# Game of Thrones, easy or hard read?



## MaloCS (Sep 22, 2010)

Hello,

I searched and found numerous threads containing hundreds, if not thousands of posts pertaining to the 'Game of Thrones' series. In lieu of spending hours upon hours pouring through those posts I decided to just ask my question outright.

Is the _*Game of Thrones*_ series an easy read? _(Hopefully I can explain to you what I believe is an easy read versus a hard read based upon my personal preferences.)_

To me, an easy read is anything by Dean Koontz, most notably, Intensity. I love how he gets right to the point and wastes little _(if no)_ time painting a broad, boring picture. He's a master at filling in the blanks as the story progresses without interrupting the pace of the story. He doesn't feel the need to force his readers into a 50 page, plot development arc before he gets to the point. In my opinion, this style of writing keeps the pages turning and the excitement and anticipation at an extremely high level.

On the other end of my 'easy to read' scale is Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. These books are akin to reading my high school biology text book. They are slow and long winded. They tend to explain every little detail even if that little detail has no bearing on the story. I find myself either falling asleep or looking at the clock when I read this type of writing; I.E. the pages are hard to turn. I find that I force myself to read these types of novels before I ultimately give up and move onto something more exciting.

So, hopefully I painted an easy to understand picture of what I believe to be easy versus hard reading. Therefore, I would really appreciate it you guys could give me your opinion on the 'Game of Thrones' series. Is it closer to Dean Koontz' Intensity or Tolkien's Lord of The Rings? _(Please keep in mind that I'm OBVIOUSLY not referring to subject matter but rather, the style of writing.)_

Thanks.


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## bonnerauthor (Jan 18, 2013)

I'm thinking skip the read and go with HBO.


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## purplesmurf (Mar 20, 2012)

They are very long and can be tedious at times but they are not overly difficult by any means.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I don't recall the story-telling being particularly tedious, though certainly not terse. My problem was that after close to 50% of my way into the first book there was still no important character I actually cared about in spite of there being quite a few main characters, so I moved on to something else.


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## Linlithgow (Apr 4, 2013)

I read most of the first book when I started watching the series; I love good fantasy, epic stuff with well developed characters and I bought into the marketing a bit. I sort of agree with NogDog, although there was one character I was somewhat invested in. The book isn't a difficult read, although bouncing from story arc to story arc each chapter can get tedious after a fashion. I just felt that it ended up being "Days of our (medieval) Lives" in a fantasy setting, where the whole point of the series was drama and the characters for the most part were one dimensional and predictable. I never finished the first book (esp. since I think he took the easy way out with Ned Stark), and never finished the first season. 

I have friends who have read more deeply into the series and remain committed, although the interesting phenomena I've noticed with that is they don't know WHY they are still reading it; they don't see it as the next LoTR, the storyline or characters aren't just gripping... in fact they all seem to think it's become convoluted and difficult to follow and one of them said 'confusing', but gosh darn it, they're sticking to it. I think it's all the hoopla from the TV series, and a decision that since they've read so much of it up to this point, they're obligated to see it to the end.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Not a hard read. . . . .but I wasn't keen on the frequent change of POV.  Fortunately, it's pretty obvious -- it would be much more annoying if not that you could always tell within the first paragraph of a chapter -- usually the first sentence -- what character group you were now in.  What I don't like about that sort of storytelling is that there are usually some whose stories you like better and when you're really enjoying reading about them and turn the page and the next chapter is about some other bunch that you just don't care about as much, I think it detracts.

I finished the first book, but had no inclination to read more. . .the analogy with a 'soap opera' is apt -- cliffhanger at the end of every chapter, more or less, and the first book ended the same way.  I didn't care enough about even the folks I kind of liked to bother to go on.

My son, though, says it does get more interesting as the various factions/groups start working with/against each other and you begin to figure out what powers people have.  He quite enjoys it, but he is a fantasy buff -- especially likes the complex ones, so this definitely qualifies!


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## Lucy O (Mar 11, 2013)

I devoured them. There are certainly many POVs and lots of world building and convoluted plots and lots of information that takes a _long _ time to be revealed in its entirety, but GRRM is a master of multiple cliffhangers within the book, and that kept me reading rabidly. To the point where I was neglecting food and sleep. The books aren't easy reads structurally, and I did occasionally find myself skimming in some parts if it wasn't one of my favorite characters. But the books are addictive.

The show's pretty good too. But I think if you don't have a lot of patience with books that build in a slow complex way, you wouldn't want to read the books after seeing the show. Because the thrill of reading the books is in finding out what happens next, not in the writing itself.


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## purplesmurf (Mar 20, 2012)

I agree Lucy, I read one after the other and couldn't put them down. I am a huge fan of Arya and Jon's POV, they are my 2 favorites.


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## MichelleR (Feb 21, 2009)

I would say you would consider this a hard read. The books are not difficult to comprehend, but if you have a Kindle with the x-ray feature, it would get a work out reminding you of the countless characters. Lots of world building. Lots of characterization. Lots of descriptions of meals.


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## RedDust (Apr 4, 2013)

At times it can be dull and drag but overall not a hard read.

Game of thrones, Clash of kings and A Storm of Swords are easy reads particularly ASOS.

A Feast for Crows can be difficult and people tend to lose some of the interest built up previously.

Overall i find the whole series rewarding though to read.


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## Lisa J. Yarde (Jul 15, 2010)

If you define Tolkien as a hard read, then Game of Thrones will be the same. Lots of world-building as others mentioned, and interwoven threads don't make the series any less enjoyable or rewarding. If it all seems too much, try the show as some have suggested but understand there's some context and nuances captured in the books that is never hinted at in the show.


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## jeffaaronmiller (Jul 17, 2012)

Although I loved Game of Thrones and its various sequels, it does contain an over-abundance of characters. Major and minor lords by the hundreds, not to mention the various "smallfolk" and place names. It's all a bit overwhelming trying to keep track of them all, and the number of POV characters increases with each volume. I suspect that will make it a "hard read" for you, based on your criteria. I still really enjoyed it, even if I can't keep the various noble houses straight.


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## Anotherdreamer (Jan 21, 2013)

I completely agree Koontz is easy and LOTR hard. I found Game of Thrones to be a pretty hard read. It wasn't quite as bad as LOTR but probably a not too distant second.


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## jason10mm (Apr 7, 2009)

I wouldn't consider ASOIAF a "hard" read in the sense that the language or sentence structure is difficult to comprehend or the "on screen" action is confusing. But it certainly has a lot of moving wheels, many almost entirely hidden, plus it has no real plot, thus I would place it over on the "hard" end based on your criteria. It requires your attention and GRRM can certainly be distracted with scenery, particularly food and the ancestral lineage of minor characters.


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## Lyle S Tanner (Apr 5, 2013)

I wouldn't say hard and am going to echo some people who earlier used the word "Tedious" in how I felt about it, especially the further you get into it. There are a lot of characters with similar names and after a chapter or two where it feels like they have accomplished nothing or they lose that spark that made them interesting, it can be a pain to read through them. By the time I got to Feast for Crows I was skipping chapters entirely based on who the POV character was. 

I'm still reading it, but after 5 books out of 7 it's more out of determination to finish the damn series at this point, if only to see how this all ties together. I only really care about a couple characters out of the cast anymore.


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

If you get impatient with complex plots that take several books to unfold, big casts of characters, and heavily detailed scenes, dialogue, and descriptions, I think it's safe to say you'll probably find _Game of Thrones_ heavy going. Martin is known for his detailed world building and sprawling plots. Some readers like that, some don't.


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## Zackery Arbela (Jan 31, 2011)

It's definitely not a quick read. Very involved, you have to pay attention. The brilliant thing is, you WANT to pay attention. Martin took the standard fantasy world and story, deconstructed it and took it to someplace completely new.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Zackery Arbela said:


> It's definitely not a quick read. Very involved, you have to pay attention. The brilliant thing is, *you WANT to pay attention.* Martin took the standard fantasy world and story, deconstructed it and took it to someplace completely new.


See, and I didn't. About half the time I was bored. Which is why I got to the end of the first book, thought "meh", and moved on to something completely different. I've not bothered with the later books and don't watch the series.

My son, on the other hand, very much enjoys it -- he really likes complex world fantasies where there's depth of plot and character and where it feels like the author has a whole history of the place written out somewhere to refer to as he writes. And he did say it gets better as it goes. Still, I'm not enticed.


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## cekilgore (Oct 31, 2012)

The story was good, but there was just so many characters. Characters upon characters upon characters, 90% of which are only mentioned in one chapter because he/she happens to be related to so-in-so and betrayed king-something of some distant land (that we may never hear about again) and ended up dead by the hands of his/her sister/cousin/aunt's second born's stable-master which is why the particular castle they are visiting only has one tower. (The questionable one tower being the point of the previous 10 paragraphs of explanation.)

I found this video that kind of sums it up for me how it felt to read the books (there is a NSFW scene in it but its animated)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KocHhWTwMw

But, I have to commend George for the gratuitous amounts of details and history he can stuff into a book. I agree with Ann too, I often found myself bored with chapters on characters I had no care about while flipping through them in the hopes to get to a chapter about one of the characters I was enjoying the story for. Aria Stark is probably the main reason I am still reading the series. If there was a book of just her chapters/her story, I'd so buy it


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## history_lover (Aug 9, 2010)

I don't know if I'd say it's a hard read but I would say it's a heavy read, not something to take on lightly. The length if each book certainly makes it an effort to get through and the complex plots, world building and numerous characters can make it overwhelming. But it's very rewarding and worth the effort in my opinion.


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## Grace Elliot (Mar 14, 2011)

purplesmurf said:


> They are very long and can be tedious at times but they are not overly difficult by any means.


Yeah! Somebody else who found them tedious. I bought and read one book in the series because of all the hype. I didn't care much about any of the characters and the couple that were slighlty interesting both died. Only kept reading as I'd paid for the book but won't be making the same mistake again.


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## Heffnerh (Feb 1, 2013)

_Game of Thrones_ definitely requires investment. You must be willing to invest in the characters, because there's going to be a lot of them. Invest in the details, because little things will come back up again in future installments. I'd find myself skimming some chapters, but then we'd get back to a character I'd like (say, Arya or Ned) and I'd immediately become hooked and absorbed again, that I might even read a Cersei chapter. Don't expect to finish it in one day! It's definitely called "epic fantasy" for a reason.


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## SarahNicole (Apr 4, 2013)

I loved this series, and mostly I'm just afraid that the author is going to come to an untimely demise prior to finishing.

Read them, love them, and watch HBO for the cliffnotes version.


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## Michael Murray (Oct 31, 2011)

Big heavy awesome books. Not easy reads IMO, however I always felt like Martin placed most every word with care with a reason for every one, himself (many modern blockbusters I feel more like the author sketches out a storyline and pays someone else fill in the details).

On the other hand, he also made me mad in every book, building up a storyline to an apparent climax and then walking away from it, only to get all set up for a different apparent climax. 

I find the dialogue very well done and occasionally hilarious, though mostly necessary scene setting can approach tedious. It does make for good video drama where so much that he describes in words can be displayed onscreen. The HBO series stays very very close to the actual storyline in the books & I'm pleasantly amazed that the series has done so well and it's the only reason I pay for HBO.

I also fear that Martin will not have enough time to wrap up the series, at the same time I suspect he finds the journey more important than the destination, and may not be planning to bring the series to any sort of standard conclusion...


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## CarlSinclair (Apr 7, 2013)

The Song of Fire and Ice series are some of my favourite books. That being said, they aren't quick page turners you can get through quickly.

They are very large. There is a lot of complex stuff going on, endless description and new characters. They are at times violent and full of disturbing content.

The first book is probably the easiest, less POV characters and a fairly straight forward storyline. The third book is probably the best. They got longer and more complex as you go along. The fifth book is really a bit of a struggle.

I guess it really depends on whether you are used to reading long... long.. long epic fantasy. 

Either way it is a fantastic story and I recommend you see it somehow. If the books seem a bit daunting, watch the HBO series. The first season followed the book closely, not so much the second. The third has just started last week. 

I hope you enjoy them.


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## Seleya (Feb 25, 2011)

I don't see the series as 'hard' per se, it's definitely big, though: lots of characters, lots of world building and history and, as someone else has pointed out, George martin loves his descriptions. I think I liked the first novel most, it's not my favorite series but I am addicted to it, sort of the book version of junk-food cravings. 

I see it as a fantasy soap opera, not particularly deep, chock full of cliffhangers ("Stay tuned for next week's episode!") and 'inspired by the War of the Roses' it may be but I see red when people justify the violence (or violent sex) in the books saying " It's a medieval word after all", I'd say it feels more like the TV version of the early Renaissance based on a few popular knowledge axioms.

I found the last book was veering a bit to much towards horror for my tastes (the disgusting version, not the scary version), I don't think 'gritty' means 'everything has to be spelled out in precise detail', I hope the next book doesn't go on like this, since I'll have to buy it anyway (my husband illustrates the card game based on the books).

Note to the OP: I'm the opposite of you, love Tolkien and can't read Koontz to save my life (I tried).


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## MaloCS (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks for all of the helpful replies, I appreciate everyone taking the time to help me out.


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## DYB (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm late to the party, but here's my take: I hated LOTR.  Boooring. I started skipping whole pages because nothing was happening and yet Tolkien kept writing words.  Martin can also get tedious, especially with food.  The man is fond of food.  He will describe every darned dish on the table in great detail.  For breakfast, lunch and dinner.  At Joffrey's wedding they had 77 courses and I think Martin came close to describing every single one of them.  But someone wrote above that Martin has a lot of wheels spinning in ASOIF: and therein lies the difference for me between ASOIF and LOTR.  Martin has a lot of wheels spinning and Tolkien only had, like, 3.  That's why with Tolkien I did not think his diarrhea of the pen was justified; it is not actually a very big story he's telling.  There's only a handful of characters and all they do is walk.  With Martin he has dozens of major character and probably hundreds of supporting.  There are dozens of locations and he moves from one to the next in every chapter.  There are a dozen main plots going, and dozens of subplots.  Tolkien took 1000 pages to tell a couple of small stories.  Martin is cramming dozens of stories into the same amount of space.  And you'll be playing catchup the whole time, vs. waiting for Tolkien to stop listening to the sound of his own voice.


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