Favourite Book in ASOIAF

[mushroomyakuza]

Which is your favourite book in the ASOIAF sequence?

Personally, I think mine has to be A Clash of Kings.

It was just such an interesting time for Westeros. With Robert dead, everyone wanted a piece. The War of The Five Kings was truly great stuff. I also really enjoyed the 2 new POVs in this book, Theon and Davos. Davos gave us some very interesting insight into Stannis while Theon showed us just how weak and grasping he is, as well as some cool Iron Born moments.

Tyrion is what really makes this book for me though. Tyrion as Hand is just so great, and I enjoyed reading his chapters immensley. Catelyn was her usual whiny bitch self, but we always got eyes on Robb and the Starks, so it was good stuff.

I loved all of the Jon chapters in this book too, and exploring Beyond the Wall remains one of my highlights of the series. Even better was Arya, though, particularly her chapters at Harrenhal.

Unfortunatly Bran's chapters were a little slow compared to the rest of the book, and Dany's chapters, while interesting, felt a little too disengaged from the events in the rest of the world to really have much significance in this book. Overall, I still think ACOK is my favourite, followed by ASOS.

 

[soulsinging]

A Storm of Swords is one of the most powerful novels I ever read, period. That gets my vote. The Red Wedding, The Hound's wanderings with Arya, the battle at the Wall, Dany stepping into her role as one fearsome queen, Tyrion struggling to keep some sort of sanity and justice in the kingdom despite his family, Jaime's humbling and beginnings of redemption... it was amazing.

CoK is awesome too though. I had trouble with it at first, but I remember the last 1/3 or so left me stunned... the battle for King's Landing and Jon's scouting mission were enthralling. Got to love the rise of the Young Wolf too!

GoT is one I enjoyed while reading it, but can't remember any moments that really left a lasting impression on me. I need to re-read it.

AFFC is at the bottom... not as bad as some have said, but definitely longer than needed and a bit meandering. It lost the focus and driving pace of the first 3.

 

[Boaz]

mush, good thread, but it's tough to make this call because the books convey one huge story. By comparison, C.S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia could each be stand alone stories... and you could almost say the same for Lloyd Alexander's Prydain series. Even though J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books flow together into one huge story, her use of Harry's birthday and school year to mark the length of each book make it much easier to judge which book(s) one prefers.

With four down and three to go, I want to hold my judgement on my favorite book in this series... but what the heck, when have I ever shown restraint?

At least I'll preface further remarks by issuing a SPOILER WARNING.

I agree that A Clash of Kings was excellent. Tyrion ruled. Arya travelled. Brienne joined Catelyn. Robb warred. Melisandre was introduced. Theon betrayed Robb. Jon ranged. Qhorin died. Sansa realized she was a pawn. Stannis assaulted King's Landing.

Yet, I'll side with soul and confess that A Storm of Swords blew me away. I enjoyed Brienne's quest, Jaime's revelations, Tyrion's trial, Gregor's victory, Robb's justice, Edmure's wedding, Melisandre's magics, Thoros' magics, Davos' conscience, Sansa's wedding, Joffrey's wedding, Olenna's machinations, Mance's marching, Donal's defence, Sam's courage, Jon's choices, Sandor's wanderings, Dany's conquests, Arstan's confession, Jorah's fall, plus even more. GRRM really excelled at bringing all the carefully developed characters into dynamic situations.

But A Game of Thrones set the tone. Eddard's death was the single event that addicted me to ASOIAF. I loved the low magic, high fantasy setting. I loved the multiple faction, political, infighting for the throne. I loved the comparisons to the War of the Roses. I loved the introduction of dragons. I liked the direwolves. I liked Robert, Tyrion, Eddard, Arya, and Littlefinger. And yet it was through Eddard's death that Martin made it all completely believable.

Don't get me wrong, I liked A Feast for Crows. Brienne's second quest. Jaime's redemptive efforts. Cersei's follies. Arianne's scheming. Victarion's battle. The mere presence of Jaime in AFFC was all I needed.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

A Dream of Spring because it's the perfect ending to a perfect series.

I hope.

 

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

My favourite book in the series has to be A Game of Thrones. There are chapters from all the books that I like to reread and smile to myself in amusement but there are none that I enjoy reading so much as the last two Tyrion chapters (the battle against Roose Bolton and the counsel afterwards on the march to Riverrun) and the last Catelyn chapter (KING IN THE NORTH!).

The whole book was excellent and it changed how I view fantasy forever. It was all so powerful and such believable stuff. I got sucked into the story.. I felt pity for Bran, I felt intrigued by the Targaryens and King's Landing, I fretted for Robb in the whispering wood and I swore bloody vengeance upon Joffrey for what he did to poor Ned. Never before had I felt so involved with a book.

The other books are great of course and all of them hold up to the first one in my opinion. But it's because A Game of Thrones was the first step in the journey and the fact that it meant I had a whole new outlook on fantasy that makes it the best in the series.

Thank you George for providing me with this excellent world to indulge myself in.

 

[The Imp]

SPOLIERS















I'll echo what Boaz said and say that for me as well, it's like reading one long book rather than four separate stories. If I had to pick, I'd have to go with ASOS, mainly becuase of the Red Wedding. There are a few things in my life that I'll never forget where I was/what I was doing when an event happened. JFK's assassination is of course right up there. Part of me is still frozen in time in my high school English class listening to the announcemnt over the PA system. Also frozen in time is me walking up the stairs from my office to my living room and hearing the Red Wedding begin to unfold. I had to sit down on the couch, I felt as if I had been hit by a truck.

GRRM is a genius and ASOS is exhibit one for proving that statement.

 

[Boaz]

Imp, I'll bet that was something to hear. When the action picks up and I feel nervous for the protagonists, I start glancing ahead to the next paragraph... and then I calm down and force myself to read every word in order. But to hear it happening... that must have been a shock to listen to a narrator just keep reading the bad news...

 

[bearcatmark]

I am a huge fan of all of the books, but I think A Storm of Swords is easily the best...it is just non-stop from the get go with some of my all time favorite scenes in any book. In no order they are

1. The Red Wedding
2. Jon Snow fleeing the Wildlings after Yggritte slits the old mans throat and throws the blade at Jon's feed and says "I am no crow, you know nothing Jon Snow"
3. Tyrion's first meeting with the Red Viper
4. Arya stabbing the tickler over and over asking him the questions he would ask.
5. Tyrion requesting he be the heir to Casterly Rock
6. Tyrion's last conversation with Jaime
7. Tyrion's last conversation with his Lord Father
8. The Red Viper's fight with Gregor (talk about epic)
9. All the battles on the wall, where the Night Watch holds.
10. Stannis' appearance on the Wall
11. Jon being made Lord Commander of the Night Watch
12. The Massacre in Crastor's Castle (Mormount's last wish hoping his son will take the black)

There was literally just so much going on in this book I loved it.

 

[Boaz]

Welcome, bearcatmark. My favorite parts are Jaime's story in the Harrenhal baths and Joffrey's wedding. By the way, are you from Cincinnati?

 

[bearcatmark]

Yes I am from Cincinnati.

I just read the entire ASOIAF series in the past month. Now I have to be in the sad waiting boat with the rest of the many who love the series.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

That was a great list, bearcatmark, thanks for sharing.

 

[Boaz]

Hold on, bcm. There is no "sad waiting boat." That is a myth perpetuated by the impatient.

Take a look at the Authors' page...

The GRRM section has 718 threads.

The number of threads for Stephen King (Darktower, et al.), David Eddings (The Belgariad ad nauseum), Stephen Erickson (Malazan), Raymond Feist (Riftwar ad nauseum), Frank Herbert (Dune), Terry Brooks (The Plagiarism of Shanarra), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time), Anne McCaffrey (Pern), Michael Moorcock (Elric), and Janny Wurts (Light and Shadow) combined are 716.

The Godfather of modern fantasy, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the phenomenally best selling author, J.K. Rowling, can only combine for 696 threads... and they're backed up by nine blockbuster movies in the last decade!

I'm not saying that Martin's work is that much better than these authors (well... I am saying he's that much better than Brooks and Eddings, but I'd never say he's better than Tolkien or King), I am saying that there is that much more activity in GRRM's forum. It is by far the busiest.

Since the release of A Game of Thrones in 1996, J.K. Rowling released seven Harry Potter books, three supplemental Potter books, and six Potter movies. There has been activity on six Rowling threads in the last month. There has been activity on sixteen Rowling threads this year... and that's backed up by the sixth movie.

In the last four years, Martin has released Hunter's Run (co-written with Gardener Dozois and Daniel Abraham) and been the editor of three WildCards books... all four of which may have a total of two threads in Martin's forum. Martin has twenty-three active threads since the first of August and eighty-three threads have been posted on since the beginning of the year.

The Martin forum is the most active by far of any of the authors on the Chronicles Network. Mayhaps it is a "waiting boat", but it's not sad... at least not in my opinion. And if it is a boat, then all the other forums are driftwood.

bcm, this is in no way meant to be criticism. We have a rule not to insult any newcomers until their fifteenth or sixteenth post, I forget. I'm just clarifying my position. (If I used the smilies, I'd do the "rolls eyes" now.)

 

[Hilarious Joke]

Indeed, I don't think I've ever had so much fun waiting for a book.

 

[Boaz]

Yeah, thanks HJ. What was implied, what I meant to say after all that... was that when Martin finishes, so does all this fun. As long as we're waiting, we're all having fun together. Once ADOS is published, we'll all drift away... <sniff>

 

[Delran Stark]

Yeah, thanks HJ. What was implied, what I meant to say after all that... was that when Martin finishes, so does all this fun. As long as we're waiting, we're all having fun together. Once ADOS is published, we'll all drift away... <sniff>

Maybe GRRM will write another series based on Westeros, so we won't drift. That would be sad.

 

[viZion]

Indeed, I don't think I've ever had so much fun waiting for a book.

Gotta agree here. Even when I'm not making posts for weeks at a time I'm still checking this forum almost daily.

A Game of Thrones is still my favorite in the series because it knocked my socks off the first time I read it. I'd never read fantasy like it before. Of course I love the next two books, too. AFFC is what it is. I don't love it and don't hate it.

 

[Syphon of Oor-Tael]

I am not sure what attracts me to ASOIAF, but I do like it. There's a few pet peeves (Bran and that Reed kid), yet on the whole, it's pretty groovy.

 

[Ghost of Harrenhal]

There's a few pet peeves (Bran and that Reed kid)

I hope that's Jojen and not Meera you are talking about! Aaah, Meera It's a good job I'm only 17 or this would be creepier than it already is. Trouble is, we all grow older and our book characters stay the same age So one day I will be too old for Meera and one day I shall grow older than Eddard Stark...

But honestly, I like Bran chapters. If there was anything annoying in them it was the two Freys and Maester Luwin and now he is without them.

 

[chongjasmine]

I cannot decide on a favourite book. I like everyone of them the same. But if I must really choose, it is A Crown of Throne for me since this is the book that starts the story.

 

[Hilarious Joke]

I like a Game of Clash.