A Song of Ice & Fire Fans discussion

I went against my rules of using acronyms before defining what they are, but I figure that we RR Martin fans can deduce them.

The title says it all. I feel as if I was pulled into the Game of Thrones world, and the moment I finished it I went to two bookstores the same night to get Clash Of Kings. I am now 2/3 the way through Clash of Kings and am getting frustrated.

I feel that at this point in the series, we should have some SERIOUS action going on rather than the slow, tedious build that is happening in Clash of Kings. Somewhere on the island there IS action happening - Rob is kicking some serious behind at various points in the story, however we only learn of them through messengers whose brief descriptions of Robb's accomplishments is all we get. It seems to me that the building of conflict that we got at the end of Thrones has been put on simmer throughout Clash of Kings. If Thrones is a pressure cooker, Kings is a crock pot.

I really want to get the opinions of those who feel like I do about he first two books but went on to read the third. Based on your experiences, should I continue to the third? I really want to, but these heavy tomes take a lot of time to read and if the crock pot gets turned down to low in book 3, I **VERY** sadly may be done with this series.

Hang in there. It is worth it to read them. There is alot going on and Martin sets the stage for events to come later. It took me awhile to read through it. However, Martin paints a world where it feels like it exists so the world felt very real to me. I didn't feel like I was reading about fictional characters but real people.

People have said that A Storm of Swords is the best so far. This is where I think we everyone shine.

I loved Game of thrones and found that Clash of Kings was quite slow for most of the book. It picked up towards the end. But A storm of swords is action from beginning to end and it's my favourite of the 4. Hang in there, you won't be disappointed.

Yes! Yes, yes, yes, a thousand yes. ACoK can be a pain to get through, especially your first time. You see, GRRM is a master at setting things up far in advance. I don't mean a few pages before, nor do I mean a few hundred pages before. I mean a thousand pages before. Things will come up that you thought you had forgotten about and then it will hit you and you will have that wonderful feeling of satisfaction that can only come with sticking around with something for the long haul. If you get through ACoK and go on with ASoS, I promise you will be rewarded. The crock pot doesn't get turned down to low, it very nearly explodes! If you don't feel so, then ship me off to the Wall.

Also, if you want a big battle, you have one coming soon in ACoK. Tyrion isn't having that chain and wildfire being made for nothing, is he? ;)

I'm almost done with ACoK and I haven't been this stressed reading a book since...well I don't think ever! It's stressing me out! All my favorite characters are in such dire circumstances and every chapter ends right when I need to know more! ARGHGHGH

You guys are awesome! Thanks for your replies which have lifted my spirits.

I think one issue I am having with COK is due to how I have been reading it. In Thrones, it wasnt uncommon for me to fly through 100 to 150 pages in a sitting and within these pages I would see 2 or 3 chapters of each character. I was able to follow the story lines quite easily. COK isn't grabbing me enough to want to read huge chunks of the book in a sitting and thus the details of some of the storylines are vague.

Another issue with COK is that within the Martin's slow, deliberate delivery there are strange "What the Hell?????" moments which don't seem to fit. A prime example of this is about midway through the book (And I should say *****SPOILERS****** here to be safe) Melisandre spontaneously gives birth to some Jesus Lizardlike creature that scampers underwater to get into a portcullis gate. Whoa!!!! ********END SPOILER*****.

So I will now plow through the last 300 pages of this book, espresso shots nearby. Thanks everyone!

PiGuy wrote: ""What the Hell?????" moments..."

Lol... ** SPOILER ** I think the Melisandre scene is simply how her magic works. She gives birth to things than go off and kill people. ** END SPOILER **

It seems that each person's magic is quite unique to them. That is one of the beauties of the magic "system" set up by Martin I think.

Personally, I can't stand Melisandre. When I play the Game of Thrones card game. I make sure I kill her off fast. *Evil smile*

ha! wait 'til you get to Feast! It's the weakest for me.

Jax wrote: "ha! wait 'til you get to Feast! It's the weakest for me."

I didn't like Feast much when I first read it, but on my second reading, I warmed up to it. It's much better if you go into it knowing you aren't going to see anything of certain characters. I think AFFC is, like ACoK, setting the foundation for later events.

Ive read it twice now and it's still the weakest, but i understand that it's a 'middle book' and there's a lot of banal stuff that needs to happen for more good stuff to happen

And there is also the fact that AFFC is the only Ice and Fire book released since the start of the century.

Just read the two short stories, in print form or as comics.

Kevin wrote: "Just read the two short stories, in print form or as comics."

There are three and I've read them all.

Chris wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Just read the two short stories, in print form or as comics."

There are three and I've read them all."

I only know the two in Legends, where is the third story in?

Thanks, for the info Chris, found out the third story was in Warrior done almost a year ago.

It's in Warriors. It was released by Tor Books last March. Edited by GRRM and Gardner Dozois.

I just read it a week or two ago. A really good anthology, but don't expect a lot of fantasy. Other than "The Mystery Knight" (the Dunk & Egg story), it's mostly historical fiction and sci-fi. They're good stories though, mostly.

It's about to be released in mass market paperback, but they're splitting it into three volumes like they did Legends.

It's a great story. Not quite as good as "The Hedge Knight" but I liked it better than "The Sworn Sword".

Chris wrote: "It's about to be released in mass market paperback, but they're splitting it into three volumes like they did Legends."

I figure that is the only way that could be done

Chris wrote: "It's a great story. Not quite as good as "The Hedge Knight" but I liked it better than "The Sworn Sword"."

I agree with you, the orgin of a character or trying to be modern by referring to natural resource, how everyone gas the rights to it, not trying to spoil any more.

Jax wrote: "ha! wait 'til you get to Feast! It's the weakest for me."

I have read Feast For Crows.

PiGuy wrote: "I went against my rules of using acronyms before defining what they are, but I figure that we RR Martin fans can deduce them.

The title says it all. I feel as if I was pulled into the Game of Thr..."

Please read the 3rd! It is the best in the series! =D I felt similarly about clash compared to the first book but I still liked it overall.

I cannot say enough good things about A Storm of Swords. It's amazing. My favorite in the series by far.

I'm reading Storm of Swords right now and I'm feeling a little beat up. I get the whole no sunshiney sweet happy endings for the good guys part. I like that I never know what's going to happen or who's going to die, but dang! It's like all really bad stuff only happens to the Starks! Can't he spread it around some? I don't know how much more I can take before I just give up.

Christy wrote: "I'm reading Storm of Swords right now and I'm feeling a little beat up. I get the whole no sunshiney sweet happy endings for the good guys part. I like that I never know what's going to happen or..."

If the first book were rewritten so that the majority of perspective came from the Lannisters, you would be rejoicing right now because those haughty, holier-than-thou Starks are being put in their place and getting what they deserve.

Lol. so? The point is he set the Starks up as the good side and then just systematically tears them apart and kills them off.

Christy wrote: "Lol. so? The point is he set the Starks up as the good side and then just systematically tears them apart and kills them off."

Just wait and see the Lannisters don't have it easy either.

It's not even a matter of the Starks getting all the pain and suffering. I'm just ready for some good news...somewhere! Can someone please be happy?

Christy wrote: "Lol. so? The point is he set the Starks up as the good side and then just systematically tears them apart and kills them off."

My point was that there is no "good side" or "bad side." There is only perspective. I was a Starkist, too, at first, but halfway though ACoK, I realized that A Song of Ice and Fire is much, much bigger than just Stark v. Lannister. Machavelli is right, the Lannisters don't have it easy either, and nor does Daenerys, Jon Snow, the Baratheons, or the Sand Sankes in Dorne.

The Starks made some very poor decisions. Some of them were due to their blinding philosophies and some of them were just poor luck, but they are paying for those mistakes. The harsh truth is that the Starks just don't know how to play the game, and we all know what happens when you lose.

sigh. okay Clark, I know you're right, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

I am still a Starkist, despite everything that has happened.

I don't know what I am anymore, other than depressed!

Christy wrote: "I don't know what I am anymore, other than depressed!"

how far have you come in the series?

I am reading Storm of Swords. I just read the "red wedding" and I'm devastated.

yeah, that was a devastating event.

I was pretty shocked by that too. No one could have predicted that. It is what makes ASOIF so good, anyone can die and you never know what's going to happen next.

Christy wrote: "sigh. okay Clark, I know you're right, but that doesn't make me feel any better."

Will it make you feel better to remind you that the golden lions (or at least Cersei) will never bow to the three-headed dragon and thus likely meet a nasty, fiery end? :3

Clark wrote: "Christy wrote: "sigh. okay Clark, I know you're right, but that doesn't make me feel any better."

Will it make you feel better to remind you that the golden lions (or at least Cersei) will never ..."

Yes...that makes me feel much better. I'll be even happier if her evil little son and father are there with her.

Which evil son is that?

Somebody might want to mark this thread as Spoilery for Book 3. Since the title of it is asking a question from the midst of Book 2.

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "Which evil son is that?"

Joffrey! He's a little psychopath.

I was so disappointed in feast ...I sobbed after a storm of swards and I agree ( with the above comment) that I felt beaten and bruised after reading it....BUT then to have to endure Feast after that ?!?
I got turned off to Martin and needed an author that could produce more in the way of reader satisfaction... The only provocative thing Martin proved was how heartlessly ( and arbitrarily) He is able to Kill off his main characters.
LOVED GOT/COK/SOS but HATED FFC !!

I'm going to finish Swords and take a break. I'll read Feast when the next one comes out. I need to regroup and read some mindless, feel good books in between.

Good move Christy....I read the hunger games after these books it was chocked full of immediate gratification...LOL.

lol Trish. I loved Hunger Games but the last book to that one was depressing.

FFC wasn't that good. However it did make for some interesting plot especially for Cersei *evil grin*

The reason maybe for FFC being not that good of a book was maybe it was only half a book with only half the characters. A Dances with Dragon is the other half, maybe you felt the FFC was only half as good, so it was a bad book, so some did not like it as much.

WTF?