The lyf so short

Should I know what you're talking about?

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Not necessarily. I just found out that for me, the Game of Thrones series isn't any more satisfying than the book. ^^

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Echt? Das gibt's jetzt bei uns im Fernsehen? Wann denn, wo denn, wieso denn?

(Aber nachdem ich die Bücher furchtbar fand, schätze ich, dass mir die TV-Serie auch nicht besser gefallen wird!)

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RTL II, 20:15, gestern, heute und morgen.
(Bin gespannt ;))

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OMG ja. Die Kostüme ... haben die Waschbretter an oder was? Und dann die eine Szene, wo sie so dahinreiten und Blondie hat mehr oder weniger ein Bikinioberteil aus groben Maschen/Ketten an? Tut mir leid, aber da musste ich an Conan denken. Und der ist wesentlich witziger.

Außerdem, die Dialoge? Das kann doch nicht nur am Synchronisieren liegen, oder? Dass die sich so dämlich anhören.

Ich glaube, wir sind durch LotR einfach furchtbar verwöhnt.

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Besonders wertvoll fand ich auch, wie sauber alle sind. (Weiße Wanderer? Wohl eher Weißer Riese.) Wenn man bedenkt, wie sehr die Bücher einen auf "OMG SOOO FINSTER UND REALISTISCH" machen, ist das schon irgendwie... ironisch.

Aber gut. Der Realismusfaktor wird da meiner Ansicht nach eh schwer überbewertet...

Edited Date: 2012-03-25 07:43 pm (UTC)

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Den Weißen Riesen Gedanken hatte ich auch!!! Dann lag das also nicht nur an mir. *g*

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Now I know what you people feel like when I endlessly ramble about some Tolkienic awesomeness that bores you to tears, I guess.

... well, considering I tried a year to read the first book and still haven't read past the part where Frodo throws the ring into the fire ... That essay about why Tolkien can't write is also still on backburn. *ducks*

What I kind of don't get: if you already didn't like the book (which you very elaborately stated several times already), why waste your precious time by watching the series as well? Just to prove how bad it is? I mean, I'm all for trash watching for the sake of trash, like I did it with MUEHRLIN but there I knew what would come (and I could get drunk).

EDIT: I just found an old comment of mine where I recommended the series to you so - I take it back xD at least partly because I would have wandered away at the commercial break latest ;)

Edited Date: 2012-03-24 09:15 am (UTC)

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I just found an old comment of mine where I recommended the series to you so

Thank you - saved me the trouble of looking it up ;)

Just to prove how bad it is?

No, actually - to wait for the good part to start. We all know that early episodes of whatever series have to establish character and setting, and may thus feel a bit slow and inaccessible at first, so wandering away at the commercial break might have been unfair. I wanted to stick with it till the end to get a fuller impression. I wasn't in trash watching mode (though I'd be in the future, of course, if I cared to watch on).
Besides, I'm still genuinely trying to find out what so many people love about the books/ series/ characters. I TRIED!

I'm looking forward to the epic rant/essay swap. ^^

Edited Date: 2012-03-24 09:27 am (UTC)

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I also didn't understand back then that you read the whole book although you hated it. If that happens, I usually slam it shut and sell it. The only one I kept out of sheer stubborness is "Dune" because I had to buy it off the library. That's also one of those cases where everyone else in Sci-Fi nearly dies out of adoration for the Grand Master and I simply found it trite, boring and horribly written. So I can understand you in a way.

I'm looking forward to the epic rant/essay swap. ^^ I doubt I will be up for it because I would have to do research and I am really have no time or energy for it. So I rather fill it with things that I know will be enjoyable for me ;) Nice icon choice *g*

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That was another case of "There must be something to this hype" (ironically, without the hype I might have 'hated' it a little less, too...). And I was trying to persevere because like it or not, it's kind of another genre-definer (supposedly, genre-defyer, too, but I didn't get that at all). It was an educating experience, anyway.
...
Meanwhile, I never got beyond the first few pages of Dune. XD

Well, a good rant can be liberating and satisfying in its own way! For me, anyway, which is why I probably will write that essay in the end. Of course, it may be well be highly subjective and not actually well-researched. That'd be work! ;)

I saw that on a friend's journal and knew I'd have occasion to use it at some point!

Edited Date: 2012-03-24 10:49 am (UTC)

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I am looking forward to the rant. I could not really bring myself to read more than 90 pages of the first book, because something about the writing style and the characters really made me disinclined to read any further. I could not really put it into words why, it was merely a steadily growing feeling of resentment, so I'm really looking forward to your observations.

Same with the TV show. I was interested at first and willing to give it a chance, because I wouldn't have to bother with the writing style and could still enjoy the wonderful storylines and intrigues everybody seems to be fawning about, right? Right. Thing is, stopped caring after the third or fourth episode, because I got to know that the only character I could bring myself to care about (mayhaps because of the actor...^^;) wouldn't survive the first series anyhow. It's not that I found it outright bad, it's just that it leaves me with a feeling of meh and do-not-care. For me, your hubby hit the nail on the head.

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I persevered until the middle of the third book. Then I realised that there was only one thing I wanted: for a meteor to come crashing down and killing *everyone*. I don't think I finished book #3 ...

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What did you dislike about the books? *is interested*

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Several aspects.

I think the author wanted to convey hmmm... perhaps you can call it fantastic realism? Realism in fantasy? I think he wanted it come across all nitty-gritty and full of shadows and as far away from pretty elves and pink unicorns as possible. Only for me all he did was that he ended up with a whole cast of completely unpleasant characters. I ended up actively disliking every single character in the books (apart from the wolves, maybe).

Also, I believe he's not even half as original as he thinks he is. The dragon stuff? Half a dozen fantasy authors have done dragons better. The trick of killing innocent animals in your plot to prove how absolutely unfeeling someone is? Cheap.

And then there's all that senseless cruelty and nastiness. Too much violence. Too much torture. Too much rape. Too much incest. Thankfully I don't remember the details, but I remeber the feeling I was left with from reading ... Urgh. Of course no world is all rainbows and pink unicorns, but ... realism is not portraying everyone as selfish and cruel and sick (or at best stupid). In real life there are ALSO kind people and generous people and people who surpass themselves to do the right thing. And many people just ... in between, trying to do the best they can.

I just generally prefer books with a more positive mindset. For example, Tamora Pierce's latest, "Mastiff". There's more than enough cruelty in there, and nasty treason. But at the same time she shows many moments of compassion, of bravery, of personal struggle and failure, but also development for the better.

Last but not least, GRR Martin is violently and unpleasantly opposed to fanfic, and while I didn't know that when I stopped reading his series the first time, it's one reason why I haven't made an effort to take another look at this books.

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Thank you for taking the time to answer! :)

From what I've read about the books, I can pretty much relate to both disliking the characters and the negativity.
[Also, characters with silver hair, violet eyes, pet dragons and names like Daenerys Targaryen give me enough Mary-Sue vibes to rather stay away from a book, TBH]

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That was what killed my first attempt at reading the book - fandom experience and dislikes. A character named Daenerys Targaryen Stormborn of Dragonstone? With silver hair? AND VIOLET EYES? Get me outta here...
(Seriously - I was convinced that I'd read the book half-way through when I attempted my second reading. Then I found my old bookmark on page 21 - Daenerys' first appearance. Ironically, she later was one of the few characters I did NOT hate. Until she started breastfeeding dragons. (Platypus dragons?) That was the end.
Of the book as well, fortunately. XD)

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I could appreciate platypus dragons. Without the breastfeeding and the GOT-background, of course. Waddling, flat, fluffy dragons. I'm sold.

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Oh, finally a hype I can subscribe to. *feels better* LOL! I LOVE Dune. (But only the first book, the others I never managed to read!)

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Another example is Neil Gaiman. I loved "Good Omens" and everyone and their dog wet their pants over him so I looked forward to reading "American Gods" and was deeply disappointed. It was not a bad book, I didn't hate it. I finished it and felt enough entertained to pass time on boring tramlines (but that's in my case not a sign of quality, two Dan Brown novels did the same for me - and then I sold them ;) ) It just left me utterly unimpressed and slightly annoyed at the end because of all the cameos . From what I see/hear of what he does and says he is a bright fellow and a nice guy, that for sure, but I'm completely disinclined to try anything else by him, although he is recommended to me left and right.

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Of course in the end it all boils to de gustibus.... I was terrified when I recommended The Hunger Games to

macalla_ because I thought "Augh augh what if she hates it?" (She didn't, though she didn't love it either.) Personally, I do love Neil Gaiman (and his writing). On the other hand I'm unimpressed by another goodly dozen of recommended writers. Heck, most of the time I'm completely bored (or worse) by those who show up on the Nobel Price list. (I had to read one book by Doris Lessing in school. Maybe the rest of her work is much better, but that one was just awful. It featured such amazing sentences as "He looked at her with his hostile-looking gaze, that looked hostile." Wow. True poetry.)

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When

joe_crassus asked if he could borrow the first GoT books I said flat out no. I value his opinion highly and was too much afraid he would hate it (because like you - and I - he is very elaborate in his dislike). Fortunately he just went and read it anyway - and absolutely loved it :) right now we parallely read the fifth book. He doesn't like the series (or rather, everything that is not Westeros in there) but fortunately

khamura loves it as much as I do.

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allamistako.livejournal.com

While I ejoyed the books - at least until the third, where I wandered off and havn't cared enough to buy book 4 - I must admit that I wasn't that overwhelmed with the series either, I still havn't seen the last episode of season 1, and I lack the enthusiasm to look forward to season 2...

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joyful-molly.livejournal.com

AHAHAHA!

See my latest entry. I don't get it, either. Not at all. I never read the books, so it's not a "I liked the books better" issue, and I've been really looking forward to it - yay, fantasy! yay! Sean Bean - and it was just painful.

Edited Date: 2012-03-24 06:19 pm (UTC)

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naurring.livejournal.com

I've never read the books/watched the show or cared to either, but I love your 'OWARI'. ^-^

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