So most of you will probably find this stupid but I came to the GOT series because I loved the books. Unfortunately as most of you know, RR Martin writes at a glacial pace. I decided back in January that I will not watch this season because of possible spoilers from the upcoming book. But as a social media addict, I'm probably going to get it spoiled anyway, so I am waivering on my decision.

Am I the only idiot that is 'agonizing' on this decision...

S

Both Martin and the producers of the show have stated that the series and the books aren't necessarily congruent. So, for example, characters that die in the series might very well live in the books or vice versa.

IMO, it's possible to enjoy both books and show independently from each other. At this point, most who've followed the books probably have a pretty good idea where the story is going anyway, so I am not "scared" of spoilers. And the series might very well tell a different narrative than the books regarding the overall backstory. And even if not, the books still are much more descriptive and detailed than the show could ever be, so the story will be much more fleshed out.

The only difference is that those of us who've read all the books can no longer fire away with gleeful condescending wisecracking anymore.

To paraphrase Zen master Mechanus from another thread: "the journey is the destination".

Everyone ends up being a Cylon anyway.

I visit a board that is 90% book focused, and for what I can read there, I can tell you that if you are a book fan, if you watch this season, it will just make you suffer. The level of butt clenching and teeth grinding on every turn and twist in this season's TV plot from the members there is really amusing.

On the other side, show fans that read the books are just playing the game on how to paste together the events of the series with what may be coming in the books.

Dude! Spoiler alert!

And I have heard those statements before Jayhawk and from the previous seasons you can definitely see they have diverged on several stories. And this almost convinces me to watch, except I am sure that some of my favorites like Arya and John will follow closely to RR's intent. I know Snow's story line is not complete and I think I know where it will go from here but UGH, I CAN FEEL THE SEDUCTION.

And Bib, that is funny. I can see myself in their boat. Right now I am set on not watching, even as silly as that sounds. BUT COME ON MARTIN, END OUR SUFFERING. WINTER HAS BEEN COMING FOR 20 FN YEARS.

S

OTOH, GRRM might take another 20 years to finish the series, and by then you'll have forgotten most of what happened in the show anyway.

That's a very good point. I have already forgotten what happened in the books anyway. Even after reading the whole series again 2 YEARS ago.

S

In every movie or tv show based on a book, people say "the book was better". The ideal way to experience a story twice is to watch it and then read it, that way it just gets better and even more fulfilling. That's how I was with Clear and Present Danger. LOVED the movie, then I read the book which was far, FAR better. Now I get to enjoy both on their own merits. Same for Dune, Red October and some others I'm forgetting.

On the other hand, books I've read first and then saw the movie, almost always disappoint me.
(LOTR is an exception, but we don't get movies like that but once or twice a generation IMO.)
The Hobbit, Enders Game, some others. It's never good.

So what you have here is the lucky opportunity to enjoy the show on its own merits, since RRM is so slow to write. The show is excellent, I don't care if it doesn't follow the books that closely. It's a GREAT show. If the books are even better, then so be it, but there are limits on what you can do on tv/movies without losing too much of your audience. That's showbiz. But it's a GREAT show.
Enjoy it without worry, you know the books will be better, far more in-depth, will involve many more characters and the fate of these characters will be different, since he isn't going to give up rights to his creation and let the show writers take it away from him. He'll write something else and laugh his way to the bank.

Quit judging the show based on the books and just enjoy. You no longer have a book to compare it to, to ruin it for you. Consider it a favor. Then read the book(s) when they come out if the guy lives long enough to do it.
Did you see the ERB video I posted? LOL

This series is one of the few where neither disappoints me. But for me I want to see his true intention first. Unfortunately I am afraid he is going to Robert Jordan this dang book series. Hopefully not but he is not the picture of health.

It's safe to say book 7 will not be out this decade considering how long it's taken him to get 5 out. Now one change is he's cut down his participation on the series (he was writing one episode per season for the first few) to help him focus his efforts, but still he's just not fast.

On a side note, I found out by reading between the lines from a Kathleen Kennedy interview that that's the reason why Michael Arndt only did the first draft for SW7. He's just a slow writer and they had a time crunch, so Kasdan and Abrams did the later and final drafts. Maybe if he'd been hired to write Ep 8 or 9 he would've had the time he needed.

Some writers just move at different rates.



The Jedi Master

Keeping with the Robert Jordanning arc, the next book will cover
three weeks in 1500 pages, and spend most of its time in detailed
descriptions of the furniture and the characters' inner monologues.

Sounds more like Dickens, who was paid by the word and it showed.
Only Dickens could take an entire page to say "the carriage went down the street."



The Jedi Master

For me the show started off as a really good TV version of great books. Then, starting partway through last season it started turning into mediocre fan fiction. I am kind of curious about this season, but not enough to actually watch it.

http://cdn2.cad-comic.com/comics/cad-20160504-65531.png

I don't know, Clancy could too.

-You know Stan Smith?

--Yeah, went to Annapolis. Good man.

-He saw some kind of new carriage pulling out of Central Park. Had some odd looking wheels on it. He mentioned it to his father-in-law, Tom Snooky, know him?

--Yeah, broke his leg in a race in boot camp but still finished the course in record time. Good man.

-Well Tom said it sounds like the carriage could be on some of those rubber treaded tires we tried to get to work back in '68. Never did manage it.

--I heard about that, but can't tell you how. I did write a book about it, it was read by Col. Mustard. Heard of him?

-Yeah, he did in Prof Plum in the library with the wrench. Good man.

--That's the one. Prof Plum wasn't cleared to read it, but Col Mustard was. He's of a mind that the carriage proceeded through Central Park with one of those hyper accurate tourist maps. The ones sold by the guy on the corner with that brown hat.

-Yeah, I know the guy. Gets 20 paper cuts a week pushing those newspapers, magazines and maps. But he's a tough SOB and a good man.

--I need to get on a carriage near the new carriage.

-I can put you in the middle of Central Park with Rev Jim on his carriage in 24 hours if you promise not to sleep on the way.

--Rev Jim? The guy abducted by aliens in '78, came back in '82 and still went to OTS?

-That's the one.

--Good man.

You forgot the ok? at the end of every other line of dialogue.



The Jedi Master

And "...remember?", as in "I went to Catholic school, remember?"

Drove me nuts the last time I tried to read "Patriot Games".

Don't you mean "and remember, remember?"




The Jedi Master

Ah Clancy, I remember a whole 20 page chapter at the beginning of one of his books that talked about a shipment of special oak logs being shipped from japan. In that chapter one log goes overboard. 300 f'n pages later a submarine runs into that stupid log. A whole chapter dedicated to that setup!