So I watched the first Episode of Game of Thrones

[pristineungift]

I broke down and watched the first episode. I've been not really avoiding it, but not really going out of my way to do it out of laziness and strange loyalty to Legend of the Seeker.

Anyway, my first impressions are under the cut. If you comment, remember I'm on ep1 S1, so don't spoil me too much. <3

Comments

[brontefanatic]

I'm a huge fan of the ASOIAF books, so I can't be very objective.

I love the political intrigue, the jockeying of the rival families for position amidst the gradual re-emergence of magic in a world that is pre-occupied by short-sighted power-plays.

Also, the world of GoT is very morally grey - every character is very flawed. Those you start out liking may surprise you, and those you start out hating may - surprise you.

The first episode is very slow and rather tedious because there's a lot to establish in a short period of time, and a very large cast of characters. Everything does not revolve around two or three leading characters such as Richard, Kahlan and Zedd.

There is very little comparison IMO between GoT and LotS - the former is certainly not a replacement for the latter, and you will be disappointed if that is what you're craving. But if you hang in there, I think you'll find it well worth your time.

Another thing - unlike Goodkind's books - Martin's books are not stand-alones, which can put people off. The TV series follows that pattern, so things don't get wrapped up neatly at the end of the season.

If you have trouble figuring out who everybody is and how they're related, HBO has a great info page on their site.

And - if you want a lot of crack to offset the grimness, I would recommend joining ontd_asoiaf - which is a wonderful, hilarious way to get introduced to the show and the series.

It's not for everybody, but I can tell you that the pace picks up with every episode.

[borg_princess]

Re: ontd_asoiaf. I've had a look at it a few times, and it keeps saying membership is closed, so...just checked it out now and nothing's changed. >_< I don't suppose you have any idea when they might open it up again? Or am I being dense and missing something?

[brontefanatic]

The mods close it off and on because of the influx of new members. They have promised it WILL be open again -just keep an eye out.

Sorry - It was open just recently, and I didn't realize it had been closed again. Status will change.

[pristineungift]

I'll admit Bex, my biggest motivating factor is that you like it, so it can't be that bad. And you know how I like stories where the heroes are not clear, so... I'm hanging in there to see if I end up liking it.

I'll keep an eye out for the membership to the ontd being opened again, and if I still need it after the 2nd episode, I'll look at the HBO thing. I'm kind of enjoying making up my own names for the characters though. >_>