Game of Thrones on HBO

[mawhite63]

Is anyone else watching this? I haven't seen a thread on it.

Official site:
http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html

I hadn't seen any of the shows. My husband and I just watched the first 4 episodes back to back on demand, and are totally hooked. We also ordered the book series.

I was drawn in from the opening scene.

Has anyone read the books? How true to the book are they keeping the HBO series?

[lvstephanie]

The books are what got me excited to watch the HBO series. That series is actually my favorite fantasy series (I actually think it's better than the Lord of the Rings). I've actually read the series twice (the 2nd time after the 4th book came out, so that I'd remember what happened in the series), and am now reading it for the 3rd time (I'm trying to see how close the TV and book series coincide).

The HBO series has been fairly true to the books... The chapter placement and the TV's timeline are slightly off (eg when Catelyn goes to King's Landing by boat, she actually arrives slightly before the king's retinue), but it isn't anything so major as to distort the plotline. There was only one thing that I wish they had done in the TV series... While Bran was in a coma, he had a dream that he was falling, and a 3-eyed crow told him to fly. Bran argued with the crow that he couldn't fly, but the crow insisted that he could, and if he didn't he'd die. Right before Bran hit the ground (in the dream world), he finally flew. And right before the dream ends, the crow starts to peck Bran right in the middle of his forehead (the same place where the crow has its 3rd eye). In the TV series, you do see Bran dreaming of a 3-eyed crow as well as Old Nan mentioning to Bran that crows lie, but not the same emphasis was placed on this, and it's fairly easy to miss if you hadn't read the books (at least I'd think so, tho I've read the books before so I don't know how true this is).

The one thing that I really love about the books that the HBO series can never duplicate is that each chapter is written from a character's point of view. Throughout the chapter, you see what the character sees, hear what they say, and know what they're thinking. I think by doing that, George RR Martin (the author) is able to bring a depth of character that the TV series won't be able to provide. Although the HBO series tries to bring out the character's personalities thru their words and actions, there are some things that it just can't duplicate.

If you're enjoying the HBO series right now, wait till you read the books; they are very good! The only major problem with the books is that they aren't finished! Hopefully now that the series has started, Martin can get back into writing so that we can read the entire series!

[varielus]

looks interesting cos i noticed the guy from lord of the rings

[jazdaddy]

These book are amazing! I have read the entire series... that is currently available. Only downside is the author has been holding the release of the new books until the series was filmed. It is expected to be a new book hitting the shelves in July.
I just recently started reading again and I have been through alot of different genre. Never in my life did I think that fantasy novels would interest me, but I have read the DragonLance series, the Sun Runner Series, Sparhawk Cronicles and the Fire and Ice Series. The Game Of Thrones begins an amazingly gritty journey, written in multiple points of view to accurately describe the different agendas of his characters. This is by far the best written and most attention grabbing series I have read to date.

[melinder]

I'm so hooked on the show I really need to start reading the books everyone says there are amazing

[mawhite63]

Thanks so much for the replies! I can't wait for the books to come.

I do love fantasy a lot, but am usually really disappointed with a lot of book to film adaptions. Mists of Avalon made me want to tear my hair out. That was one of my all time favorites and I couldn't believe how hokey the movie was and how much they butchered the book. I used to always hope that one of the cable networks would take it up as a series to redo the hatchet job USA networks did on it, but with Showtime doing Camelot right now I guess that's not a possibility. I'm really happy to hear that HBO is keeping it pretty much true to the books.