KBJB

liligolightly asked: Alright, so as a true purveyor of all things George R. R. Martin: I want to read the Song of Ice and Fire books SO BADLY but I loved the series of Games of Thrones so much that I sorta don't want it to get spoiled for me. I'm in a quandary because normally I'd immediately devour the books but I sorta want the series to stay exciting and surprising for me. What are your thoughts on the topic?

1. TL;DR version:

I cannot recommend enough that you start reading. You won’t regret it. If anything, knowing the depth of characters and plot development via the books will only better enhance the show for you. I’ve started re-watching season 1 (APRIL 1^st IS SO SOON. GOTTA CATCH UP) and already I’ve caught several nuances between characters, relationships, etc. that I didn’t notice during my initial viewing. This includes lots of foreshadowing because (SPOILER ALERT) a bunch of shit is about to go down. And by “about to go down”, I mean “continues to happen throughout each and every chapter”.

The only downside to reading the books is you risk becoming a hermit who reads every waking hour. Also, you man experience an increased feeling of anxiety concerning when the next book or HBO season will be out. But really, these are good things I think. At least you’ll have a sister in arms (me!) as you slowly recede from society and detach from reality.

So I say do it. Go buy or borrow these books. Plus, then we can gab like school girls every time someone gets killed or something crazy happens. Which is an every chapter occurrence.

2. If you’re in the mood to read a (George R.R. Martin-esque length) novel:

To be fair – I’ve gotta give BIG UPS to my bro & sis for basically shaming me into reading the books. (“Are you serious? You haven’t read them? Who are you? You’re no sister of ours.”) I too had the same reservations you do, so I completely empathize with your POV. I mean, do I really want to ruin an HBO series I love with knowledge of every spoiler that is to come?

Well, now that I’ve started reading, I can’t imagine the series ending. Like, there are 7 books set to complete the Song of Ice and Fire Series. Seven. Five of which are currently published. On average, (my brother has informed me since he’s read them from the start like a real OG) it takes George R.R. Martin anywhere from 1-3 years to release a new book, with each book ranging from 850-1300 pages. So I figure if you can space your reading out, by the time you’re done with the first five, the next 2 will be out.

But as I’ve learned, this is not so: these books are ADDICTING. They are like oatmeal cream pies to me (which is bad) and I’ve already started book 4 (A Feast for Crows). I’m assuming I am pretty much summing up the way people describe Hunger Games – only add four more books and about a bizillion more pages. Meaning holy shit, this is awesome because it’s like your favorite story never ends.

Ok back to the point: will reading the books ruin the show? I think not. First of all, I think we both have the advantage of season 1 of Game of Thrones under our belts, so we have a mental image of what each character is supposed to look like. PLUS. Also, I can’t express enough: THE BOOKS GET EVEN BETTER. Like SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE SHOW. PLUS. (And the show is my favorite series on television. So you get the point.) Also, you get to be kind of a know-it-all. Probably my favorite thing to say to Jason these days is, “Um no. It didn’t happen that way in the book. Here’s what really happened.” Or maybe even, “You know that in the book she’s only supposed to be 13 right? Crazy right?” (I’m talking about Daenerys. NUTS.)

The only downsides? Being too excited about going home and getting in bed to read. Giving up social plans to stay in and read. Purposely taking public transportation so you can read and being late to engagements because you missed your stop while reading. Being pissed you can’t read because you’re driving/hanging out with humans. So basically, have you clicked confirm on your Amazon.com order yet, or what?