Fantasy Aficionados discussion

This series by George R. R. Martin is what revived my love of fantasy. Since then, I've gone on to read some wonderfully imaginative and original works of high fantasy.

If I could shake the man's hand for doing this, I would. Hell, I'd buy him a beer or two.

As these books are very popular, I'm not sure if a thread dedicated to the series will be very popular. People are probably sick and tired of hearing about these.

But to revive this topic a little, I was thinking of discussing certain elements.

Who are your favorite characters? And why?

Which is your favorite book, and why?

I'll start. :)

I have many favorite characters. The top two, that I can think of, anyway, are Jon Snow and Arya Stark.

Jon is a favorite because I can identify with him the most. He is an outcast. I grew up basically an outcast, the black sheep of the family as well. I also live where the winters are long and cold, and reading about him on the wall reminds me of winters here sometimes. lol

Ayra is a favorite because she is so friggin' tough. She always manages to make me either laugh or cringe. Quit remarkable in a character that's so young.

I'm going to start this series soon. I think I'd like this one based on your thoughts, Jason.I'm drawn to those kinds of characters.

This series is excellent, and I recommend it very highly. Expecially if you like realistic characters.

Cool! I've put A Game of Thrones at the top of my fantasy pile.

Cool. If you're disappointed, you can come back and yell at me! :)

I won't yell. I think I'll be happy. I haven't heard anyone say they didn't like the series. :)

I am horrible with characters names. I can recite the most inane trivia about almost any character I've read about, EXCEPT their name. I think I killed all those brain cells during my drinking career.

My favorite character is the Dragon Queen. She has such a feminine toughness, I think she really embodies the archetypes of Great Mother or Hera. George could do a whole spinoff series on her life and legacy and I'd eagerly await each one of them.

I like George's gritty style. His is not a beautiful world, there is ugliness and cruelty and death all over the place. The moments of tenderness and honor perfectly counterpoint the tension of a realm constantly on the verge of civil war.

George is crossposting his blog posts to his GR profile, and he's been updating regularly with status reports about the miniseries adaptation that HBO is producing.

I have high hopes for the series; that's the same team that brought us two seasons of PURE WIN called "Rome"

Unfortunately, this seems to be getting in the way of finishing the series. I'm not going to reread it again until the last book is out; I've got too much new stuff to read.

I forgot about Tyrion! How could I forget everyone's favorite evil, sarcastic midget?

Yeah, I agree about Martin's world. It is gritty and nasty. That's one thing I like about it. If war was that prominant throughout a land, then I imagine you'd find something like this in the real world.

I also like how all the characters are flawed. Some are so flawed that they end up dying for it. They seem like real people.

I have yet to read this series though I've had it recommended by a guy I talk to who also recommended Fables to me. I should move it up on my TBR list.

I'm tellin' ya, this series kicks everything elses ass! lol

Jason wrote: "I'm tellin' ya, this series kicks everything elses ass! lol"

Cool I'll have to get through my current stack but I think I'll order it and Pat Rothfuss' book this next trip to the library.

Patrick Rothfuss is really good too!

Jason wrote: "Patrick Rothfuss is really good too!"

So TOdd tells me every time we go to the library and he sees it, lol. He's not a big fantasy guy (he reads more sci-fi, horror and suspense) but he loves Pat's book.

Todd is a wise, wise man.

Indeed!

I also can't wait for the HBO series. One thing that worries me, though, is that the series will ruin how I envision it in my head.

No matter. I will not be able to stop myself from watching it.

I know. It looks good!

At least HBO has more room to be authentic and unedited than say NBC who does well enough most of the time but not always as well as you'd like with SK's work.

Yeah, it's the same guys who did Rome whose doing A Game of Thornes, as they're calling it, so it should be lots of fun, if nothing else.

Rome was everything I expect from TV. Violence, sex, engaging characters, fast moving plot and gorgeous sets. The perfect eyecandy. The hundred bucks I spent on the blurays was some of the best money I've ever spent on disks.

I am looking forward to comparing and contrasting HBO's picture with my own mental images. I hope that they are able to flesh out the details and make it even more visceral than the books.

I loved Rome, too. An incredible series! So, I'm very much looking forward to it as well. I believe that the series comes out next spring, but don't quote me on it.

My favourite character is Theon. I really enjoyed his chapters; he is a villain, and his point of view was very well presented. (I once had a quick email exchnage with George R. R. Martin. When I mentioned I like Theon best, he was rather surprised.)

Daniel

I liked Theon too. When I think about it, I think I liked most characters for one reason or another...lol

Here's a link for the trailer of the upcoming HBO "A Game of Thrones" series:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mophf...

I just finished A Feast for Crows, and I feel a bit stupid - I thought it was the last of the series, and I couldn't understand how Martin was going to finish it up. Then I got to the last chapter and realized that he wouldn't finish in this book!!!

Anyway, I love Arya and Jon, but Tyrion is also a good character. He is kind, despite the hardships he has had to face. Martin is a great writer, in that almost all of his characters change and develop throughout the series. Cersei is the only one-dimensional character - the witch we all love to hate. I was also sad that he didn't have more on Bran in the last book - he is a feisty one too in his own way.

I'm not sure if this is going to be good news or bad news for you, Westbankmama. A Song of Ice and Fire is set out to be seven books. That in itself is good news. The bad is that it takes Martin a good five years to write the next book.

Some of us die hard fans have been pulling hair out of our skulls for the past few years waiting for book five, which will be called A Dance of Dragons.

Jason - That means I will have to wait YEARS to find out what happens???? On the other hand, if all of the books are as good as the first four it will be worth the wait.

Do you recommend any of his other books?

I actually haven't read anything else by him, yet. I have Fevre Dream but have yet to dig into it.

I am looking forward to rereading A song of Ice and Fire again. I'm also looking forward to the HBO series, A Game of Thrones, that's coming next spring, I believe.

Somehow, I've managed to overlook this thread and I'm really not sure how. I wrote a little disseration on A Song of Ice and Fire in the new members thread and figured I might as well write a proper post in the thread where it really matters :)

I suppose the main thing that people should know about this series is that it's painful in so many respects. Besides the fact that God alone only knows when the series will actually finish up, there's the fact that Martin has no issue with killing off main characters. That's not for everyone and as I've seen recently his dark style can really turn some people off. You know, I really do understand how that's true but at the same time I think it's a shame that there are people who could miss out on this series because it's not the typical happy ending, wrap it up in three books kinda fantasy series. I get that characters you love dying sucks. I understand that reading about murder and rape and incest and torture is dark. I understand that not having a tidy conclusion wrapped up with a bow and mint under your pillow is tough to swallow but by God that's not how the world works and I think it's wonderful beyond words that there's a series out there that shows that. Martin is as "real" as a fantasy author can get. He understands the darkness man possesses and he showcases that in all it's brutality but Not as a way to make the reader lose hope or to leave them depressed and tired. He shows us the darkness to make the light shine all the brighter. Not only in the typical "good" characters like Sansa but in the "evil" ones like Tyrion and Jaime and The Hound. He shows us the worst and then gives us hope that even in the worst there are glimmers of good, a chance for redemption in some fashion. I would urge anyone who loves fantasy to pick up this series with an open mind and a firm resolve and beyond all to keep faith not only that you will see a conclusion in time but that it will be one that will leave you satisfied and perhaps even happy.

As a side note, Winter is Coming! The HBO series, A Game of Thrones, starts on April 17th.

Grant wrote: "Somehow, I've managed to overlook this thread and I'm really not sure how. I wrote a little disseration on A Song of Ice and Fire in the new members thread and figured I might as well write a prop..."

Grant, you're a true gem :) I'm still not reading this book until the Spark Notes come out, lol. I don't mind darkness and angst (anyone who's read can agree that the majority of the book is pretty depressing) but I do need some type of light shining at the end of the tunnel (even if it is that of an on-coming train).

I think that might be why I didn’t finish (but I slush piled it to mom, so she could ship it back to me for a 2nd go ‘round). I have to admit that I didn’t find The Blade Itself as depressing as A Game of Thrones – I just got tired of nothing really happening. Being bored, I read the reviews on Amazon and decided it wasn’t my cup of tea.

*smiles* Lol...thank you, MrsJoseph. I'm always happy to bring a grin.

You know,up until I joined this club, I've never really had the opportunity to be around other fantasy fans. I regard myself as something of a fantasy zealot/elitist and always have and so it's been an eyeopening experience to see that there's a world of fans out there that share my love if not my taste. I didn't expect my taste to be mirrored but at the same time, I'm still quite surprised that some of my favorite novels aren't universally appreciated by other fans of the genre. In retrospect it was a silly thing to think in the first place :)

Anyways, I'm beginning to get an eye for your taste, I think, which if nothing else should help me find some great novels to share with you ;)

Grant wrote: "*smiles* Lol...thank you, MrsJoseph. I'm always happy to bring a grin.

You know,up until I joined this club, I've never really had the opportunity to be around other fantasy fans. I regard my..."

I've had no friends who share my love of fantasy either. In fact, until I joined this group and MobileRead and met people like Lady D :) I'd never met a single woman who read fantasy (if I didn't introduce it to her first). That's not counting my mom, she introduced me to Asimov and Lewis.

I think we have a lot of books in common, but I'll leave the depressing ones to you (and I can read your reviews:).

Speaking of book recs, have you read and ?

Grant, I agree with your reading of the GRRM series. I would further add that his method of storytelling adds to my experience of the series.

He not only make his world untidy, but by using the individual POV method, he shows that perception of the character you're reading through at the time makes all the difference in the world. If you had told me after my reading of AGoT and ACoK that my opinion of Jaime Lannister would shift a little to the plus side, I would think you were crazy.

But then in ASoS Jaime gets his own voice. We are no longer seeing his actions filtered through other people. He gets some agency and gets to tell his side of things a bit and suddenly, I am not so sure about how much I hate him. Sure he's not all sweetness and light, but I am no longer quite ready to drop kick him off a cliff with his evil sister.

By rights, I should really hate this series. My preferred genre is romance, for goodness sake. In fantasy, I cut my teeth on The Belgariad. If ever there was a person who likes the writing being on the wall as far as good triumphing over evil it is me. But for some reason ASOIAF really resonates with me, darkness and all.

Ooh those are both good books Mrs. Joseph, though I would say that the Riddle Master series is closer to great than good. I didn't realize that they'd combined the novels though in truth it's a great idea as they were pretty short individually. Sanderson actually reminds me of McKillip in that they both come up with really original forms of magic. The Shadow of the Lion is alot more detailed and intricate with quite a few subplots but I found it very enjoyable as well :)

Tina, I couldn't have said it better myself :) as evidenced by the fact that I didn't ;)

Grant wrote: "Ooh those are both good books Mrs. Joseph, though I would say that the Riddle Master series is closer to great than good. I didn't realize that they'd combined the novels though in truth it's a gr..."

Agree 100% - The Riddle Master series is great. My mom introduced it to me - she'd read the series as a child and wanted to read them again. She couldn't remember the name of it - all she remembered was the three stars. I searched for that series for over a year before I found it for her (and me, too!). When I finally had the chance to read them, it was totally worth it.

I to stumbled on the Riddle of the Stars series years ago (actually the paperback of The Riddlemaster of Hed first and then had to wait over a year before I got hold of the second)and love the series. I also have that Science Fiction Book Club edition MrsJoseph pictured.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I to stumbled on the Riddle of the Stars series years ago (actually the paperback of The Riddlemaster of Hed first and then had to wait over a year before I got hold of the second)and ..."

Isn't it great?! I was spell-bound. I purchased the original paperback copies of the entire series as a gift for mom but got the book club editon for myself.

*note - I feel so very strange talking about my mom so much at my age - but she's been the only person who shared my excitement and love of fantasy books until I joined this group. All my other family and friends feel I'm a little odd :)

lol..I'd noticed that but wasn't going to mention it ;) In truth, I'm quite jealous. I'd have given anything for my father to have enjoyed fantasy novels but he was born in 21 in Oklahoma so he was pretty much a Zane Grey kinda guy. Ah well :)

I can't speak for everyone, MrsJoseph but I think you're perfectly normal and downright awesome on top it ;)

Grant wrote: "lol..I'd noticed that but wasn't going to mention it ;) In truth, I'm quite jealous. I'd have given anything for my father to have enjoyed fantasy novels but he was born in 21 in Oklahoma so he wa..."

My dad isn't much of a reader, but he was sick in the hospital for a while and someone gave him The Elenium: The Diamond Throne, The Ruby Knight & The Sapphire Rose. He enjoyed it (imagine my surprise) and I gave him a copy of The Belgariad, Vol. 1: Pawn of Prophecy, Queen of Sorcery, Magician's Gambit, but no comment.

Thank you, Grant! :)

I didn't have anyone regular to talk to for most of my life. My wife shared a few individual books with me. My son became interested in fantasy as he got older, but has never read as much as I do. I've since had a few, acquaintances but few close friends who shared a taste for fantasy lit.

Just the way it is sometimes I guess. I'm glad your mom shared with you.

Mike (the Paladin) wrote: "I didn't have anyone regular to talk to for most of my life. My wife shared a few individual books with me. My son became interested in fantasy as he got older, but has never read as much as I do. ..."

This is why I love GR because there is someone to talk to about the books we love. The book groups I belong to in the town I live won't even consider reading a fantasy book. I keep telling them they are missing something special. Thankfully my kids love fantasy so we always have a book to recommend or chat about.

I know. I have a very close friend (though we don't live close any more). We tend to agree on most things, even on books. We both love to read, I've discussed so many books with her, but she either won't or just can't like fantasy.

I think there are people who just can't get their arms around anything that other worldly. I think their imaginations cannot take them to places you go in a fantasy novel. I feel bad for someone like that. It makes life so boring to be stuck in this world with no where to escape to.

The person I mentioned... We had just both read something. I think it may have been a couple of books by Herman Wouk. We'd shared our taste on other things also, so i loaned her The Riddle of the Stars trilogy, with a glowing recommendation. It left her cold. She felt the same way about The Lord of the Rings. She was a teacher we had many long interesting conversations...but fantasy lost her. I've had friends like that constantly. Here we can share our views, our tastes and our thoughts.

I see it as a bridge that some people just can't get over. My husband is like that. He reads non-fiction mostly. Sometimes the best discussions are the ones where we don't agree. Thankfully we do have GR to come to.

I'm very thankful :) (But my TBR pile is currently insane :)

I know MrsJoseph. I stopped adding every book I plan to read to the To Be Read list here. it became obvious it would soon get totally out of hand... I just put them on my shelf and hope for enough time to read them all.

I should do that, Mike, but sometimes I have a problem saying "no." I always think I'll have the time...