Song of Ice and Fire Question...

[CrusaderX]

I don't know about you but I don't know any innocent real world heroes in my life.

Heroes aren't heroic because they don't fall or fail. Heroes are heroic because they don't give up the good fight despite the fact that they fall or fail.

I just wanted to add that to the discussion before this thread gets locked because of rudeness.

 

[TiQuinn]

Well, I don't know about the everyone else, but there are times that the series is frustrating for me. In a good way. In the way that, I get angry when the heroes can't see past their own pride or blind loyalty. Sometimes it's like reading a tragedy where the protagonists cause their own downfall, which typically could've been avoided with just a bit more common sense. But then they wouldn't be the characters they are. Ned Stark is driven by loyalty to his friend, and his sense of honor and respect for the law. Nevermind that his sense of honor and respect for the law often fly in the face of true justice. This is part of what defines that character. If the characters acted the way I necessarily wanted them to, this story would've been over by now.

As for comeuppance, I also get hopeful that characters like Cersei, Joffrey, and the like get what they deserve. Sometimes they do. Bear in mind that there are still 3 more books in the series, so we don't know how this is all going to play out. I don't expect a squeaky clean ending, nor do I expect a "And all was ruin" ending either.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Personally, I think it's what elevates Martin's books over the typical dime a dozen fantasy.

All I see is someone striving to be different merely for the sake of being different. It reminds me of REM fans in the early 90's. REM was cool until they made it big and the mainstream public started to buy their CD's. All of a sudden REM was no longer cool and the cool crowd had to move on.

Being different just to be different is what teenagers do to shock their parents. It is not what interests me in literature when I feel it is very obvious while reading.

 

[Henry]

Doc, that was uncalled for; it's not cool to go around calling people stupid.

By the same token, any further personal insults against one another need to cease, please. Discussion is cool; name-calling because someone doesn't like the same things as you, and making judgements about them for it, is NOT cool.

Thanks, everyone.

 

[TiQuinn]

All I see is someone striving to be different merely for the sake of being different. It reminds me of REM fans in the early 90's. REM was cool until they made it big and the mainstream public started to buy their CD's. All of a sudden REM was no longer cool and the cool crowd had to move on.

Being different just to be different is what teenagers do to shock their parents. It is not what interests me in literature when I feel it is very obvious while reading.

Hmmm, that's where I guess I don't agree. I don't see the books as striving to be different. In fact, I would say they aren't different. Anti-heroes, characters cast in shades of gray, a dark, gritty setting. I've seen all of these things before. His writing style, consisting of cliffhanger endings for each chapter, is nothing new. I think Martin does all of these things very, very well though, and that's the key. I can't guess which direction he's going to take the story at any given time, which is something I welcome.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Doc, that was uncalled for; it's not cool to go around calling people stupid.

By the same token, any further personal insults against one another need to cease, please. Discussion is cool; name-calling because someone doesn't like the same things as you, and making judgements about them for it, is NOT cool.

Thanks, everyone.

He said I insulted someone when I did no such thing. So I made sure he was not being a liar by making sure I did insult him.

Just trying to make sure the number of accusations and crimes were actually balanced.

 

[Celtavian]

re

I don't get the feeling Martin is trying to be different for the sake of it either. He is telling a tale in a very interesting manner going from character to character showing how the events in each character's life tie together to form a greater story. I find the narrative very entertaining.

 

[Nighthawk]

I like the series myself, but I find as years have passed that I no longer have the strong interest in to read any novels that will be released later. I just finished reading them for the second time (the three books) and while it was a mellow enjoyment, I came to the conclusion that if the future books are relased as the past ones have been, I might seriously consider passing on them. The series is excellent but very, very busy and quite cluttered. My memory is not up to the task of keeping all that information in my head.

With regards to the characters, my favorite is Ser Davos Seaworth. My least favorite is the Father of the Freys (my own outlook on a very twisted individual). Of the main characters, so to speak, none truly stand out as likable, and most strike me as people I want to avoid encountering if I want to live a long life.

 

[ASH]

WOW..First off I will not tell anyone I think their opinion is stupid, but I find it hard to take a person's opinion on something that they may not know about, and reading half of the first book just does not seem enough to base a decent understanding of the books. Doc, Its enough to know that you dont like it and perhaps why you did not, but there is such a difference in characters from that point to the end of book three that you may not have an educated opinion. Dont take that wrong, Its not ment to insult!
You dont like it, thats evident!

I understand KB's point of view. You have read most of the books. Its like that stupid movie CITY OF ANGEL'S. Spoiler if you have not seen it. You watch the whole movie. Get attatched to the girl, he fall's, they are together once, then she gets hit by a car and dies!!! That was 2 hrs Ill never get back!!

Now be warned if you have not read all three books thier is spoilers in the rest of this post........................................................................................
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.I loved the books for the alot of the same reasons KB hated them. I dont think that the main characters (Bran, Jon, Dany) will die, and these are the people I have the majority of attachement too. My theory, The books are about Jon. "A song of ice and fire...?" I am a beliver of the Reagher(SP?) and Lyanna theory, that being that they are his real parents. If that is true Jon is the true king, he is older than Dany.

Jon is an annoying character non the less. I hope that some where down the road he can change his DUTY complex.
I reallly like Ayra, she is not good, but is not truely evil either. I love the dialog between her and the hound. The hound is not a good person, he is, by most accounts evil. I still like him a great deal, and may even call him "cool"!
Dany is boring. I have not gotten much of anything from her dialoge so far, but I will hang in there!! A few turns I love, they killed Jofferey, Jamie became a cool character, Daddy Lanister is dead(way to go Tyrion!)

There is such a mystery to the plot of what is really going on. How are some things happening...? That is really what keeps me reading! I need to know how Catelyn is still "alive"? What in the heck is going on with Bran? What will happen to Arya now, and who was the guy who killed the three men for her? When will Dany and her Dragons finally get to Westros?

I just can not wait for the next books!!!!

 

[Storminator]

Hey ASH!

We have these nifty spoiler tags now...

Spoiler

So anything you type in between them is blacked out...

So use 'em!

PS