Thread: Is there not a Game of Thrones thread? *SPOILERS*

Originally Posted by Mike

GRRM can't wrap it up because he doesn't know how to wrap it up. The HBO version is as close to a wrap up for book readers as it is going to get, GRRM will never finish the series.

As far as I'm concerned, it's the only end I care about. I found his books got progressively more difficult to read as he spent more time on meaningless tangents and less on the actual story. I think on one level he's a brilliant story teller, but he's not the first author that eventually gets more focused on his words and being clever than on the story itself.

Not a direct correlation, but take Clancy. As time went on, his books got longer and longer, but not necessarily better. Taking five pages to explain something, especially when tangential to the story, that could be explained in five paragraphs, is often more about the writer becoming enamored with his prose than focused on being a good storyteller. IMHO.

Originally Posted by Tned

As far as I'm concerned, it's the only end I care about. I found his books got progressively more difficult to read as he spent more time on meaningless tangents and less on the actual story. I think on one level he's a brilliant story teller, but he's not the first author that eventually gets more focused on his words and being clever than on the story itself.

Not a direct correlation, but take Clancy. As time went on, his books got longer and longer, but not necessarily better. Taking five pages to explain something, especially when tangential to the story, that could be explained in five paragraphs, is often more about the writer becoming enamored with his prose than focused on being a good storyteller. IMHO.

Agreed. He is a fantastic world builder but at points going through the books I found myself spacing out while reading. You can tell he falls in love with some ideas or has grand plans for others that can never really pan out without contradicting earlier points. He described himself as a gardener writer:

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners. The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up. The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. And I'm much more a gardener than an architect.”

― George R.R. Martin

That is all fine and good, but I feel he lost his way as his garden is out of control now. I think he would rather mindlessly tend to it and pull a few weeds here and there than actually harvest anything and have it end. That is all fine and good, but at least we will get some closure with the show. Eventually if he finishes the books I will read them, I just hope he has a clause in his will that if he dies his outlines will go to another author.

A Storm of Swords is one of the greatest fantasy books I've ever read - it's long and epic, and there are a bunch of incredible shocks along the way. It was the peak of the series, IMO. After that, I think he realized he had kind of written himself into a corner and couldn't continue at that pace and level of carnage or he'd have no characters left. So he split the next book into two and slowed everything way down. Not to mention that those two books came out over a looooong period of time and nothing has happened since. The show passed him by, though I'm sure he became richer and more successful than he ever would have been without it. I don't like the pacing of this season and I think after they deviated from the source material, they have kind of lost the thread that made it great in the first place. But I still want to see it end and this is probably as close as I'll ever get to seeing it happen.

Anyone ever read The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan? He suffered from a lot of what Martin did, namely long winded books released sporadically. He actually died before the series was finished, though he gave notes to Brandon Sanderson, who finished the series (and actually improved it in the last few books, IMO). I bet Jordan wished he could have seen his vision realized. I hope Martin doesn't go the same way.

I just read a major league spoiler. Oh man.

Originally Posted by Slick

I just read a major league spoiler. Oh man.

I'll miss reading your posts Slick.

I think it's going to go a different way than we are lead to believe, I think it's going to be a fight between Daenarys and Jon. She is already showing signs of becoming what she said she would never be and Jon will be the true heir to the throne.

Originally Posted by Davii

I'll miss reading your posts Slick.

I would never tell. Mike would fly down here and kill me.

Originally Posted by Slick

I would never tell. Mike would fly down here and kill me.

"It's really weird. He was wearing scuba gear but STILL drowned. I have no idea how it happened!"

I still want the show to end with an advisor plotting to kill the show victor. Such a perfect ending.

Originally Posted by MasterShake

"It's really weird. He was wearing scuba gear but STILL drowned. I have no idea how it happened!"

Shake did you read it? Or see it?

Originally Posted by Slick

This user's post has been hidden because they're on your GOT spoiler alert list and you don't want to have to burn them with dragon fire.

First leaked episodes, and now HBO airs episode six early in Spain. I'm afraid to even turn on the internet or radio, for fear someone's going to tell me what happened. I don't like no ******* spoilers.

Originally Posted by Slick

Shake did you read it? Or see it?

Nope nope nope nope! I am really trying to avoid spoilers. It's only a few days away so I would rather just watch it unfold. With movies and things like that I will read plot synopsis' or early leaks of key information, but part of the fun of GOT is not knowing. I hadn't reached the Red Wedding in the books yet when I saw the episode and I remember looking at my dog and screaming, "What the **** just happened?!"

I confuse my dog during Broncos games and GOT with my unstable reactions. If I come across something that will spoil me odds are I am actively seeking it out (like Star Wars spoilers), but Game of Thrones is different especially since there are so few episodes left.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

I still want the show to end with an advisor plotting to kill the show victor. Such a perfect ending.

I want it to end like this:

Originally Posted by MasterShake

Nope nope nope nope! I am really trying to avoid spoilers. It's only a few days away so I would rather just watch it unfold. With movies and things like that I will read plot synopsis' or early leaks of key information, but part of the fun of GOT is not knowing. I hadn't reached the Red Wedding in the books yet when I saw the episode and I remember looking at my dog and screaming, "What the **** just happened?!"

I confuse my dog during Broncos games and GOT with my unstable reactions. If I come across something that will spoil me odds are I am actively seeking it out (like Star Wars spoilers), but Game of Thrones is different especially since there are so few episodes left.

That being said... just noticed Tned said the 6th episode is out already which means it's easy to find. I might track it down and just watch it, but I don't want to read about it before I see it just to clarify.