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[Nikis-Knight]

Hold off on Song of Fire and Ice for about 4 years and you'll have less frustrated waiting ahead of you!

 

[QES]

Hold off on Song of Fire and Ice for about 4 years and you'll have less frustrated waiting ahead of you!

Are you crazy? One must read and frustrate ones self, then cross referance different points during each book to try to figure out (and fail) what will come in following books. Trying to figure out "what the hell is going on" is part of the fun. And since reading these books is in itself a sort of masochism, finding out that you've no idea (despite how potentially cool you thought your theorys were) whats going on, is key.

For Example. Jon Snow and Daenarys are Hafl-siblings. Debateable, Hella cool, and VERY possible. This thoery's been kicking for some time. Its gonna hurt us when it turns out to be untrue, because that's how martin loves us. He hurts us cause he loves us. Dont you wanna be hurt Nikis-Knight?
-Qes

 

[Kael]

Hold off on Song of Fire and Ice for about 4 years and you'll have less frustrated waiting ahead of you!

Somedays I feel the same about FfH.

 

[QES]

Somedays I feel the same about FfH.

Ha, now i know your a genuine Artist. Sorta gotta hate yourself to do it. Writers hate writing, its more like a disease they deal with, same with painters, etc. You do it not cause you want to, but because you have to, like breathing.

: pity : for Kael. BOON for us.
-Qes

 

[Nikis-Knight]

Jon Snow and Daenarys are Hafl-siblings

I have trouble following the people that are only talked about from earlier generations. All the old rulers that pop up twice a book and upon whom conspiracy theories hinge get tangled up in my mind.
But I've only read each one once so far. And I didn't mean to imply that they don't deserve hearty endorsement. I read the first 3 in about three weeks. But he's not exactly churning them out, and it's quite awhile to wait if you expect the whole story availible when you get started. 4 books of 7, or more likely 9 or 10.

Somedays I feel the same about FfH.

Hopefully you don't mean that for yourself!

 

[jafink]

How do A Song of Ice and Fire compare to the Wheel of time series? I know that you will say theyare 100 times better, but you will influence me more if you actually compare their writing styles, plot, characters, etc.

Oh and also, i know that some people feel that the Wheel of Time books stagnate a little bit in the middle, but sofar i have read the first seven and loved them all.

 

[QES]

I have trouble following the people that are only talked about from earlier generations. All the old rulers that pop up twice a book and upon whom conspiracy theories hinge get tangled up in my mind.

No worries, i had to have this theory explained to me. The essentail theory is that Jon Snow is NOT Eddard Stark's son, but instead his nephew, the Son of his Sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Tagaryen. (Which actually makes them Half-blood Nephew/Aunt not half-siblings.) I'll say no more, but if you go back and look through the books at mentions of Eddard stark, Jon snow, and Rhaegar (Possibly the key to the entire series) it gets VERY suspicious.

But I've only read each one once so far. And I didn't mean to imply that they don't deserve hearty endorsement. I read the first 3 in about three weeks. But he's not exactly churning them out, and it's quite awhile to wait if you expect the whole story availible when you get started. 4 books of 7, or more likely 9 or 10.

I've read the first 3 twice, and the last one but once. Most of the theory's I hear are off the net and from my book-fanatic friends. But I have on occasion relooked some things up and MY assumptions are interestingly off quite a bit. Strange how the brain thinks.
-Qes

EDIT: For updates on Dance of Dragons - or sometimes lack therein check out his website. http://www.georgerrmartin.com/

 

[QES]

How do A Song of Ice and Fire compare to the Wheel of time series? I know that you will say theyare 100 times better, but you will influence me more if you actually compare their writing styles, plot, characters, etc.

Oh and also, i know that some people feel that the Wheel of Time books stagnate a little bit in the middle, but sofar i have read the first seven and loved them all.

This is an oft made comparison, and I'll paraphrase my friend the book-fiend.
"THey are both simultaniously my favorite single book series"
- How does that work? -
"Simple. I couldnt live without either. The wheel of time is high adventure, extreme magic, and extreme good and bad. The characters you Love will live on and do great things, no matter what trouble they get into, and they will always do it in a great way. A Song of Ice and Fire is gritty, dirty, ambiguous and REAL. The characters you love can die at any moment, they may become characters you eventually hate, and characters youve hated for 3 books in a row suddenly become the only character you care about. Where Wheel of Cheese (what he calls wheel of time) is Grand and like an adventure at a theme park filled with delusional joy - A Song of Ice and Fire is the joy of surviving a catastrophic disaster, it's more real, but less pretty."

-Qes

EDIT: Favorite SoIaF character = Arya

EDIT2: It occured to me that i may not have answered your question. In quality they compare about equally (I rely on a friend who reads A TON). He loves both, he's been dedicated to Wheel of Cheese longer, and there is emotional and intellectual investment in that series. Its a glorious adventure. A Song of Ice and Fire is a book that CHANGES you. If you let it. It dabbles with deep moral discontinuities, it's incredibly philosophical. It shows you that the bad guys OFTEN WIN, because of their tactics and willingess to sacrifice morality and nobility. It plays with the themes of falsehood and illusion (not magical, but perception). It is constantly trying to reaffirm and destroy the notion of chivalry. Are Knights supposed to be good? There is a perpetual arguement about Knights being chivlarous, and Knights being fundamental instruments of war. Which is it? Can one be both? Etc. Is nobilitiy real? or merely a tool to some other end - which may or may not be nefarious? Is chastity REALLY a virtue? Etc. A Song of Ice and Fire is really a Song of Questions.

 

[jafink]

This is an oft made comparison, and I'll paraphrase my friend the book-fiend.
"THey are both simultaniously my favorite single book series"
- How does that work? -
"Simple. I couldnt live without either. The wheel of time is high adventure, extreme magic, and extreme good and bad. The characters you Love will live on and do great things, no matter what trouble they get into, and they will always do it in a great way. A Song of Ice and Fire is gritty, dirty, ambiguous and REAL. The characters you love can die at any moment, they may become characters you eventually hate, and characters youve hated for 3 books in a row suddenly become the only character you care about. Where Wheel of Cheese (what he calls wheel of time) is Grand and like an adventure at a theme park filled with delusional joy - A Song of Ice and Fire is the joy of surviving a catastrophic disaster, it's more real, but less pretty."

-Qes
EDIT: Favorite SoIaF character = Arya

Thanks alot Qes that was a very poetic comparison

 

[QES]

Thanks alot Qes that was a very poetic comparison

No problem, i added a second edit to more technically answer your question, as i found myself unsatisfied in my answer.
-Qes

 

[Chandrasekhar]

Hm, maybe I'll have to look into A Song of Fire and Ice myself. Thanks for introducing us.

 

[Nikis-Knight]

Rent Monty Python's Holy Grail while you're at it. May not be profound, but it has lots of FfH refrences... or maybe it's the other way around.

 

[QES]

Hm, maybe I'll have to look into A Song of Fire and Ice myself. Thanks for introducing us.

Oh i didnt introduce you, Since Tyrion Lansister is an option for "Rating" at the end, clearly the development team new what it was doing. Corlindale is your real culprit, thank him. I'm more of the naggard who will pound the love into you. As the love was pounded into me.

Also I finally figured out a way to show comparison.

Lord of the Rings - Adventure Story with Moral Imperatives (non fantasy example: Adventures of Indiana Jones

Wheel of Time - High Adventure Fairy Tale (Non-fantasy example: Bed time stories, or Fiary Tales (not necesssarily just for children)

Cthulu - Dark Insanity Based Mythos (non-fantasy example: None really, but some ancient religions and myths were compariable - the norse for example)

Vampire Gothic - Gothic Melodrama exposing social stigma (non-fantasy example: Tragedies Like the phantom of the Opera, or existentialist eggar allen poeist movies)

A Song of Ice and Fire - Fantasy Noir (non-fantasy example: Detective discovering how dirty life can be (Chinatown))

-Qes

 

[Joosty]

Anyone who didnt know who cloud was needs to be shot (No joke).

eerr... shoot me then I suppose!

Actually I do know cloud (or rather I have heard of him), after reading other people's answers, but I just dislike ff and anything even remotely related to it. My mind works to guide my thoughts around it.

Considering the four year wait to start with the song of ice and fire, that is for slow readers only. If you read fast or normal speed, wait a bit longer even. Preferably until the whole series has been published. The rate it is going now the books get two new reprints before each new installment. So much for collecting the series...

 

[QES]

eerr... shoot me then I suppose!

Actually I do know cloud (or rather I have heard of him), after reading other people's answers, but I just dislike ff and anything even remotely related to it. My mind works to guide my thoughts around it.

Considering the four year wait to start with the song of ice and fire, that is for slow readers only. If you read fast or normal speed, wait a bit longer even. Preferably until the whole series has been published. The rate it is going now the books get two new reprints before each new installment. So much for collecting the series...

While i can respect the "buy and burn through" technique of reading, anticipation is not entirely...or really ever, a bad thing. It encourages imagination, and when the books DO come out, your mind has been rolling the possibilities around for so long in your head that you simply fall into the book and need to be pulled out with one of those hooks they use at pools to take drown people out.
-Qes

 

[Firestrom]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH don't give away the rest of the books for me I haven't read them yet!!!!! (yet I can't stop looking!)

 

[QES]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH don't give away the rest of the books for me I haven't read them yet!!!!! (yet I can't stop looking!)

I have said NOTHING of the plots. Anything ive talked about here is only theory and can be EASILY dismissed by dutiful readers. My expositions will never give away things, other than the feelings i had. Like "pain, sorrow, anger" etc. Nothing specific. I'm not a dope, and were i to ruin anything in this......I myself may have to lynch me. Granted, i've already been lynched once in this Forum....and I sort of enjoyed it, but thats not the point!

I wont ruin anything.
-Qes

 

[Firestrom]

Haha Thanks for some reaserance. I'm re-reading the series in anticipation of actually buying another

 

[Corlindale]

There's no reason whatsover to wait for the entire series to be published before reading A Song of Ice and Fire. You see, every new release will give you a reason to re-read the entire series - what could be better?

I personally think that A Song of Ice and Fire is superior to The Wheel of Time. The characters seem much more real, and I care much more for them, whereas a lot of characters in WoT simply annoyed me. The first few books of WoT were interesting enough, but I think the story really started to drag around book 6-7. I once read book 1-6 in the series, then I gave up. Later I decided to give it another go, and this time got as far as the middle of book 7. The story just seems to die down at this point, don't really know why. I have great respect for the diverse world Jordan has managed to create, the various people that inhabits it(I especially like the Tuath'an - in a way I think that "The Tinker and the sword" is the saddest chapter in the books), and the books certainly has that epic feel to them. In the end I think it was the lack of really interesting characters that bothered me and made me lose interest. I simply didn't care that much about what happened to Rand, Egwene and Mat anymore, whereas I never think I will lose interest in the fates of Tyrion, Jon and Arya.

 

[Kael]

There's no reason whatsover to wait for the entire series to be published before reading A Song of Ice and Fire. You see, every new release will give you a reason to re-read the entire series - what could be better?

I personally think that A Song of Ice and Fire is superior to The Wheel of Time. The characters seem much more real, and I care much more for them, whereas a lot of characters in WoT simply annoyed me. The first few books of WoT were interesting enough, but I think the story really started to drag around book 6-7. I once read book 1-6 in the series, then I gave up. Later I decided to give it another go, and this time got as far as the middle of book 7. The story just seems to die down at this point, don't really know why. I have great respect for the diverse world Jordan has managed to create, the various people that inhabits it(I especially like the Tuath'an - in a way I think that "The Tinker and the sword" is the saddest chapter in the books), and the books certainly has that epic feel to them. In the end I think it was the lack of really interesting characters that bothered me and made me lose interest. I simply didn't care that much about what happened to Rand, Egwene and Mat anymore, whereas I never think I will lose interest in the fates of Tyrion, Jon and Arya.

Yeah I started the Wheel of Time a few times because I always heard such cool stuff about it but I was never able to finish it. I agree with you that the characters are just to bland.