(?) to take two ships from Seaguard around the Cape of Eagles and up to the Greywater Wash. Problem is - according to the map - the Greywater Wash is on the Greenfork, which drains into the Bay of Crabs. On the other side of the continent . . . Rubbish!

 

Ah, I love it when you rant about maps. :D

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Ah, I love it when you rant about maps. :D

 

I'm clearly going to have to start a separate topic on this . . .

 

Pages 139 to End

 

Well, this one zipped along a bit!

 

Big improvement on the first three books, getting to the end it really feels as though something happened in this one, rather than there being one or two things happen and a lot of wandering around.

 

I'll posts more thoughts later, but for now that's four down, three to go . . .

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