The A Song of Ice and Fire Video Blog, part I

[StreetlightEagle]

R + L = J is just too obvious for George to make it true. He'll pull something really surprising out of the bag I bet!

[Moridin565]

I dont know, ever since i started reading i didnt like Catelyn, she was so unfair and didnt think ahead. Was pissed of when she released Jaime Lannister and her hostility against Jon. Same about Sansa, when she told Cersei about the plan of Ned. When that happend i couldnt read the book for a couple of days because i was to pissed of.

[Stelmaria21]

Ah, I loved the red wedding ;)

The description of the atmosphere was gorgious, Catelyn got what she deserved (well, not realy, since nobody deserves what she got, but I hate her, so...) and everything was turned upside down.

This scene is even equal to

*spoiler* the murder of Tywin by his own son Tyrion*spoiler*

at the end of the book... wonderful.

Great literature.

[JaPlebs]

Creechl84 i hate you :P

I am 200 pages away from finishing the 3rd book and im 13 year old and you gave a big part away arrrggghh!

[Creechl84]

I was really pissed when i found out about the red wedding, though once I found out that the Red Priest had brought Catelyn back I was *Kinda* ok, But not bringing back Robb was a disapointment to me :(

[Murgent]

ugh the red wedding...i had the same reaction. i had to put the book down for a bit to take it in.

[blueoccult]

Well, at least he had the decency to say up front that there are going to be spoilers! He he he.

[asongiceandfire]

goining a song of fire and ice be a movie!?!

[talgoam]

a HBO serie. part of the the pilot cast is already announced.

[AllMenMustServe]

Do I see a System Of A Down poster on the wall. Wow two things I like- SOAD and ASOIAF

[Trustmeitsworthit]

i like these books as much as any of you but you need to start reading steven erikson.for sheer scope and ingenuity this bloke takes my breath away he blows everybody out the water, including martin.my god i've never read anything like it.the first book is called Gardens of the Moon, for character building and page-turnerability(if thats a word)you just cant beat this,and the pace never slows all the way through 9 books(it's not another wheel of time)and he's got one to go till the finish. Trust

[tdrepka2]

I tried, but 200 pages in I didn't know wtf was going on- he's TOO complex! I imagine if you have time to devote to it, it's brilliant, but if you have to take time off to do other things (such as work) it's too hard to keep track of what's happening. And it is NOT in Martin's league- 200 pages in I couldn't put ASOIAF down.

[Trustmeitsworthit]

i know what your saying but you need to emerse your self in his world. i work (too much) but like all books i just read it a bit at a time, seems to work... the first book makes no sense but once you know what the hell hes talking about it all opens up. i dont want to play down how good martin is but he just takes to long write. eriksons world has so much more depth and his understanding of past cultures is impressive to say the least.

[Maturin34]

Sounds good. I'll check Erikson out. Also, and I don't know if this is really the same genre, but try Gates of Fire by Stephen Pressfield. It's the Battle of Thermophyllae(msp?) from the eys of a squire.

[tdrepka2]

Ooo 'eck, not another one! Thermopylae has been done enough, and never as well as in Herodotus- particularly if read in the original greek, rather than translation.

[Maturin34]

If I remember correctly wasn't Herodotus incredibly redundant. And did you imply that you read it in the original Greek - that you therefore speak or read Greek? Do you read hieroglyphics too?

[tdrepka2]

Lots of Herodotus was probably completely inaccurate, as he wasn't even alive when a number of the events he chronicled took place, but he wrote very nicely.

No, I don't speak Greek, but I studied it for a few years at school and Herodotus was required reading. I'd studied Latin for five or six years by that stage, and Greek's easier- you just have to get used to the alphabet, which takes a few weeks.

[Trustmeitsworthit]

ive never read it, but it sound good ill give it a try. anyway no matter what the close minded fool doing these videos is says, erikson is probably the best fantasy writer currently writing, once you get into his world. with an 11 book saga (dont be scared off!) it always takes time to understand, once you know all the names and places you start to understand the story, and what a story! trust me, once youve got past the first book youll be hooked... then youll reread the first one ;-)

[Maturin34]

From what I have heard Greek is exceptionally difficult to learn and Herodotus' HISTORIES is one of those required readings for "World History up to 1500" taught at most colleges and universities. If you like a snapshot of how history was recorded or biased (e.g. Marco Polo), then Herodotus and/or Homer are there for your reading pleasure. Both are good for a perspective, but the unfortunate thing is that for a long time these embellished(msp?) works were thought of as factual.

[Wolfgang713]

I support house Stark! I want all the Lannisters to die but Tyrion, even though Jaime is getting better, but fuck him if Robb can die, Tyrion and his children can carry on house Lannister.

I think HBO can do it. Like anything on screen it won't be nearly as good as books, but Rome was pretty good I think and history is more complex than a fantasy series. If anyone can pull it off it will be HBO. I'm only nervous about actors.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

Except Rickon, who can go because he's annoying as shit.

[Maturin34]

hahahahaaaahell

[umaa002]

I dont think rickon was annoying at all....his direwolf was the most dangerous and bad tempered wolf out of all of them and i believe he'll grow up to be like that

[Twelveinchpvpness]

Lol exactly, bad tempered, and no one around that will change that. Hence, annoying little shit now, dangerous later.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

Also I don't think Tyrion will be carrying out any legitimate relationships... not sure where you got that idea from.

[Wolfgang713]

lol don't worry we haven't seen the last of Tyrion, we all know Cercei will kick the bucket sometime and Jaime is cool but i can't forgive him for killing Jory and trying to kill Bran.

And what's wrong with Rickon? yea he's annoying he's only 4 and his family is dead and far away. He's more wild than Arya, but don't worry he's being raised by a wildling. Osha will teach him good skills and how to channel his wildness to achieve something good. I have faith he won't return as an asshole.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

Oh, I agree that we haven't seen the last of Tyrion. That being said, I don't think he'll carry on the Lannister name... not that the people would want any more Lannisters anyways, particularly not if they are the offspring of the imp. While he is certainly a much better person than the rest of the Lannisters, his relation to them and his looks will likely lead him into further trouble.

If Rickon does improve, as you say, then I agree he would not be a bad character.

[Maturin34]

RE: B. Cornwell

I agree - Cornwell wrote for BBC and some of his stuff seems more like a script/screenplay than an actual novel. However, his best work is THE WINTER KING series and perhaps STONEHENGE. I guarantee enjoyment. WK is an Arthurian tale and I believe one of Cornwell's earliest works. Thanks for your comments.

[Maturin34]

RE: Tolkien v. Martin

THE SILMARILLION has no central character either, though it does retain a dark lord/power. Most fantasy fiction like Martin's & Tolkien's derive from western European history & mythos. Since Tolkien wrote largely from a desire to create from the remnants of Western lore that he deemed incomplete, then it is almost impossible not to write something that in some way, however loosely, seems to derive from Tolkien's work when writing in this same fantasy fiction genre.

[Maturin34]

Only those who have read books 1-4 would understand why you created this YouTube entry. While we await completion of Books 5-7I would recommend that you read THE WINTER KING series by B. Cornwell, DUNE by F. Herbert, & THE SILMARILLION by C.R.Tolkien. Martin draws from Tolkien, creating a more adult version of LOR's in Fire & Ice. Tolkien draws his story from the Kelavala.

[tdrepka2]

Martin draws nothing from the Silmarillion IMHO- and LotR has very little in common either. ASOIAF has no sole hero, no fellowship, no MacGuffin, no 'Dark Lord' and the plot has little if anything in common. Which is good, because I dislike LotR emormously. I don't really like Cornwell, but I'll think about that one. I've read Dune- it's brilliant.

[Maturin34]

I have to disagree with you on this point as Martin admitted to his revery(msp?) for Tolkien's work in Dreamsongs. Mimicry is the highest form of compliment.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

Martin's writing style is completely different from Tolkien's, lol. I'd hardly call it mimicry.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

Hooray! I can't stand Tolkien's writing, finally someone else who dislikes LotR!

[Maturin34]

If you do not like Tolkien and if you have not read Martin's Dreamsongs Volumees I & II, then I see where you might be led to these conclusions. Of course this says a good deal about your conclusions.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

I thought we were talking about A Song of Ice and Fire here, which I have read, and I can honestly say is nothing like Tolkien's writing. Also, I just remembered that thing you said before, about mimicry being the highest form of compliment. I can't really agree with that, tbh. No matter what your art, inspiration may be a compliment, but simply copying another person's style... not so much.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

If the Dreamsongs really are written in a similar fashion to Tolkien's stuff, I'll just keep away from them.

[Maturin34]

No, Dreamsongs are not like Tolkien. Indeed Volumes I & II are a collection of Martin's earliest works including a commentary by the author. I cannot say that all the stories are good, but Martin does make an amusing comment about his comparison of Tolkien to the writer of the Conan series. Martin points out that he had been reading Conan when he stumbled across Tolkien and thought in the first chapter about how Conan would cut a bloody trail through Hobbiton . . .

[Maturin34]

Martin found Tolkien's first chapters boring and too quaint for his own Conan bloodlust. I have to agree with him here. But Martin points out that after the first few chapters he was hooked on Tolkien and simultaneously disheartened. Martin relates that he knew that he could probably write as well as the Conan stuff and that this thought gave him confidence. On the other hand reading Tolkien made him feel hopeless as he knew he could never aspire to what he perceived as greatness in Tolkien.

[Maturin34]

In any event since there seems to be such a revolt against any idea that Martin would admire and in some thematic ways interject some Tolkienesque ideas into his works, I will let it go. Thanks for the input.

[Twelveinchpvpness]

What I said was not meant to imply that he could not have even been inspired by Tolkien. I'm sure he was inspired by many authors, and I know that many consider Tolkien to be a great writer. All I'm saying is that the style in ASOIAF and the style in, say, LOTR is quite different. Now, I'm assuming that Tolkien's other works are similar here, as I've only read The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy.

[tdrepka2]

Actually some of it's better- the Fall of Gondolin, one of the happenings in the Silmarillion, is one of my favourite passages in fantasy- up there with the Battle of Dros Delnoch, the Warlord's Games in Magician and anything in ASOIAF.

There same annoyances are generally there throughout, though- same clunky writing style and shallow characterisation. I respect Tolkien for his vast mythos, rather than his ability as a writer.

[Maturin34]

Good point.

[Trustmeitsworthit]

but to be fair thank god that martin hasnt got that tolkienish way of spending 15 pages describing the glade some character has walked into and then another 30 telling you how that character feels about the glade said character has just walked into

[ApfelringDeluxe]

i loooooooooove the book, but the german translation ist terrible...

[Wened]

Just subscribed. why cant i see how many subs u have?

[astra1968]

Should be on all the booklists on school. The best and most complex book i ever read. Brilliant, genious, a masterpiece. Magnus Opum.

[tdrepka2]

I'm not sure I'd go as far as 'best ever', but it is very, very good.

As for reading lists, maybe- but only for 18s and over. Not sure many people would approve its content for children. It is quite graphic in the sex and violence stakes, after all.

[astra1968]

True, It's book for adults. Much politics etc. It's quite an intelligent story. Great.

In a few minutes i continue reading in Feast For Crows, page 219, chapter "Brienne".

[FishingtonBurpPuzzle]

So totally reading that. TV is going to inspired by rather than a literal version.

[ablaaa]

Liked it. Looking forward to the next one.

btw, I like your posters on the wall ;]