Should I give ASOIAF a shot? If so, is it best to read it all (or whatever’s out lmao) then watch the show or vice versa?
Should I give ASOIAF a shot? If so, is it best to read it all (or whatever’s out lmao) then watch the show or vice versa?
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This is the only series where I personally felt it was better to see the show first since there’s so many characters and plot lines.
The first season follows the first book very well but then it starts to differ from each other.
i would skip the books. they’re too long, dense, and the show portrays the characters and story in a much clearer and engaging way.
It’s a good series. It can be very long and drawn out and there are a lot of characters to keep track of. The tv show after the first season starts to get further away from the books. I would say watch the first season then read the books
It depends, if you can read a book with possible spoilers, check the series first, since it will be complete in a month or so, and nobody knows when the last two books will be published.
I saw the first three seasons (were the only ones made at that time) and then I read the books, and it didn’t matter to me. After season 3 it feels like a fan fiction of the books. Tons of character left out and the storyline is really changed with character alive when they are long dead in the books and viceversa.
Read the books first. You care so much more that way, the show does a good job but you don’t get the complete depth of some of the characters. It’s also not a hard read because it keeps you totally interested.
What is it?
@Pamela A Song of Fire and Ice. The books Game of Thrones is based on
@Christina oooh okay haha..never read it so I wouldn’t know
@Pamela yeah, sometimes other acronyms throw me too. Lol
@Christina lol right ?
Lol I had the same reaction. ?? the WHAT book??
I liked the books but i like knowing the back story to why something happened so I am glad I read the books before. But they are large and bounce from person to person a lot.
Ok so I watched the first 4 seasons before even starting on the books. As much as I love the show (and I LOVE THE SHOW) the books have so much more in them and I am more excited for the next books to be released (whenever the hell that is) than I am about the tv show. I find watching the show first will help you picture the characters better, and it doesn’t really spoil anything because, like I said, there is just so damn much happening in the book we don’t see. I highly recommend the series!! The first book is harder to get through because it’s a lot of scene setting, but I flew through the last 4.
I mean it’s not like Winds of Winter is going to be released anytime soon, so you probably have time.
I’m a person who loves back story almost more than the actual story, I also love loads of storytelling and the books have given it all to me!! I read them before the show aired and it was special experience to then watch the show. I love both but they are different. The books are soo so good. The 4th book took me a very long time to get thru but the 3rd time I read it, it became my favorite! Hah the story always changes when you re-read it’s like magic!
@Amanda I love rereading these books! I’ve read each at least five times and they always seem to change or I find some detail I missed!
I watched the first season, then decided I HAD to know more about the characters, so I started reading the books. The first book and the first season are pretty much the same. After that it starts to diverge, but all the main plot points are still basically the same.
The books give you so much more detail and backstory and insight into the characters motives. A lot of the seemingly irredeemable characters in the show have really tragic stories in the books and you can understand their motives a lot more.
That being said, there are chapters that have a really boring point of view. I hated reading Catlyn’s chapters; all this interesting stuff happened around her, but her POV was just incredibly boring.
These are also the only real true fantasy novels I’ve read since high school, the only ones I’ve been interested in reading.
I binged all of season one a few months after it originally aired and I couldn’t stand the wait, so I picked up the books and read them alongside the show. I truly think both is worth it, in any order, but if you go show first you can at least make a quick decision about whether or not you’re willing to invest the time.
You could build houses out of the books, and yes, sometimes Martin waxes a bit too poetic about stews and cakes and roasted vegetables — BUT, if you settle for just the show, you’re absolutely sleeping on some of the most interesting characters.
I say “interesting” rather than just about any other adjective because even I, a diehard lover of Cersei Lannister, recognize that some characters are terrible people, and I love them anyway. It’s why they’re terrible that captivates me. Lena Headey has done a brilliant job of bringing Cersei to life, but Cersei is a character who exists in inner monologue, and almost all of what makes Cersei the person she is doesn’t translate to film.
But if you read A Feast For Crows you have an entire book of Cersei chapters. She’s still a villain, but all of the events who shape her are given in detail rather than a passing mention, or simply not at all.
(Also, “season 1 then book 1” is the method I used to get both my best friend and mom to watch & read, and they’re both hooked, up to date, and whining about waiting for The Winds of Winter with me haha.)
Read it all then watch the show! If you love fantasy and are down for some big, detailed, (in my opinion the details make it so amazing) and intense books then you should go for it! I would read then watch, A. because reading always makes me use my own imagination first which is how I love being introduced to a world. And B, because the only season of the show that truly follows the books is the first season, and they become so different that I have to pretend they are two different things so it doesn’t frustrate me. ❤️
I’ve read them all and honestly… I wouldn’t read them. I really don’t think he will ever finish the series.
I LOVED THE BOOKS. I listened to them, if that makes a difference.
The books are a great story, the characters are well developed. Everything makes sense. The TV show not so much..
My husband and I recently binged the entire series. I was good through season five because I knew the back story. If I had not been the one to suck my husband in I would have skipped most of the last two seasons. At this point I just want it to be over. I would be happy to chill, listen to my coworkers tell me who ends up on the throne.
I feel the books are signifcantly better than the tv show. If books 6,7 and 8 existed I would say skip the TV show altogether.
I loved the books too. Way out of my comfort zone, but boy did I get sucked in. Read all on audiobooks. Read them all before the show started, was able (still can’t believe it) to keep spoilers to myself, even if non-readers asked What was going to happen!
I adored the books! I think they are much better than the show. There is far less rape in them, for one. And while they are long, they are long because GRRM makes sure each character is fully drawn out and has their own story and motivations, which is WAY WAY WAY more than can be said for the show. There are far more characters you get to know, and GRRM has an entire history of Westeros plotted in his head like JRR Tolkein. It really is an incredible series.
I love the books and I can’t stand the show. I’ve watched the entire first season twice and have zero desire to watch anymore. But my bf has read the books and still loves the show. We both read the books before the show came out. I do know that they make some changes and are pretty different in the latter seasons/books so it might not matter.
I actually suggest you read the first book to get a handle on the people places back story and then watch the show then go back to the books!
I’ve watched all the episodes of the show so far and love it. I’m planning on starting the books soon! I hope watching the show first doesnt spoil it.