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- chozsun, on 10/12/2007, -0/+37Hate fantasy novels with a passion. Song of Ice and Fire doesn't suck.
When you purchase A Game of Thrones, you better get the second book. Why? It will be 3am when you finish the first and you will wishing that you could start the second one but the book store is closed.
Only HBO could have done this justice. Not SciFi. Not a movie studio. - stjoad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+25Man I can't wait for this. HBO and co-executive produced by George R. R. Martin himself? It can't get any better.
- Rxbrent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19Seriously! I can't even believe this! This is the greatest series I've ever read. If you've never read the series, DO IT! So far Martin is 4 books into it. I've listened to the audio books and each book is around 40 hours long! Trust me, you'll want more. I love Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings but it really seems like a children's book in comparison.
Absolute must read if your a Sci-Fi/Fantasy fan! - azAZ09, on 10/12/2007, -0/+18"Winter is coming ..."
- iggee85, on 10/12/2007, -0/+16Yeah, that's what I said when I saw this. For those of you who don't know, this series has a ***** of blood and gore, raping and pillaging, sex (straight, girl-on-girl) and incest...Oh and it also has huge wolves, dragons and undead.
- Sabin, on 10/12/2007, -0/+15HOLY *****!
- Daveecee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14@thebaron2
I always found the name of the "The Wheel of Time" series to be ironic, considering the series itself really is like a wheel.
So ***** repetetive. - aaaleman, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Long live Lord Tyrion!
- dkm201, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12The Fire and Ice books obviously wouldn't exist if not for Tolkien, but the storytelling and characters have much more appeal to modern audiences (I'm talking strictly about comparing the books, the Peter Jackson movies obviously found a way to make the Tolkien books appeal to modern audiences).
The GRR books won't even need tweaking at all. They're already HBO-style stories... I can't wait for this series. - ValarMorgulis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+12Yeeeey!
I can't wait. GRRM is an excellent writer and this series is the best adult fantasy I have ever read. - flernk, on 10/12/2007, -1/+12I just got the chills. It's about frigg'n time! Best fantasy series OF ALL TIME. (And yes, I've read the competition)
- picaro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+11Below is a slashdot review:
So after the umpteenth "you've got to check it out or I'll burn your hat", I decided to give it a shot. And discovered one of the best read fantasy novels I've read in a decade.
http://books.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/07/03/1445206&mode=thread&tid=188&tid=192 - Peterh, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8There is no hype, it's all 100% true
- Itkovian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8I'd say that A Wheel of Time starts out good, but drags on and on and on and on ... after book 3. There are some issues with this series:
a) does not move on story-wise
b) does not move on character-wise (the (young) people don't grow in their behaviour/mentality)
c) does not portray characters realistically (sharing your man with two other women, but still get freaked out when somebody mentions something 'inappropriate' ?)
Compared to that GRRM's books are simply outstanding. - Gryffydd, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Terry Goodkind's stuff is absolute ***** compared to the Song of Ice and Fire. Tolkien's stuff is great, but it's just not in the same field as Martin's. I've read just about everything Tolkien you can buy: Unfinished Tales, the Books of Lost Tales, The Silmarillion (obviously), and I really do love it. However, GRRM's work transcends Tolkien's not so much in fine artistry, but in raw appeal.
- flatline79, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7HBO is the only one with enough balls to make shows like Rome, Deadwood, Carnivale, etc. They are making huge financial risks, and if a show isn't succeeding like they need it to, they have to pull it. They would not be a successful business with the resources to take these risks if they stuck with every show that was critically acclaimed but losing them money
- RyAnderson, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7Great googly moogly!
- diggaiden, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7@JTH007
You do know that Jordan is really dying of some rare blood disease, right? Give the guy a break.
I'm excited about this as well. I hope, though, that this doesn't require too much time from GRRM, thus delaying the next couple of books even further. - EnglishmanInAu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7My god, you Tolkeinites are crazy people, do you still drive a Model T-Ford?
Tolkein defined the genre, Martin is now leading it. - Rxbrent, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8Have you read these books? The best I've ever read. No *****.
- diggik, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6G.R.R.M. posted about it in his blog:
http://grrm.livejournal.com/11326.html
"Yes, it's true.
Yes, this is the Big News that I have been hinting at." - adam.skinner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"...I'll shove that sword someplace even Renly never found."
- SourWorm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6wolf > lion
- diggik, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Yes. Tolkien did a fantastic job with creating and describing a whole believable world, but he didn't delve so deeply into character as George R. R. Martin does.
Sauron: love him or hate him and what he's about? It's pretty obvious.
The same for Tyrion? The choice is not so easy. - Tygell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5yikes, I actually got chills seeing the "Winter is coming" and Lannister quotes.
I am so freakin excited to see this series, I will subscribe to HBO instead of pirating it after the fact =) - omega95, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5"Only HBO could have done this justice."
What like the justice they showed Deadwood, Curb, and Lucky Louie?
It not TV... its canceled. - tdp05, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I've never read his books, heard of them and now feel like I need to read them. I didn't realize they were so well liked and thought of. Show concept sounds great, definitely excited for it.
- patientXero, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7This is the best fantasy series ever. Tolkein's stuff is great, but not nearly as complex or realistic as Martin's world. This is like a dream come true!
- TheOtherGuy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I better hurry up and finish reading the series. I need those bragging rights when the TV series comes out :)
- SourWorm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I know what you mean about waiting and having to re-read them. I started re-reading the series from the beginning thinking the next one was supposed to be due out soon, but seeing as how I'm already most of the way through the 3rd book I think I'll finish the 4th way before the next one is finally released. And it's too bad that the 4th book covers the story arcs of only some of the characters
- banditski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5This is the best news I've heard in months. The best series I've ever read. I read the first three books in this series before reading Tolkien and I think it spoiled me. While reading Tolkien I was constantly thinking, "yeah, this isn't bad, but ASOIAF is way better."
Do not go to this site until you've read the books!!! spoilers EVERYWHERE!! http://asoiaf.westeros.org/
I'm also pretty into the Game of Thrones boardgame. Pretty fun. Check it out if you're into that kinda thing.
R'hllor is burning bright tonite. - Tygell, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5and yet, I found Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn to drag on a bit. A good read, but definitely not my favorite.
A Song of Ice and Fire is hands down my favorite series though! Let it be known that GRRM has no inhibitions about killing off central characters. It's quite refreshing.
As for those who are ALSO recommending The Wheel of Time, you're deranged. That series started off well in the firs 3 or 4 books, but it really seems like there's no end in sight and he's up to like book 12 now i think. I will probably continue buying the series since I've already come this far, but I would NOT suggest anyone start this series if you haven't already. - thesuperrad, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Yeah, I don't agree with the subjectivity in the Digg title, but A Song of Ice and Fire is my favorite series ever.
- kenthorvath, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5I hate how they changed narrators for Book 4. Roy Dotrice was the best voice actor I've heard since Jim Dale.
- csanberg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4This is going to be awesome.
- sockpuppets, on 10/12/2007, -4/+8Anyone who hasn't seen Deadwood, please do. It's the best piece of television to come along in ages. Sadly, they canceled it, although two movies are rumored to be in the works. It's also highly historically accurate- it's interesting to watch it then read up on the historical context just to see what the old west was about.
- adam.skinner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4It's not fair to compare Sauron to Tyrion. Tyrion is a POV in the series, and Sauron was simply an "enemy". Better to compare Frodo or Sam to Tyrion or Arya.
- tch1337, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Now I know how Cartman felt when he wanted to freeze himself because he couldn't wait for the Wii to come out.
- TheOtherGuy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5A true lover of Tolkien and the fantasy genre would not be so parochially narrow-sighted...
- johnbr, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Once I read ASOIF, I realized what was missing from Tolkein. Every single character except for Sam and Eowyn are completely flat. No change, no development in any meaningful sense. Sam surpassed what he believed he was capable of, and demonstrated a fierce independence and love that transcended greed and lust. Eowyn demonstrated that she was more than just an ornament, just as she had hoped she would. Sure, they all changed, but not (IMO) in any "heroic" way.
Everyone else? Pretty much the same at the end of the series (emotionally) as they were at the beginning.
The funny thing is that the LOTR movies have better characters than the LOTR books. Aragorn is much more torn and interesting in the movie than he is in the book, and Arwen, and Elrond, and Faramir. - adam.skinner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4> The Fire and Ice books obviously wouldn't exist if not for Tolkien
This is patently untrue. Tolkien introduced us to his fantasy races in the form of an epic trilogy, and ASOIAF is not high fantasy by any means. This is to say it's not a "high magic" world and it doesn't have tons of fantasy races. It's mostly mundane. I hear it's like "War of the Roses".
But yes, it does have dragons and undead. However, both of these concepts were well known long before Tolkien. - kaiza, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3A Song of Ice and Fire is a great series, I would recommend anyone who enjoys fantasy to go pick them up!
- liosaith, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4i've tried reading LOTR - must say i didn't like it. only time i liked the 'movie(s)' better than the book(s).
martin's fire and ice series is good, but if you really want a stellar fantasy series try steven erikson's "malazan book of the fallen" series - absolutely the best (imho) fantasy series written. so far 6 books (from 652 to 1194 pages) of some of the most complex and interesting characters/situations ever written. try it - i promise you that you will enjoy it. make sure you read them more than once. i've read them 4 times and still find things/connections missed in previous reading... - browwiw, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I am now happy.
For those of you don't now what Fire and Ice is all about, it's a lot like LotR but with more rape, incest, gluttony, conspiracy, murder, sodomy, and all the other good things in life. - zephc, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3For those like me who like audio books, there are several of his on the iTunes Music Store, unabridged of course.
- grungegbunny, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3YES!
George RR Martin is hands down the best writer I've ever come across
If you like to read fiction it is a MUST you pick up this series.. he makes Stephen King look like Dr.Seuss
and if you don't read fiction, now is the time to start these books are beautiful..
and I'm sorry to say if you think Tolkien is better than Martin you are sadly mistaken.
Buy "A Game of Thrones" seriously. - ValarMorgulis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3@kenthorvath
Yes, that new guy totally sucked. It made the book sound cheap and mindless. I bought GRRM's first three books at audible, but when I heard the sample recording with the new guy I was totally disappointed. Let's hope Roy will be able to take on the next book in the series. - adam.skinner, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I absolutely LOVE Roy Dotrice. He imbues such life and vitality and emotion into his characters. His voices for Tyrion and The Hound are superb. Also Maester Aemon.
I was aghast and supremely disappointed when that other narrator took over and just bungled everything up.
I even started a "Bring Back Roy Dotrice" petition =) - unwiseone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3*****, Yeah! This is is the best news I've heard so far this year! As a fan of Tolkien, Tad Williams and GRRM, I'd say that GRRM's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series rocks 'em all.
- Elranzer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4"I love Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings but it really seems like a children's book in comparison. "
Tolkien always did intend the Lord of the Rings to be a children's book. Did you ever actually open the books and look at the inside cover? Something about "intended for ages 8 - 14." -
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