The Sword and Laser discussion

I know I am probably going to get slammed by posting this but here we go.

I read the first 2.5 of the books in the series. I was told the books were great and people love them. It felt like pulling teeth reading these books. I was forcing myself to get through them and gave up midway through the 3rd one.

There are way too many characters. I got sick of referencing the glossary to see who people were.

I am probably alone in this but I love this site and figured I wanted to be part of the discussions.

I don't know what to tell you. Reading that series made me a better man.

aldenoneil wrote: "I don't know what to tell you. Reading that series made me a better man."

I'm only about 2/3's of the way through the first book and it just seems like another good fantasy epic. I wouldn't rank it as my favorite, but I do like it. How would you say that it has made you a better man?

Heh, s'funny, I just finished reading a review by someone who hated this book, so You are not alone Neil.

I personally love the series, though I can see where others wouldn't.

Michael wrote: "How would you say that it has made you a better man? "

I wouldn't. I'm given to hyperbole.

That said, the series is one of my favorites, and it's because it hits some great tropes (like wolf pets, dragons, and swordplay), but turns others on their head. Martin excels at sweeping the carpet out from under you, and I love that.

Plus, I often think, "Oh, cool," when reading, and that's a surefire marker of a great novel.

I didn't see any of that when I read the first 2 books. In fact I don't really remember what happened. That is never a good sign.

A good book is a great thing. I am glad other people liked it, I was just wondering if I was the only one out there that did not get it.

I'm a little over halfway through the first book and I love it. I remember hearing someone describe the upcoming TV show as The Sopranos meets Lord of the Rings. I haven't read a lot of epic fantasy other than some Dragonlance books when I was younger. I can relate to the Sopranos reference. I really enjoyed that television series for its large array of characters and families and the plot twists and turns that were lurking around the corner. Martin's writing reminds me of this as well. I love the surprises, I love the different families and houses, I love needing a glossary for such a large array of characters. I love the settings. I also love that although it is epic fantasy, it doesn't overly dazzle you with fantasy elements. The fantasy elements are actually quite sparse, at least from what I've read so far. I'll probably read the whole series, but will take my time.