Connavar, Welcome to the Martin threads.
I hope thats true cause even if dont like the characters,the story etc i always enjoy a good fight
I must say that sounds like you prefer gratuitous violence. I admit that I've enjoyed my share of gratuitous scenes in film and literature. I'm glad to hear your preference for sympathy, empathy, hatred, fondness, or whatever we call bonding with a character.
I hope you do find a character or two who you become interested in whether you hate or love them. For my own part, I quickly liked Ned and fairly quickly learned to hate Catelyn. Then I learned to not like Ned, really hate Cat, and start liking Tyrion. I really do not like, nor have ever liked, Jon... yet, his POV (point of view) tells a very interesting and seemingly essential part of the overall story. After the second book, Tyrion was clearly my favorite. After the third book, Jaime and Tyrion were my co-favorites and that's still how it stands with me.
Let me comment on the POV system that GRRM employs. I really like it... even when it annoys me. He uses it to give us information from multiple perspectives. These POVs utilize contrasts and comparisons of regional cultures, familial customs, gender attitudes, age variances, social expectations, and religious mindsets. He gives us parts of the whole from drastically different angles and then lets us try to guess what is really going on.
In school, I learned the story of the
Blind Men and the Elephant. The first blind man reached out and felt the elephant's trunk and he said, "An elephant is like a snake." The second blind man reached out and felt the elephant's leg and he said, "An elephant is like a tree trunk." The third blind man reached out and felt the elephant's ear and he said, the elephant is like a fan." The fourth blind man reached out and felt the elephant's side and he said, "An elephant is like a wall." Each of the blind men thought the others were stupid in their assessments of the elephant. None of them was willing to try and experience the other person's point of view, so to speak.
GRRM's use of POVs makes us see the story only from certain angles. Usually author's give all the information pertinent to the story from one POV, but after reading ASOIAF, reading one POV feels like being spoon fed. Martin expects his readers to work hard to fill in the perceived gaps. And when readers are actively engaged in the very process of working the story out in their minds then they can be radically surprised when the author twists the story from their anticipated plot lines. I thought AGOT was going to be the generic Good Guys versus Bad Guys, but GRRM used the POVs to blur these distinctions. I can't into detail without spoiling the story.
Writing from the perspective of one character is not easy. Writing from the perspectives of over a dozen characters and keeping the characters all true to themselves and keeping them all distinct sort of blows my mind.
There are series I've started, but never finished. So if you don't keep up with ASOIAF, I understand. Yet, I hope to hear your assessment after you've finished AGOT. If you're still not impressed, that's okay... not everyone has the same tastes, that's the great thing about art. Don't worry about us flaming you, I think we are big enough (I know GRRM is, how could he be a successful author if he wasn't?) to take it.
Onlythepine said:
Just wait, one day you'll wake up and realize that Jaime is your favourite character
Truer words were never posted.
Edit: While I was typing in my usual verbosity, Tabasco posted and I'd like to comment.
You like some of the POVs, but not the character at the center of the POV. I know what you mean... Cat, Jon, Bran, Theon, Aeron, Asha, Arys, and Cersei all bother me, but certain vital and indispesable information was gleaned from their POVs. Catelyn and Bran especially set up Jaime.
Yes, some of the characters have commited heinous crimes and done despicable deeds. Yet as I've read on in the series, the theme of redemption has come up. As a Christian, I'm very curious to see what GRRM does with characters trying to make good on a bad past. Yes, Jaime is a bad guy. Okay, I admit he's been the poster child for the Hitler Youth or for Satan's Summer Camp, but is he condemned to continue wrecking other people's lives? Can a tiger change his stripes?
Tabasco said:
What I like most about this series is the pace and the storyline. There are so many factions that exist, some of them factions within factions, and very little separates them from each other. When they finally collide, it should be amazing. In terms of pace and politics, this series is fantastic.
If you like this style of story and plot lines, I suggest
Shogun by James Clavell. 'Nuff said.
