Tonic7

@legion_: I recommend them wholeheartedly to just about anyone who has the free time or is an avid reader (not even just a typical "fantasy reader"). I've blown through all of them, and I've even had to wait on the releases of the last 2; the changing and world-traversing POV chapter style keeps you reading like you have a kind of addiction. Martin has truly mastered the end of chapter 'cliffhanger' - to an almost frustrating extent.

The books will certainly open up a lot of the different POVs to you, and the show has undoubtedly focused on a few characters who get less time in the books - namely Robb.

As another bit of foreshadowing: all of the Stark family members have really interesting and important stuff coming up for them in future seasons.

NOTE: Some very, very vague "spoilers" may follow.

The titular question isn't even worth addressing, as it is absurd. I will simply say that I do think the TV show makes it harder to 'latch' onto a breadth of characters. In the books, this is quite easy. For example, Jamie quickly became one of my favorite POV characters after Martin introduced him in A Storm of Swords. Furthermore, while some families seem extraordinarily loathsome in the first 2 novels, the introduction of multiple/new POV characters make these families/factions interesting, if not sympathetic.

As a sweeping and perhaps unhelpful generalization, people who I've talked with tend to really enjoy following story arcs in the books: Tyrion, Jon Snow, Daenarys, and Arya. For what it's worth, I've always found the entire Greyjoy family, Jamie, Tyrion, and Daenarys to be among my favorites. Arya is a great Stark character, and I think the show does Sansa's arc and character a bit of a disservice. As I recall, she is supposed to be quite young - and naive - and in the show she just appears a bit older than I imagined her. Few people I've spoken with ever mention Cat Stark as a "favorite," though it was from her POV that we heard the most about Robb's war efforts. I think people, ESPECIALLY show watchers, will have a hard time detaching from the Starks because we were introduced to so many of them so quickly (and the wolves are bad fucking ass); they were our first lens through which we could experience this violent world. I hope you keep up watching, as the plots continue to thicken and the political/familial intrigue continues - just from new angles.

And, just as a general bit of extremely vague foreshadowing: major characters will continue to die. If you simply cannot accept that, I'm not sure what will help you. By the end of A Dance with Dragons, Martin makes it exceptionally clear that characters who continuously make ill-advised decisions that put them in immediate danger can and will die. Also, a lot of seemingly savvy characters are in grave danger, too. Look out!

This post is already too long - hopefully you stick with the show!

I find it so strange that so many people carry cash on themselves these days! I suppose with the advent of charge-for-withdrawl ATMs, this would be the case...still, I rarely carry cash on me. Most often, the answer is as simple as that truth.

Sure, I'd love one too! I'm always wary about buying new PC games, as I'm never sure if they'll run on my now-dated PC. But Diablo III does look pretty great...

I focused on archery, light armor, and conjuration. So I suppose an archer/mage type; stealthy enough to get bonus archery damage, but hearty enough to rampage in the open with some atronaches conjured. I also stealthed a lot, though I haven't used any of my perks in that tree. Trees I invested in were: Archery (100%), Conjuration (mostly bound weapons and atronach stuff), Light Armor (only up to stamina regen bonus), and then Enchanting (armor enchants) and smithing (light armor up to dragon).

I was extremely satisfied with my build; I felt like the combat was an absolute blast.

Having read the books, I have a few major questions about the last episode (spoilers potentially involving all books below):

Otherwise, I think the show is doing a great job of staying true to the books. They changed Jon's initial interaction with Ygritte considerably, too, (not that he chooses not to kill her, but he just lets her go in the books), but I can understand why. The chaotic scene in the streets of King's Landing was ripped straight from the books, as I can recall. I still find it impressive that a lot of the added scenes feel very true to the books - it shows just how true they're attempting to stay to the "soul" of the series, if you want to put it that way.

Lastly, I don't know about you guys, but I enjoy reading 2 different summaries of the episodes. I read one over at Grantland.com from the PoV of someone who only watches the shows, and I also read the AV Club's "experts" review from people who know the series and books really closely. I recommend them both!

So I didn't see tonight's episode yet, but I've read the books. Is this the one where

Read below for some thoughts on that in not specific but possibly spoilerish form:

I enjoyed the demo, although it was a bit easier than I expected. I found my characters getting fatigued a lot; this is probably because I was hacking and slashing like mad (it worked, so what the heck). Also, I never really got a handle on the "special moves" - the ones you can use by holding down R1 or L1 and then pressing square, triangle, or circle. They could have definitely done a better job explaining what the merits of each one is.

Overall, I like the feel of the game, and the AI seemed surprisingly competent. I'm gonna have to give some serious consideration to picking this up.

@Forderz said:

Something I wrote for a college submission portfolio. Not completely related to VIDEO GAMES, but this is a blog, so whatever.

I’m tired of saving the world. Don’t get me wrong, it’s cool and all, with resealing the ancient evil that’s awakened or stopping the megalomaniac that will ‘rule the world or see it burned to ash’. Fun stuff. Judging from the amount of novels, video games, and other forms of media I see with themes of planetary salvation, I think I can safely assume plenty of other folks are in the same boat. But, like a box of cereal you leave in the pantry too long, it's getting kind of stale. Sure, it still tastes okay, and it isn’t going to make you sick or anything, but maybe it’s time to refresh your stock.

It’s been at the point, for a long while now, where the vast majority of mainstream (or popular, if manestream gives you hipster vibes) fantasy has become rather predictable in its storytelling. I’m painting with a broad brush, I know, but that’s my point. No matter what the starting point is, be it a orphaned kid living on dusty desert streets, the capricious tomboy rebelling against her protective father, or a ragtag band of mercenaries hired in a tavern, fantastical fiction seems to always end up with the heroes saving all of humanity.

That’s not to say that epic storylines that deal with the issues brought up by literally having the weight of the world lying on a character’s shoulders can’t be engaging and entertaining. Many are, from modern tales like the Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson, to the classic fare of Tolkien and all who came after him. Long, grueling tales of heroism, sacrifice, and redemption, with characters fighting for their lives every other page, are quite useful for putting your own problems in perspective. Having Bill, up in marketing, steal your lunch every Tuesday is aggravating, but petty in the grand scheme of things. But, invariably, the vast majority of fantastical fiction published each year deals with saving the world.

Sometimes the story is blatant about it. A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin, lets the reader know in the prologue to the first book that there is a very real and very dangerous threat to the world lurking just past that 700ft barrier of ice. This is a series praised by critics and consumers alike, with engaging characters, rich worldbuilding, and generous servings of sex and violence. Season Two of Game of Thrones is available right now on HBO. It is a series that prides itself on its grey morality, gritty realism, and stunning twists in its narrative. But, the reader knows as soon as soon as he or she finishes the first book, who will save the world.

Annnd you lost me. Have you read those books? Otherwise, apart from nit-picky grammar stuff, it was entertaining enough up until that point.

So it's approx. 26,000 words, or 41 pages? Very nice. I think I will bookmark this and try to trudge through it sometime. Nice work man.