College Students! discussion

Hey guys! Is there anyone out there who has read the Game of Thrones books AND watched the show? I'm curious what other people thought about the comparison between the two. There may be a few vague spoilers to follow...

I read the entire series last summer. And when I say last summer, I mean it took me the ENTIRE summer. I'm generally a very fast reader so that's really a testament to just how long the series is. I immediately got sucked into the plot and fell in love with a lot of the characters. But by the second book I was getting a little frustrated with the fact that hundreds of pages could pass without anything notable happening. I felt as though each character set out on a "mission" per say, and after 5 books and 5000 pages, not a single one had even come close to completing that mission. That and the sheer number of characters dying was enough to put me over the edge. But I finished the series and by the end of it I felt pretty depressed. A few months later I decided to start watching the TV show because of what good things I had heard about it. After watching all of the seasons, I am totally hooked. I'm usually the last person to say that I like the movie/show better than the books, but the show is everything I love about the books and more. Unlike the books, I feel like the show actually gets to the point.

Regardless, I'm sure I'll read the new Game of Thrones book when it comes out.

What do you guys think? Did you read the books before or after watching the show? Which do you prefer? Would you recommend the books to others?

I read the books long before the show. I really enjoyed the books and didn't feel they moved too slowly, as you did. In comparison to the show I think it's important to read the books first if you want to be able to follow the show more easily. I know people who started watching the show without reading the books and they had a very hard time keeping all the characters and story lines straight. Yes, it can be watched and enjoyed without reading the books but the sheer number of characters and different story lines make it confusing at times. Because I enjoyed the books immensely and because it helps with watching the show I would definitely recommend the books to people.

Hm! Kinda makes me wonder if I should have another go at the books!

I kinda read the books when the second season ended and I could not wait for the third one to commence. Since then, I have become a bigger fan of the books and am quite disappointed with the manner the fourth season progressed. I felt that the directors took a lot of liberties with the character dynamics. They completely removed the Tysha portion of the story, and hence I felt the episode where Tyrion kills his father a bit lame. And then again there was the Arya-hound relationship. They never shared such a relation and if they did, it makes no sense for Arya to leave the Hound to die. But yes, the books do have a lot of sub-plots and I wonder whether all of them will ever be resolved. The series is one of the best adaptations of a novel I have seen till date, but for me, the books are the best.

Yeah I did think that was unusual how in the show they played up Arya and the hounds relationship, and then she just left him to die in the end. Kind of odd. I'm really thinking about rereading the books now. I didn't expect to love the show as much as I did so I maybe I'll get more enjoyment out of the books the second time around.