The Pre-Digested Book Experience - Reading 'A Game of Thrones'

So I'm reading 'A Game of Thrones' after having seen the fantastic HBO adaption. I thought I might be wasting my money on a story I already know. I feared I might be bored without the element of surprise. Boy was I wrong.
 
There's levels to good reading. Simply understanding the context is easy - basic reading. Imagining places and faces and voices and picture actions and motions - adding my imagination to another's creation - it makes reading a book more awesome, but also more challenging and demanding; laborious. Like shooting a movie of my own. Mise-en-scène is hard work and not every passage lends itself well to such a thing. I remember fondly the shoot-out in Tull in the first Dark Tower book and how Stephen King's words came to life in my mind. Not all of that book lived up to that chapter's pedigree though. Much was read merely for context since I couldn't be bothered to flesh it out in my mind.
 
Reading 'A Game of Thrones' though is effortless. All the imagination work has already been done by others; better and more complete than I ever could do so naturally and on-the-fly. It's all there, pre-digested. Everything's already stored in my memory and naturally fleshes out my reading experience. What a delight. I love to experience the book this way. Must be the best reading experience of my life to date. High fidelity reading all the time without breaking a mental sweat.

But the show sucks compared to the books.

But the show sucks compared to the books.

@Jimbo said:

@GunslingerPanda said:

But the show sucks compared to the books.

You suck compared to the books.

You book compared to the sucks.

What?

And the show was awesome, even when compared to the books. If anything, the show shows some restraint and an appreciation for brevity which the books sorely lack.

no the show is great the book is excellents 
since pov dont rly work well in tv some stuff is lost in the translation 
 
not to mention about half the added scenes werent rly that good

But the show sucks compared to the books.

Knowing the good experiences a few of you have doing this, I will happily follow suit. Thanks!

Yeah, I started the first book on my kindle awhile ago and its really great. I am quite surprised on how similar the tv show is to the book series and how simple it is to read.

I'm pondering to read the second book of the series before watching season 2 next year; even though many who read the books first enjoyed the HBO series less because of it, whilst people who read the book after the fact, enjoy both to the max.
 
Risky business. Guess I'll have to be adamant about not spoiling season 2 for me, even though my urge to read-on is really strong.

Felt the same way reading The Witcher books!

My own imagination is the greatest asset when reading books. It's what makes books such a great medium in the first place.

It is the reason why I am also refusing to watch the series even after so many people are saying it's quite good. Because I do not want someone else to impose on how I perceive the world and the characters of the books.

@GunslingerPanda said:

But the show sucks compared to the books.

Fuck you.

I ordered the first two books in the song of ice and fire series to take away on holiday. I can't wait to get stuck in.

@Rolyatkcinmai: That's not very nice. The show's great, it just pales greatly when compared to the original novels. No need for that kind of attitude, is there?

I heard the show was good - so I went and bought the book. I've never seen the show, though.

I read the book first and then watched the TV series. I recommend that route as I was able to be surprised by the content in its original context and then have it all cleared up in my head by the TV series right before I start the 2nd book. For example, when I read the book I had no goddamn idea who Theon Greyjoy was. I thought he was an adult knight for whatever reason. I still like the version of Eddard Stark I cooked up in my head while reading the book better than Sean Bean though...

@Dany said:

@Seppli I Havnt heard that all all. The books are superfaithful so far, everyone I know whose read the books love the shoW

What do you mean the books are superfaithful? The books are the original medium.

@AlexW00d: I meant that the show is super faithful to the books.

As a longtime fan of the book series, I'm glad to see the show is promoting more interest in the books. The fact that the show (or at least it's first three episodes) is excellent is just icing.

I read the book first and then watched the TV series. I recommend that route as I was able to be surprised by the content in its original context and then have it all cleared up in my head by the TV series right before I start the 2nd book. For example, when I read the book I had no goddamn idea who Theon Greyjoy was. I thought he was an adult knight for whatever reason. I still like the version of Eddard Stark I cooked up in my head while reading the book better than Sean Bean though...

I am debating between reading this, The Hobbit, or The Hunger Games. I feel I should read the Hobbit because I have yet to read it after all of these years.

@Seppli I Havnt heard that all all. The books are superfaithful so far, everyone I know whose read the books love the shoW

the show loses, and rarley, gains something due to the loss of the point of view perspective found in the novels

@azrailx said:

@JeffGoldblum said:

I read the book first and then watched the TV series. I recommend that route as I was able to be surprised by the content in its original context and then have it all cleared up in my head by the TV series right before I start the 2nd book. For example, when I read the book I had no goddamn idea who Theon Greyjoy was. I thought he was an adult knight for whatever reason. I still like the version of Eddard Stark I cooked up in my head while reading the book better than Sean Bean though...

yeah except theon is changed in the tv show, not to mention he wasnt rly that easy to miss in the novels... and while the tv show is faithful there are some major key differences

How did they change Theon Greyjoy in the show?

@SSully: Read the hunger games first. As its the shortest of the three you listed. Game of Thrones books (song of fire and ice books) are really really really long. Great reads but very long. E format is the best for them! LoL

@SSully: Read the Hobbit, awesome book. I suggest finding the Tolkien Professor podcast on iTunes and get some great in-depth dissection of the material as you're reading it.

That is the laziest way of reading I can think of, the "laborious" process you describe is actually reading, if you are not giving something your full attention and concentration you might as well not do it at all, cause after all it´s not like you are getting paid to do it. 
I suppose it suits our internet generation just fine though.

I’d say read all the books I started the first book just after the third episode and I’m almost at book 4 (fest of crows) and really looking forward to the fifth book.