Game Of Thrones?

Posted by: cathouse

Game Of Thrones? - 05/14/12 04:40 PM

Has anybody else gotten hooked on Game of Thrones? It is not - exactly - a baby boomer book, but the author is a baby boomer. The books are addictive. The problem is the last 2 books have not been published yet - and there may be years to wait.
Posted by: Anne HolmesAdministrator

Re: Game Of Thrones? - 05/14/12 06:41 PM

Hi cathouse,

I have not read the books, but I can tell you my husband is hooked on the TV show. I chose not to watch it when he started, but he has become a true fan. And he keeps trying to share the story lines with me. (I keep singing "la la la" in my head and trying not to get involved. I have enough TV shows that I already watch...)

But I am starting to see bits of the story enter mainstream vernacular. For example, I saw an article the other day titled "Baby Boomers: Winter is Coming."

For those here who, like me, aren't up on their "Game of Thrones" trivia, "Winter is Coming" is essentially the mantra of the Family Stark. At least as far as I can tell...

Apparently the warning phrase is not so much a weather forecast as it is a warning that one must maintain constant vigilance. In both the book and TV show, the Starks are the lords of the North, who strive to always be prepared for the coming of winter, which hits their lands the hardest.

What more can you tell us, cathouse?
Posted by: cathouse

Re: Game Of Thrones? - 05/14/12 11:58 PM

Well, I will tell you that:

A> I loved The Lord of the Rings when I first read them in middle school...and this was obviously influenced by that series, as is a lot of modern fantasy.

B> These books do have some "magic", but are more realistic. There are some obvious bad guys we can hate, and innocents we can root for, but most of the main characters are neither bad nor good. They just have their own perspectives. And that is what makes them so deep, and it is what makes the story so addictive.

I honestly feel like i had withdrawal pain when I finished the last published book. From what I understand, it may be 3 years or more until the next book comes out. I remember waiting with my kids for each Harry Potter book to come out, but at least it was usually only a year.
Posted by: cathouse

Re: Game Of Thrones? - 05/15/12 12:11 AM

Actually, winter is real. The series takes place on a sort of "counter-earth", and for some reason the seasons last for years. So while they have just enjoyed a summer that lasted several years, autumn has sped by, and now they are entering winter - which could also last for years.

The big problem is that the war has damaged so much of their farmland and industry that they do not have enough food set aside to prepare themselves - well that's one problem in addition to all of the others.

So, yes it is about being prepared I guess, but it is also about a real situation that happens every decade or so.
Posted by: Anne HolmesAdministrator

Re: Game Of Thrones? - 05/15/12 12:32 AM

Good to know, cathouse - about length of the winters.

As for Lord of the Rings, I also loved those books when I was in high school.
Posted by: yonuh

Re: Game Of Thrones? - 05/20/12 02:57 AM

I've read all the Game of Thrones books - I think there are 5? I haven't watched the series - don't have cable - and can't imagine how the books would translate into a series. I loved the Lord of the Rings movies but there was so much left out that I would have loved to have seen. I'm waiting for The Hobbit to see what Jackson does with that. I know he's planning 2 movies, but still wondering what will be left out.
Posted by: cathouse

Re: Game Of Thrones? - 07/07/12 10:53 PM

I guess GOT is similar to Lord of the Rings. They are the same genre anyway. GOT is actually much more cynical, and more adult oriented, where IMO LOTR depends more upon magic. I think I was in middle school the first time I read LOTR. I cannot imagine how I would have reacted to GOT at that age!

It is interesting that the author of LOTR is J. R. R Tolien while the author of GOT is George R R Martin. What's with all the R's in the middle names?