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How do readers feel about series catching up with books?

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    #32
    wrt40
    Closed Accounts Posts: 422 ✭✭wrt40


    Digital Solitude wrote: »
    Wikipedia? Or the wikias have plot synopsis for each book

    Thanks, wikias outline the differences:

    http://gameofthrones.wikia.com/wiki/Differences_between_books_and_TV_series


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    #33
    ixoy
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 17,989 Mod ✭✭✭✭ixoy


    fitz wrote: »
    Steven Erikson put out a book a year for 10 years with his Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which was way more complex, broader in scope, better written and infinitely more ruthless than ASOIAF. If you haven't read it, do...makes George look like a kind uncle to his characters. They're easily the same length/longer books than ASOIAF too.
    This. The difference also is that Erikson planned his books. He's an "architect" when it comes to his books where GRRM describes himself as a "gardener" who lets his plots and characters grow with less constraint but then finds it difficult to reign in. Perfect example is the likes of the Meereenese knot where GRRM wrote himself into a bit of a corner.

    Frankly, it doesn't bother me all as a result. I'm not hugely optimistic then if he's taking so long that he's going to produce something great. I wasn't over-awed by the fourth or fifth books so my interest is waning to an extent, especially when I've read a large number of other series in between (many of which have published entire series in the same time frame - the output of say Daniel Abraham or Brandon Sanderson versus GRRM is amusing). Maybe it'll pick up but I don't see the series as an amazing, stellar piece as I once did.


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    #34
    KaiserGunner
    Registered Users Posts: 2,475 ✭✭✭KaiserGunner


    fitz wrote: »
    Steven Erikson put out a book a year for 10 years with his Malazan Book of the Fallen series, which was way more complex, broader in scope, better written and infinitely more ruthless than ASOIAF. If you haven't read it, do...makes George look like a kind uncle to his characters. They're easily the same length/longer books than ASOIAF too.

    Martin lost focus and let himself get bogged down in books 4/5 much the same way that Robert Jordan did after the first 6 books of the Wheel of Time series. Did the time he spends with conventions, editing other books, etc. increase around the same time, or was it just the writing that slowed down? Who knows. It's his prerogative to do what he wants with his time, but I feel, like Jordan, he needs a stronger editor, or someone who can give him a kick in the arse. As Neil Gaiman said, GRRM is not our b*tch, but fans aside, I think if he wanted, he could write quicker. He's shown he can with the first three books. As with Jordan, when he expanded the plot-lines and characters out, it started to become unwieldy, and things slowed down to accommodate complexity that doesn't really move the story along.

    I really hope Martin finishes the series.
    It's not beyond the pale that what happened with Jordan will happen again, and George has said that if he croaks, there won't be anyone else finishing the series.

    Thanks, not a big book reader by any means but just finished the 5 ASOIAF books recently and was looking for another fantasy saga to read to tie me over till the winds of winter. Just bought the first Malazan book of the fallen book, looking forward to this now.


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    #35
    GerB40
    Registered Users Posts: 2,047 ✭✭✭GerB40


    KaiserGunner wrote: »
    Thanks, not a big book reader by any means but just finished the 5 ASOIAF books recently and was looking for another fantasy saga to read to tie me over till the winds of winter. Just bought the first Malazan book of the fallen book, looking forward to this now.

    Stephen King's "The Dark Tower" series is also very good. It's not a fraction as complex as ASoIaF which makes for a nice change, just proper Kingesque fare.


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    #36
    Mickeroo
    Administrators, Computer Games Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 32,155 Admin ✭✭✭✭✭Mickeroo


    I read the Gunslinger a few months ago, it was good but didn't leave me dying to read the next one. I have the first Malazan book sitting on my kindle, looking forward to it, though my gf is on the third one at the moment and said it's gone downhill since the first book (there's no guarantee I'll agree with her though :P).


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    #37
    fitz
    Hosted Moderators Posts: 7,956 ✭✭✭fitz


    Malazan drops you in to story without much expositionary explanations, can take a while to adjust to having to figure out what things mean. Great first book, second one is a little slow in the first half, but brilliant end. He tends to spiral a load of story arcs together over the course of each book. stick with it, it's a hugely rewarding read.


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    #38
    GhostInTheRuins
    Registered Users Posts: 5,962 ✭✭✭GhostInTheRuins


    wrt40 wrote: »
    at this stage I'm really confused over what the differences are between the books and the series, when it comes to reading the next book I'm going to need some sort of summary of what's happened so far otherwise it's going to be a confusing and not so pleasant read. Anyone know if such a summary thing exists? And no, I'm not going to reread them!

    Here's the best summaries that I know of. Book by book, chapter by chapter, character by character. http://towerofthehand.com/books/guide.html

    I'm the same way, it's been years since I've read the books and now for some characters I've completely forgotten or confused their book storyline with their show storyline.


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    #39
    Oranage2
    Registered Users Posts: 11,130 ✭✭✭✭Oranage2


    Actually I'm regretting watching it, I really hope the books are very different.


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    #40
    Washington Irving
    Registered Users Posts: 7,066 ✭✭✭Washington Irving


    While I enjoy the show for what it is, or at least I did before this season, I do regret it. Not through spoilers or anything like that, but rather through how I feel it has been butchered for the most part. Saying that, it really would have been unavoidable in my social circles and online haunts.

    In a massively selfish way, I'd have preferred an alternative world where the TV show never came into being in the first place. I'll still keep watching now that I've come this far, but I reserve the right to bitch and moan when I do :pac:


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    #41
    Witcher
    Registered Users Posts: 14,495 ✭✭✭✭Witcher


    Doesn't matter a bit to me, if anything I enjoy it:pac: watching people lose their mind because of some minor difference or the show spoilering something from the unreleased books is hilarious, definitely helps me pass the time until Winds :pac: The tears spilled on a single forum page on Westeros.org could fill a bucket. Posters over there went off the rails last night because Jon didn't say 'Ghost' despite him not saying it in the books either:pac: Actually, just checked and he does say 'Ghost' in the books..


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    #42
    froog
    Registered Users Posts: 3,784 ✭✭✭froog


    Strider wrote: »
    Doesn't matter a bit to me, if anything I enjoy it:pac: watching people lose their mind because of some minor difference or the show spoilering something from the unreleased books is hilarious, definitely helps me pass the time until Winds :pac: The tears spilled on a single forum page on Westeros.org could fill a bucket. Posters over there went off the rails last night because Jon didn't say 'Ghost' despite him not saying it in the books either:pac:

    lol yeah those guys really know how to overreact. the meltdowns over the sansa storyline were some of the worst i've ever seen on the internet. until last week's final scene with stannis of course.


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