A Game of Crap

[jchrisobrien]

I spent the majority of yesterday drawn into A Game of Thorns, and then it happened.  Two of my favorite characters killed in one chapter (I later found that one of them wasn't killed, but they weren't mentioned for the rest of the book).  A Game of Thrones started out like a taut intrigue or thriller, and halfway through it became Requiem for a Dream:  "Let's have really horrible things happen over and over to all the characters you like.  Let's see them make major sacrifices in everything they do, and nothing go right for them anyway."  I started hoping more characters would die, just to put them out of their misery.  The last quarter of the book I just skimmed, I didn't care about the details or imagery, I just wanted to see how badly people got screwed over.

Today I checked wikidpedia to get some ideas of what is coming in the future:  more of the characters I liked die, more of the ones I hated lived, or screwed over the characters I liked more.  Some of them just get ignored and do random stupid things for the rest of the series. 

Thanks for all the crap, George.  Maybe I'll get around to finishing the series some decade, or I'll just read all the capsule reviews and get my anger out in one day, rather than wasting the next few weeks.

I hope Kushiel's Dart is a step up from this.

Comments

[sinspired.livejournal.com]

I know how you feel. I actually like the story and intrigue, and the lack of safety for the characters (yes, I did notice they hadn't said he was dead, just heavily implied and I knew not to trust such). BUT, after hearing it so highly recommended by a couple of my friends, I didn't share their opinion of it's "greatness". In fact, I cared so little about the latest installment I refused to buy it in hardcover (one of said friends loaned it to me when he was done)... and the things I care about I ALWAYS buy asap.
I like the characterization, but yeah, the dirty tricks the author doesn't quite pull off on me leave me a bit sour. But not sour enough to skip over anything, I read far too quickly for that. :)

[xenoglaux]

That's exactly how I feel about it...
Even then I REALLY liked the first book, but I think the first half coloured the whole experience. The second one is more of the last half of the first, I never finished it because it was all the characters I hated as far as I could see.

[hawkegirl.livejournal.com]

Apples and oranges baby.

I think they are both great reads, and George is great for making ones own life seem like roses (though I'd say I'm feeling like an RRMartin character these days and at least you'd know what I mean).

Phaedre's long journey

[photiq.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly enjoyed the three Kushiel's... books. There are some bleak turns, but also a real sense of growth and evolution, while still maintaining essential character. I think you will enjoy them.

They are also periodically hottt.

[talesinsdaughtr.livejournal.com]

*Read* the Kushiel series. You will not be dissapointed. Each one has a different flavor too it as the characters get older and, obviously, deal with the expiriences in the book. And, well, I had a point that relates betterto your initial complaint but I'll spoil parts of the book :)

[mikespe.livejournal.com]

I first heard about these books when I started playing the Game of Thrones boardgame (which is very good, but another discussion all together). Everyone I know who's read it has gone on and on about how miserable the books are to read, how poorly written they are, etc. And then they always follow it up with "but you have to read it, you'll like it, you like history and the War of the Roses"*. I'm not sure I believe them.

* My family fought for the House of Lancaster, being from Lancaster and all. Go Red Roses!