I've Never Read GRRM

[Gary XI]

Hi all, I know I don’t post much but this is something I’d really like some pointers with,
I never seem to get around to reading GRRM, he’s been on my to read pile for a couple of years now, but as I begin to sway toward Mieville, Abercrombie, Lynch etc there seems other books to read first.
I guess I’m a little concerned that a GRRM plot may rather traditional compared to my current persuasion.
What I’m really after is advice, should I read? Where do I start? What can I expect?
Any help is much appreciated!

 

[PeteMC]

Hi all, I know I don’t post much but this is something I’d really like some pointers with,
I never seem to get around to reading GRRM, he’s been on my to read pile for a couple of years now, but as I begin to sway toward Mieville, Abercrombie, Lynch etc there seems other books to read first.
I guess I’m a little concerned that a GRRM plot may rather traditional compared to my current persuasion.
What I’m really after is advice, should I read? Where do I start? What can I expect?
Any help is much appreciated!

If you like Abercrombie you should like GRRM just fine. Start with "A Game of Thrones". Don't worry if the prologue doesn't grab you, read the first two chapters as well and then decide if you like it or not.

If by "traditional" you mean is it a "farm boy discovers he's the chosen one and goes on a quest to the doomy mountain to topple the dark lord of dark doom" then no, it really isn't.

It's more like the Wars of the Roses meets the Borgias with a sprinkling of Ghengis Khan.

 

[farseer2]

Yep. I read A Game of Thrones a long time ago and was utterly impressed. It's a huge story, very well told, with a lot of point of view characters (each chapter is written from the point of view of a character). It's a very enjoyable read, and if you like big fat epic fantasy books you'll probably like this one.

However, it's not a standalone story. I dislike waiting between books in a series, so I stopped reading there and I'm waiting for him to finish the series and then enjoy it together. At the pace he is going, however, I may die of old age before that happens

I guess I’m a little concerned that a GRRM plot may rather traditional compared to my current persuasion.

Not really. From a technical point of view, I think he does a great job in juggling together so many point of views and making it work. Each point of view character is interesting, and every time a chapter ended I was sorry because I wanted to know what would happen next to one character and excited because I would get to read about another one.

It also has its share of dark-n-grittiness. Westeros is a harsh place, and no character is completely safe there.

Mieville is not my cup of tea, but I enjoy Lynch and Abercrombie and if you like them I don't see why you shouldn't enjoy Martin. Martin's story is more heavy-weight, though. Bigger and more epic. It's a treat for epic fantasy lovers.

Now, if only he would finish it...

Where do I start?

Well, you start from the beginning, of course. The A Song of Ice and Fire books so far are:
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords
4. A Feast for Crows

If you want to sample more GRRM writing, a favorite of mine is Windhaven (written with Lisa Tuttle). It's a very enjoyable standalone fantasy novel, although it's quite different in tone from A Song of Ice and Fire, so it probably won't give you an idea of what to expect.

 

[Gary XI]

If by "traditional" you mean is it a "farm boy discovers he's the chosen one and goes on a quest to the doomy mountain to topple the dark lord of dark doom" then no, it really isn't.

Yeah that's kinda what I was getting at, not that I necessarily dislike it, just that I’ve read it a hundred times before. To give a measure, a couple of my least favourite authors are Terry Brooks and Robert Jordan. (But I secretly kinda like Goodkind)

Well, you start from the beginning, of course. The A Song of Ice and Fire books so far are:
1. A Game of Thrones
2. A Clash of Kings
3. A Storm of Swords
4. A Feast for Crows

A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings were on my list for a while, but if I remember correctly one of them had a dragon on the cover. Now I know we shouldn’t fall to that well known phrase, but I couldn’t help thinking “what if this is a Prince of Dragons story?” I’m sure that’s not the case, just some personal fears creeping in!

Am I correct in thinking that the story flows almost seamlessly from book to book much like WoT? I’m beginning to understand how people seem to be hooked

 

[AmethystOrator]

I only recently returned to reading fantasy, except for George RR Martin, who I continued to keep up with during my break. I haven't yet gotten around to reading Mieville or Lynch, but in the last 2-3 months I have read Abercrombie's 5 novels, as well as some others that you may or may not have read such as Weeks' 4 books, Sanderson's Mistborn and Way of Kings and the first three novels of Glenn Cook's Black Company. I definitely enjoyed Abercrombie's works, and while I sometimes had trouble putting his books down, his stories still paled by comparison imo. The others were interesting to varying degrees as well. But none came close to ASoIaF (A Song of Ice and Fire) for me.

Perhaps I just haven't yet found the right books, but so far Martin is unquestionably on a much higher level. His characters are believable and complex and where he takes many of them will surprise, if not shock, you. His world's history, and many of the details contained therein such as heraldry, religion and genealogy, are quite well developed. The political intrigue is fascinating and multi-layered. The scope of the story is Epic, and I don't use the word lightly.

Your concern should not be that you will find anything about this story traditional or mundane, but that after reading this, you may well find everything else to be so.

As has been said, the usual route for new readers is to jump right in with the main books in order:

A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows

However, there have also been a series of short stories published, called The Tales of Dunk and Egg. Those are set in the same world, but well before the above four books. To date there are three, and those are:

The Hedge Knight published here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_(book)
The Sworn Sword published here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legends_II_(book)
The Mystery Knight published here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warriors_(anthology)

I read The Hedge Knight first, and it gave me a bit of a feel for Martin and what I thought to be a nice introduction into his world of Westeros. It is not nearly as weighty, eventful or Epic as A Game of Thrones, but if you really are wary of reading Martin, then starting with that story (and perhaps one or both of the subsequent Dunk & Egg Tales), might be a good way to ease into this world.

 

[PeteMC]

I read The Hedge Knight first, and it gave me a bit of a feel for Martin and what I thought to be a nice introduction into his world of Westeros. It is not nearly as weighty, eventful or Epic as A Game of Thrones, but if you really are wary of reading Martin, then starting with that story (and perhaps one or both of the subsequent Dunk & Egg Tales), might be a good way to ease into this world.

Sort of - the Dunk & Egg Tales are a bit "young adult" though. ASOIAF isn't. But yeah, they give a feel for the world setting if nothing else.

Oh, and don't worry about the dragon on the cover. D&D this isn't

 

[chokipokilo]

Fevre Dream!

His best non-ASoIaF novel in my opinion. Not traditional at all, it's a vampire novel on the river. A good taste of Martin in less than 400 pages, I highly recommend it.

And don't be put off if you're not a fan of vampire literature. Neither was I.

 

[Gary XI]

Ah cool, sounds rather promising. I'm thinking I'll go striaght into A Song of Ice and Fire.
I've just started Iron Council, then I've got The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart and The Steel Remains planned in.
After that will be time for Martin

 

[Ornery Wyvern]

I'll toss in another hearty recommendation, plain and simply ASoIaF is the best fantasy series ever, by a considerable margin. A astoundingly rich and original world with brilliant multi-layered characters, grit, blood, and intrigue aplenty, and such depth that they can be read again and again. So good I don't even worry about over-hyping it.

 

[Michigan]

Ah cool, sounds rather promising. I'm thinking I'll go striaght into A Song of Ice and Fire.
I've just started Iron Council, then I've got The Sad Tale of the Brothers Grossbart and The Steel Remains planned in.
After that will be time for Martin

I found the Iron Council to be hugely dissapointing after reading The Scar and PSS. Good luck with it. And while I haven't read The Steel Remains yet, i've read his SF and with one exception they were all excellent, can't imagine you can go wrong there.

 

[Rob B]

Hi all, I know I don’t post much but this is something I’d really like some pointer
What I’m really after is advice, should I read? Where do I start? What can I expect?
Any help is much appreciated!

Take a look at the many, many, many, many threads discussing George and his writing, including this one in particular: Martin - should I embark?

 

[ebusinesstutor]

I find the writing good, but I feel there are two many characters and points of view for my taste. But overall. a good read.

 

[Jennifer P]

Windhaven is not fantasy, its science fiction of the 'lost colony' subgenre. It is, however, absolutely excellent and IMO better than ASOIAF.

 

[chris777]

There's a few things to consider here. ASOIAF is a great series. Nobody who respects fantasy will tell you otherwise. They are simply awesome(minus the last book, it was meh). The problem is that the last book was written FIVE YEARS AGO. And Book1 was written 15years ago! Do you want to wait a few more years for the next book, then possibly NEVER get the final book? THATS the issue to consider.
Another consideration is the TV miniseries is already casted and ready to start in late 2010 if rumors can be believed. This is only based on Book1(A Game of Thrones). So do you want to read this book before watching the series? That's why I read them...but now i regret doing so because I'm afraid the series will never be finished.

 

[Werthead]

It may be worthwhile to investigate some of his other books first (I'd recommend Fevre Dream as well), depending on how sensitive you are to long waits between books. If you do commit to the series, I would urge pausing after Book 3 as there is something of a pause in the series, and it makes for a better stopping point than the huge cliffhangers of Book 4. Books 4-5 could then be read together when 5 comes out.

But in overall terms this is one of the most-discussed fantasy series of modern times, and I'd recommend giving it a go. I would also heavily recommend avoiding all spoilers for the series.

 

[Zach H.]

Ice and Fire can feel like a traditional work of fantasy that thrives on nontraditional turns, I think. Martin still offers teens separated from their families and thrust out into a world that is threatened by a lurking evil, for instance, although don't expect these characters to spread through the ranks and conquer with the ease of ol' Rand, and don't expect that lurking evil to represent the primary source of conflict.

 

[Twinner]

I second (third....) Fevre Dream! I read this very long ago and loved it. It was an innovative take on the whole vampire thing (at the time) and a very fun read.

 

[ElinIsabel]

I was meh on it the first time I read it and quit about 150 pages through, but returned to it in a better mood and couldn't put it down the second time. Keep reading.

Ice and Fire can feel like a traditional work of fantasy that thrives on nontraditional turns, I think.

This is exactly what I thought.

 

[Michigan]

There's a few things to consider here. ASOIAF is a great series. Nobody who respects fantasy will tell you otherwise. They are simply awesome(minus the last book, it was meh). The problem is that the last book was written FIVE YEARS AGO. And Book1 was written 15years ago! Do you want to wait a few more years for the next book, then possibly NEVER get the final book? THATS the issue to consider.
Another consideration is the TV miniseries is already casted and ready to start in late 2010 if rumors can be believed. This is only based on Book1(A Game of Thrones). So do you want to read this book before watching the series? That's why I read them...but now i regret doing so because I'm afraid the series will never be finished.

Rumors? I think it's alot more then that at this point. They have already started filming and have two teasers and a behind the scenes available.

 

[Werthead]

Rumors? I think it's alot more then that at this point. They have already started filming and have two teasers and a behind the scenes available.

They're approaching the halfway point of filming and have air-dates: March 2011 for the USA and April for the UK.