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On the Throne


Raven

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CONTAINS SPOILERS!

 

This thread will document my experiences whilst reading George R. R. Martin's opus A Game of Thrones.

 

This may be a short thread (who knows, this may be my only post!) or it may be a long one (if I get sucked into the whole saga).

 

This thread will contain spoilers and is meant for people who have already read the book; people who don't care about spoilers and people who will never read the book but enjoy the general ramblings of a mad man with a book.

PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS IN THIS THREAD FOR ANYTHING I HAVE NOT COMMENTED ON/NOT YET READ!

 

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20th July 2012 - Page 138

 

Thoughts so far:

 

- Gah! It's got a ruddy map! (two in fact!). Why does every fantasy author try to be like Tolkien?! I'll bet there is an appendix as well . . .

 

- That's a cool first chapter. I bet we don't hear anything about the walking dead for a while . . .

 

- Wrong! They just beheaded the old chap.

 

- Some of these characters should have moustaches to twirl . . . (even the ladies . . .).

 

- Oh no! Bran!

 

- At least five counts of nudity, two counts of incestuous activity and one underage sex scene in the first 100 odd pages. Colourful . . .

 

- Tyrion's an interesting character.

 

- Catelyn going to King's Landing? Doesn't sound wise to me . . .

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- Gah! It's got a ruddy map! (two in fact!). Why does every fantasy author try to be like Tolkien?! I'll bet there is an appendix as well . . .

 

If you want to avoid that sort of stuff, go and read some David Gemmell or Glen Cook instead ;) Or just skip past the fricking maps :doh::lol:

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It's one of my main bug-bears with fantasy novels that authors think Tolkien is the template they must follow.

 

I quite like the comment in one of Terry Pratchett's early novels (Mort?):

 

This book does not contain a map. Feel free to draw your own.

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Yeah, I remember we had a similar discussion a year or two ago. There's a definite tendency for fantasy authors to think 'well I've spent this much time creating this world, so here's the map', that's not going to change, and there are certainly a lot of middling fantasy authors who rip-off Tolkien, yeah. There are, however, a lot of better fantasy authors around now who are doing everything possible to turn that on its head - GRRM being one of them (A Song of Ice & Fire is nothing like LotR, thankfully) - maps or not, you just have to seek them out.

 

I am starting to think, though, that GRRM is almost as overrated as Tolkien.

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:haha: Great thread title. I think I'll be okay reading your thoughts for now as I'm a third through A Clash of Kings but if you get ahead I'll have to stop. :P I'm planning on reading them all pretty soon actually (holiday in a couple of weeks so it seems ideal). Will be looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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Yes, aGoT is certainly a very different book to LotR. I don't think GRRM can be accused of plagerism at all at this point (i.e. where I am up to in the book!).

 

Personally, I don't think Tolkien is overrated, but because of his writing style I do think his books are not to everyone's taste.

 

It's going to take me a while to read this, I'm averaging about 150 pages a week at the moment, but that may speed up as I go along.

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Maybe I should pick it up as well. I read the first book but for some reason I lost interest. After a few (rather annoying) friends spoiled it by telling me what happened in the tv series (I have yet to see it for myself though) I just could not get myself to pick up the second book. It seems to me that it just might be one of those series that finally gets lost in its own world and therefore never really gets finished.

 

On the maps; I'm one that likes the maps. I wish that every writer would put one in their books so I can keep track of where and how the characters move about. I've a terrible sense of direction and I've found maps quite helpful at times.

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Page 139 to Page 202

 

Great, more frickin' names to remember.

 

I must admit that some of the background characters that are being referenced are beginning to blur together. Arryn and some other chap, whose name escapes me now, seem to be one and the same, although they are not and that will probably come back to bite me later . . .

 

Back to the story; significant happenings between the younger Starks and the Lannister offspring, I believe; Bran is awake and Tyrion is looking shifty. A new friend or foe for Ned? (given the way this is panning out so far I would go for the latter . . . ) . Jon's making "friends" and Catelyn is on her way home again. Seems like a bit of a redundant journey, except that for the introduction of Littlefinger.

 

Quarter of the way through, onwards and upwards!

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Ah, I need to read this series. The complaint about names is one I've heard, but most people I know haven't found it to be too much of a problem.

 

On the maps; I'm one that likes the maps. I wish that every writer would put one in their books so I can keep track of where and how the characters move about. I've a terrible sense of direction and I've found maps quite helpful at times.

 

I'm exactly the same. I just love maps in general. Got quite a few Ordnance Survey maps that get no use other than me looking at them. Ooh, and altases...

 

But yeah, I like being able to track where people are going throughout a book. Engrosses me more in the book, really, especially when it's an all new world that I need to get my head around. Also, some of the art for maps is amazing.

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I like maps as well, and have spent many an hour on Google Maps tracking differences between old maps I have and the same area today, but I find them annoying in fantasy books for two reasons.

 

Firstly, as I said above, people seem to include them not because they are necessary, but because it seems to have become part of the cardboard cut-out plan for writing a fantasy story. Secondly, if you look at real maps, fantasy maps very rarely make geographical sense. Look at the maps of Middle Earth, for example. The topography of Mordor makes no sense at all, it's almost square!

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But yeah, I like being able to track where people are going throughout a book. Engrosses me more in the book, really, especially when it's an all new world that I need to get my head around. Also, some of the art for maps is amazing.

 

This is it, exactly, especially when you've got a sprawling epic like Ice & Fire or Malazan, and the characters are pursuing different storylines on different continents, I find being able to get it straight in my head where everything and everyone is in relation to each other is essential to my enjoyment of the book. Same for historical fiction, even if it's set in the UK. I get pretty peed off with people like Joe Abercrombie and Glen Cook for not including maps.

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So you do look at them then :lol:

 

The plots on that continent don't move much in the first book. You'll get them eventually.

Edited by Karsa Orlong
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Hmm, could this challenge be faltering already?

 

I could summon no enthusiasm for reading any more tonight, and instead read a really interesting article on how they might be reopening the old railway line to Tavistock in Devon.

 

This does not bode well . . .

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Pages 203 to 250

 

aGoT mojo restored, as I managed 50 pages in the pub last night.

 

What is Tyrion up to? Someone has an agenda, I'll wager (mind you I think that could be said of all of the characters so far, with the exception of the Starks!). The Others are sounding more interesting all the time, I wonder when they will put in an actual appearance again? And how long will it be before those dragon eggs hatch?

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Not wanting to spoil but its gonna take a while before you get to see any dragons :D

I think that's a plus though since many fantasy books try to push dragons down your throat by the truckload.

Edited by Argon9
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