Game of Thrones Season 4 (Books and Other Discussion Thread)

• Heretic

  

  Never detract from my love of chaos. NEVER.
• TedSheckler

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;1602011 wrote:Heretic shut the fuck up, no one posted any spoilers.

  Ok, then. I posted a doozy yesterday.
  
  Also, Catelyn is alive, but she's Lady Stoneheart now.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  Hopefully that won't make it into the show. George got off the reservation a bit with his fantasy stuff, and 20 different storylines.
• Heretic

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;1602127 wrote:Hopefully that won't make it into the show. George got off the reservation a bit with his fantasy stuff, and 20 different storylines.

  I'd have to imagine that it will, since it is a major part of future Brianne stuff.
  
  One thing that kind of cracked me up as far as timing goes.
  
  Due to converting book to another medium (TV in this case), a lot of characters get cut or altered in some way possible. Such as Polliver from Mountain's group. In the first episode Polliver was killed by Arya as a karmic death based on how he killed Lommy Greenhands (while in the book, Hound killed Polliver, while she killed the Tickler, who actually was killed by Jaqen on the show.
  
  Meanwhile, just a week or so ago, when Martin released a sneak preview chapter for his next book, that chapter was about Arya and how she killed Rafford. Whom, in the book, killed Lommy. And the death was a karmic death for the way in which Lommy was killed.
  
  The timing of all this was just awesome.
• TedSheckler

  

  ***SPOILERS*** You clicked the wrong thread if you haven't read the books.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Last night's episode had quite a few differences than the books.
  
  -Bran, Hodor, and Co. never got caught by anyone.
  -Bran and Jon never met up. (I assume it's coming since Jon is going to Craster's Keep and Bran is there)
  -Tyrion kept saying he killed Joffrey (even though he didn't)
  -It was nice to see the White Walker scene with turning the baby. That was never described in the books.
  -Podrick found Brienne in the books but here she will have him from the start
  -Locke is at The Wall.
• Heretic

  

  Well, technically, Tyrion did tell Jaime he killed Joffrey immediately after hearing Jaime's story about the truth concerning his former "first true love" and how Tywin put an end to that. Didn't see the show last night, but I doubt they're that far along, though, since the death just happened the previous week.
• TedSheckler

  

  Reading the other thread, and the talk of Daenerys being interesting...
  
  I hope the TV show does something. Her storyline is has to be the most boring in the entire story. We are 5 books in and she's not doing shit. She still hasn't crossed back over the Narrow Sea. Zzzzzzzzz.......
  
  As much as the TV show hasn't done much with Sansa, her storyline is one of my favorites now that she goes to The Eyrie.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  Started reading the books yesterday. Already 1/8 of the way through first book. Having watched the show makes it a very easy read. Not too much different so far, but some.
• TedSheckler

  

  I concur. I started the books after watching the first season. Made it a lot easier. The first book is right on with the first season. The show has been pretty close to the books, except for last week's episode. That was the biggest deviation so far.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  IMO the show needs to deviate because the last 2 books would be very difficult to film with too many plotlines that take forever and go nowhere. Non-book readers are already complaining that the show is slowing down (which IMO it hasn't), how are they going to react when Brienne wanders aimlessly for months, Dany sits on her rear-end at Meereen and finally ends up much further away from Westeros, and Tyrion turns into someone very un-Tyrion? Not to mention the focus on Dorne and the Ironborn that are boring as hell.
  
  I've agreed with most, but not all, of the changes D&D have made, and if the show survives for 2 more seasons it will have to deviate more as I have little confidence that GRRM will get the next book out in time. GRRM has final say on the plotlines for the show, so it is pretty much an admission that books 4 and 5 were very subpar in comparison to the first 3. He simply lost the story and it will likely take the show to bring it back.
• Gblock

  Manhattan Buckeye;1611057 wrote:IMO the show needs to deviate because the last 2 books would be very difficult to film with too many plotlines that take forever and go nowhere. Non-book readers are already complaining that the show is slowing down (which IMO it hasn't), how are they going to react when Brienne wanders aimlessly for months, Dany sits on her rear-end at Meereen and finally ends up much further away from Westeros, and Tyrion turns into someone very un-Tyrion? Not to mention the focus on Dorne and the Ironborn that are boring as hell.
  
  I've agreed with most, but not all, of the changes D&D have made, and if the show survives for 2 more seasons it will have to deviate more as I have little confidence that GRRM will get the next book out in time. GRRM has final say on the plotlines for the show, so it is pretty much an admission that books 4 and 5 were very subpar in comparison to the first 3. He simply lost the story and it will likely take the show to bring it back.

  
  i agree with all of this.
  
  when i read the books i had such a problem keeping the names straight and who the hell was who for the first half of the first book. seems so simple now after watching the show
• ernest_t_bass

  

  Is there going to be a 6th book? I have no clue, b/c we've only been watching the show for a month, and I've only been reading for 2 days.
• Gblock

  yea but hes been dragging his feet writing it. the show is going to pass the books up probably before he gets it written
• TedSheckler

  

  He released a portion of Winds of Winter in January.
  
  http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/
• Manhattan Buckeye

  TedSheckler;1611079 wrote:He released a portion of Winds of Winter in January.
  
  http://www.georgerrmartin.com/excerpt-from-the-winds-of-winter/

  There are also two more portions that have been circling around that were "unfinished" - not sure if legit or not. But none of them were overly impressive, including the official chapter.
• Gblock

  the last two books were snoozefest if you ask me so i hope he finishes this series strong, because the first 3 were my favorite books of alltime along with the lord of the rings trilogy
• Manhattan Buckeye

  Here is the supposed unfinished Arianne chapter:
  
  http://www.scribd.com/doc/152918918/Winds-of-Winter-Arianne
• Heretic

  

  Gblock;1611074 wrote:yea but hes been dragging his feet writing it. the show is going to pass the books up probably before he gets it written

  I remember reading somewhere where it said the show writers and he have had talks about plot lines and potential resolutions in the event this happens.
  
  If so, it might be the first time in history we've had a situation where the books start out as a spoiler for the show, and then the show eventually becomes a spoiler for the books.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  IMO that's already happened. Robb's wife is dead in the show, she isn't in the books and there is speculation about whether she is pregnant. Well, the show ended that speculation.
• Heretic

  

  Manhattan Buckeye;1611176 wrote:IMO that's already happened. Robb's wife is dead in the show, she isn't in the books and there is speculation about whether she is pregnant. Well, the show ended that speculation.

  That is one of those interesting fanhood "what really is happening?" sorts of things. I'd have to go back and read the exact way things are written, but I think when Catelyn was thinking about Jeyne, she observed certain things about her (such as good child-bearing hips). Later, when Jaime ran into the Westerlings in a later book, his description of her was that she wasn't worth oathbreaking and dying over and that she had narrow hips.
  
  Which has led to fans wondering if the real Jeyne was killed and this one is an imposter of some sort being used to possibly elevate their house.
• Manhattan Buckeye

  That's exactly the scenario - in an interview GRRM said it was just an editing error. GRRM has so many characters that come and go sometimes I wonder if he even knows who eventually is important.
  
  One of the best changes to the show is keeping Bronn around longer and sparring with Jaime rather than Payne (not Pod, the executioner). GRRM really screwed the pooch in the books just having a fan favorite like Bronn simply get married and go away. Show Bronn does much more service to the character.
• TedSheckler

  

  "You raped her, you murdered her. You killed her children."
  
  Looks like next episode is the scene I've been looking forward to all season.
• dlazz

  TedSheckler;1615224 wrote:"You raped her, you murdered her. You killed her children."
  
  Looks like next episode is the scene I've been looking forward to all season.

  I see what you did there
• ernest_t_bass

  

  Oberyn dies. Mountain is badly injured.
• Heretic

  

  ernest_t_bass;1615774 wrote:Oberyn dies. Mountain is badly injured.

  But the fun with Mountain doesn't end for some time (as in, it hasn't ended yet). Qyburn is a twisted, twisted man...but damn good at what he does!
  
  And by "what he does", we're talking torture and necromancy.