A Game of Thrones: Thoughts on the first six chapters
Just a few quick thoughts on the first six chapters of A Game of Thrones, which I've started reading. Yes, I've finished watching season one of the show, I'm just behind on posting my recaps because I needed to know what happened too badly to wait in between episodes.
Obviously, there are spoilers, though probably not a whole lot if you've seen S1 of the show, because it's pretty close.
Prologue:
The description of the Others (I guess they're the White Walkers, though the book hasn't called them that yet) is a lot different from how they're portrayed in the show. They're more like zombies in the show, but the book has them as armored and beautiful in a horrible way, with icy armor and swords that sparkle and look like they can't have been forged. So that was a little surprising to me. It altered the tone of the first scene, in a way. Made it feel more like maybe the men deserved what the Others did - kind of a magic creatures that belong in the land men have invaded kind of thing. But maybe that's just me reading too many legends of the Fae.
I was expecting Will to be the guy that gets caught and beheaded at Winterfell. I was surprised when it was frostbitten Gared.
Chapter One, Bran:
And now I've met the Starks again, and I'm really surprised at how close it is to the show. The show writers did a really good job transferring everything to screen so far. There's more insight into the characters because of the nature of narration, and a bit more dialogue, but for the most part the show echoes the book.
I am really struck though, by how much younger several characters are than they are portrayed in the show. At least, I assume their ages in the show have been adjusted upward, just based on the actors that are playing them. Like, Robb and Jon have to be more than 14. I mean. At least 18-19, right? If not older. And Robb is dark haired instead of being fair, but I'm not complaining. Because Robb is the sweetest piece of man candy in the show.
I find Ned Stark more interesting in the book. All of the Starks really. Although having seen the show first and having the actors in mind makes some parts of the book lolarious. Bran is an interesting narrator - you get more from him here than it's possible to show on TV, since he's very much internalized.
Greyjoy is an even bigger asshat than he is in the show.
Chapter Two, Catelyn:
I don't find her any more sympathetic, at least not yet, though in this chapter I have come to understand what's going on with the trees with faces a bit more. I thought maybe that they were like. Sentient faery trees in the show, so to have an explanation cleared some things up.
I did kind of enjoy the way Catelyn and Ned talk about the Lannisters, all "those Lannister people." I loled when Ned said something about "an infestation of Lannnisters" and how they kept referring to Cersei as "the Lannister woman". I guess having been exposed to the characters already, and knowing more about the Lannisters than I would if I had read the books first makes it funny, because I imagine their reactions. Like every time they say something about Those Lannister People, my mind goes:
Chapter Three, Daenerys:
I am so glad I saw the show first, just so I know how to pronounce her name correctly! I really dug Dany's chapter, though like with the Starks I thought she was older in the show, at least 16 or 17. 13 makes her around the same age as Sansa, and that's just O_o. But then that also kind of demolishes age as a defense for Sansa, because Daenerys is not half as retarded, but I digress...
Anyway, I pretty much love Dany to pieces. She's very observant and quick witted, and honest with herself, even if she hasn't quite realized it yet. And I actually find Viserys a lot more sympathetic, getting this first chapter where we see a little more background with him than the show has room to tell us. He's still arrogant, and foolish, but you can see a little bit of how he arrived there, and that he is trying to do right, in his own way. I have a feeling that he really loved Rhaegar.
Also, it was interesting that Dany had always expected to marry Viserys, and was surprised when he decided to betroth her to someone else. I think that part is just really culturally fascinating to me. There might be a drabble, if I can find a way to make it not too based on the books, because I always try to respect authors' wishes when they say they only want fanfic based on the show.
The first description of Jorah was kind of a let down. Bald? Really? But then, as my friends tell me, Jorah love is the sneaky kind, so maybe he'll get better as we go. And the first description of Drogo was SLKDFJSDLKFSDFSDFSDLKJ. I really don't think he could have been cast better.
Chapter Four, Eddard:
Neddy gets really interesting in this chapter, and the more I read, the more the history and political relations become clearer to me, and make things in the show make more sense. So Lyanna died from a fever? But what did Rhaegar do to her? I'm still inclined to be on Rhaegar's side, for the moment, because I have a strange attachment to him purely based on him being Rhaego's namesake, but we'll see.
Also, this made me really wish that we could have a flashback of Robert Baratheon in his glory days on the show, because he sounds nnnnnggghhh. And then that thought made me really sad for him, sadder than I was for him in the show, that he was this great man who has lost all of what he once was. And I stand by my impression in the show, that he wants to die.
Also, I'm not sure if my readings are colored because of the acting since I saw it first, but reading the books has made me think the actors are even more phenomenal, especially Robert and Cersei. They just nail it, man.
Oh, and the description of Jaime Lannister! With his red, and his boots, and his golden hair! It reminded me of The Highwayman actually. But I hope Cersei never has to kill herself to warn Jaime away. Or maybe I do. I don't know yet.
I did realize that every time someone describes the Imp as misshapen or stunted I have a knee jerk reaction of SHUT UP. I HATE YOU. YOU'RE A STUPID NARRATOR. YOUR MAMA.
Oh, but really interesting that the Imp has two different colored eyes in the book. A lot of mischievous figures in literature have eyes that are different colors, so I feel like George Martin (the author, in case you didn't know, not one of the characters) is telling me something there.
Chapter Five, Jon:
Jon is really, really well written. There's just enough information there to see the truth he hides from himself, without making him the emo machine he sometimes is in the show. In his own way, Jon is just as headstrong and stupid as Viserys, but he's quieter about it, and seems to set his sights on more achievable goals.
I love that he thinks Robb looks foolish, and the princess is insipid, and that Jaime Lannister is what a king should look like. I also really enjoyed him being disappointed by Robert, when he'd heard all these stories about the great black bearded warrior. I was disappointed too, Jonny boy.
And lol, at him getting so drunk.
And then there was the Tyrion/Jon scene, and TYRION DID FUCKING BACKFLIPS. *FLAILS* And then this:
Dwarfs don't have to be tactful. Generations of capering fools in motley have won me the right to dress badly and say any damn thing that comes into my head.
The backflips and this statement make me wonder if maybe he's been given lessons in playing the fool. Maybe it was all anyone thought he could do until he proved himself to be a mad genius.
And then this:
"Remember this boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs." And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.
I'M SWOONING. AND. Also sad.
I clearly have Tyrion issues.
Obviously, there are spoilers, though probably not a whole lot if you've seen S1 of the show, because it's pretty close.
Prologue:
The description of the Others (I guess they're the White Walkers, though the book hasn't called them that yet) is a lot different from how they're portrayed in the show. They're more like zombies in the show, but the book has them as armored and beautiful in a horrible way, with icy armor and swords that sparkle and look like they can't have been forged. So that was a little surprising to me. It altered the tone of the first scene, in a way. Made it feel more like maybe the men deserved what the Others did - kind of a magic creatures that belong in the land men have invaded kind of thing. But maybe that's just me reading too many legends of the Fae.
I was expecting Will to be the guy that gets caught and beheaded at Winterfell. I was surprised when it was frostbitten Gared.
Chapter One, Bran:
And now I've met the Starks again, and I'm really surprised at how close it is to the show. The show writers did a really good job transferring everything to screen so far. There's more insight into the characters because of the nature of narration, and a bit more dialogue, but for the most part the show echoes the book.
I am really struck though, by how much younger several characters are than they are portrayed in the show. At least, I assume their ages in the show have been adjusted upward, just based on the actors that are playing them. Like, Robb and Jon have to be more than 14. I mean. At least 18-19, right? If not older. And Robb is dark haired instead of being fair, but I'm not complaining. Because Robb is the sweetest piece of man candy in the show.
I find Ned Stark more interesting in the book. All of the Starks really. Although having seen the show first and having the actors in mind makes some parts of the book lolarious. Bran is an interesting narrator - you get more from him here than it's possible to show on TV, since he's very much internalized.
Greyjoy is an even bigger asshat than he is in the show.
Chapter Two, Catelyn:
I don't find her any more sympathetic, at least not yet, though in this chapter I have come to understand what's going on with the trees with faces a bit more. I thought maybe that they were like. Sentient faery trees in the show, so to have an explanation cleared some things up.
I did kind of enjoy the way Catelyn and Ned talk about the Lannisters, all "those Lannister people." I loled when Ned said something about "an infestation of Lannnisters" and how they kept referring to Cersei as "the Lannister woman". I guess having been exposed to the characters already, and knowing more about the Lannisters than I would if I had read the books first makes it funny, because I imagine their reactions. Like every time they say something about Those Lannister People, my mind goes:
Chapter Three, Daenerys:
I am so glad I saw the show first, just so I know how to pronounce her name correctly! I really dug Dany's chapter, though like with the Starks I thought she was older in the show, at least 16 or 17. 13 makes her around the same age as Sansa, and that's just O_o. But then that also kind of demolishes age as a defense for Sansa, because Daenerys is not half as retarded, but I digress...
Anyway, I pretty much love Dany to pieces. She's very observant and quick witted, and honest with herself, even if she hasn't quite realized it yet. And I actually find Viserys a lot more sympathetic, getting this first chapter where we see a little more background with him than the show has room to tell us. He's still arrogant, and foolish, but you can see a little bit of how he arrived there, and that he is trying to do right, in his own way. I have a feeling that he really loved Rhaegar.
Also, it was interesting that Dany had always expected to marry Viserys, and was surprised when he decided to betroth her to someone else. I think that part is just really culturally fascinating to me. There might be a drabble, if I can find a way to make it not too based on the books, because I always try to respect authors' wishes when they say they only want fanfic based on the show.
The first description of Jorah was kind of a let down. Bald? Really? But then, as my friends tell me, Jorah love is the sneaky kind, so maybe he'll get better as we go. And the first description of Drogo was SLKDFJSDLKFSDFSDFSDLKJ. I really don't think he could have been cast better.
Chapter Four, Eddard:
Neddy gets really interesting in this chapter, and the more I read, the more the history and political relations become clearer to me, and make things in the show make more sense. So Lyanna died from a fever? But what did Rhaegar do to her? I'm still inclined to be on Rhaegar's side, for the moment, because I have a strange attachment to him purely based on him being Rhaego's namesake, but we'll see.
Also, this made me really wish that we could have a flashback of Robert Baratheon in his glory days on the show, because he sounds nnnnnggghhh. And then that thought made me really sad for him, sadder than I was for him in the show, that he was this great man who has lost all of what he once was. And I stand by my impression in the show, that he wants to die.
Also, I'm not sure if my readings are colored because of the acting since I saw it first, but reading the books has made me think the actors are even more phenomenal, especially Robert and Cersei. They just nail it, man.
Oh, and the description of Jaime Lannister! With his red, and his boots, and his golden hair! It reminded me of The Highwayman actually. But I hope Cersei never has to kill herself to warn Jaime away. Or maybe I do. I don't know yet.
I did realize that every time someone describes the Imp as misshapen or stunted I have a knee jerk reaction of SHUT UP. I HATE YOU. YOU'RE A STUPID NARRATOR. YOUR MAMA.
Oh, but really interesting that the Imp has two different colored eyes in the book. A lot of mischievous figures in literature have eyes that are different colors, so I feel like George Martin (the author, in case you didn't know, not one of the characters) is telling me something there.
Chapter Five, Jon:
Jon is really, really well written. There's just enough information there to see the truth he hides from himself, without making him the emo machine he sometimes is in the show. In his own way, Jon is just as headstrong and stupid as Viserys, but he's quieter about it, and seems to set his sights on more achievable goals.
I love that he thinks Robb looks foolish, and the princess is insipid, and that Jaime Lannister is what a king should look like. I also really enjoyed him being disappointed by Robert, when he'd heard all these stories about the great black bearded warrior. I was disappointed too, Jonny boy.
And lol, at him getting so drunk.
And then there was the Tyrion/Jon scene, and TYRION DID FUCKING BACKFLIPS. *FLAILS* And then this:
Dwarfs don't have to be tactful. Generations of capering fools in motley have won me the right to dress badly and say any damn thing that comes into my head.
The backflips and this statement make me wonder if maybe he's been given lessons in playing the fool. Maybe it was all anyone thought he could do until he proved himself to be a mad genius.
And then this:
"Remember this boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs." And with that he turned and sauntered back into the feast, whistling a tune. When he opened the door, the light from within threw his shadow clear across the yard, and for just a moment Tyrion Lannister stood tall as a king.
I'M SWOONING. AND. Also sad.
I clearly have Tyrion issues.