It's awesome, not as epic as the first four books but thankfully diverts away from Feast of Crows borefest. Probably greatest TV series ever mind.
Not sure if I will watch it immediately. I hate watching something before reading the books and I've read all the books so far but ended up succumbing and watching last series even though it overtook some of the storylines from the books. There are enough digressions (a couple of characters are still alive in the books whilst some are dead) so that you can't assume the two are going to act as absolute spoilers to each other but I am tempted to wait until the book is out (and I've read it) before watching. The issue is that it was meant to be out a couple of years ago and may be years yet... Realistically I'll end up watching it.
They span away from the books and admitted as much. George has even stopped writing, it's on his sons now. I just couldn't be arsed once that Onion Knight took centre stage chapter after god-awful chapter, it became such a political borefest I couldn't carry on. Too many "underdogs" were introduced, it just ran out of impetus. I understand the problem - he didn't just want to write "and the dragons killed everything, she won, the end".
I watched the first episode a couple of years ago and it was okay but I never watched any more episodes. I'll probably get round to watching it eventually.
Didn't catch onto it till after series 5 so got to bulk watch it which was bloody addictive, 1.00 in morning, just one more episode lol. Last series still great but hard watching only one episode per week. Looking forward to new series
I quite liked some of the minor characters and how some are then developed whereas others are unceremoniously cut out entirely. It's what makes it for me and the slow, slow, slow then fast movement in the books whilst all the chess pieces get gradually moved into position to then have 50 pages in which so much happens you're trying to comprehend it is what i like but I'd agree the Onion Knight was (and is) one of the worst parts. MINOR BOOK SPOILER: Without going into any spoilers at all for the series but it is a spoiler for anyone who is midway through reading the books (that I know of, I guess they could bring these in but I really don't think they would) in the book there's another Targarean (one of the babies who was believed to have been killed initially but was actually raised in Eros) who has just landed in Westeros with an army and some of the old leaders of the previous Targarean dynasty, they have retaken one part without people knowing and are gathering forces with the hope that Danearis (who does not know he exists yet) will join forces when she gets there - it also ties in well with the idea of them marrying within their families as she would be his aunt. It's hard to tell how much is just 'padding out' and how much is adding to the story though a lot of the Iron Island detail went on for far too long (talking hundreds of pages on what was maybe an hour of the TV show).
Just finished reading the first book, which I absolutely loved, the series is ****ing amazing obviously, but there was so much more in the book than the first series. Literally hammered through the book at a rate of about 300 pages per day, one I started I couldn't put it down. About to start A Clash Of Kings very soon.
First 2-3 are excellent. Slow paced at times but you can feel them building up, the stuff with 'reek' in particular is far more cleverly done in the book than they could really represent in the series. One book (can't remember which one now, first half of 4th I think) spends the entire time just introducing new characters and marginal characters and can feel a bit of a slog but overall I'd say it's hugely worth it. Tempted to re-read them (only read them once to date) but that it a hefty time commitment and got so many other things to get through!
Yep, the 4th had some slow down and got on my nerves, but it picked up again. 5 is the boner-killer. Too many characters not really given time they could have. Surprising as to how little Dondarrion was focused on, Syrio too, then perhaps even moreso was Jaqen Ha'gar - in for a tiny bit, then out, then pops back randomly once. Always strikes me that the more powerful the character (The Mountain for example) the less air time they get. Reek, however, could have had his own book. They've seen the TV value in these more magical characters, sidling alongside Clegane, but the books could've explored them a little more.
I'm on series 2 episode 7 I think, I've persevered with it despite it being fairly average so far. Folk have told me the first two series were the worst, so that's making me want to carry on. It's not terrible, just nowhere near the hype so far. There's one or two decent birds in it, but nothing like enough to make me commit to 7 series if it doesn't get better.
In actual fact the women aren't that spectacular. Natalie Dormer's pretty hot, but the boobies are a let down. I'm not big on Emilia Clarke, don't get the fuss, and the rest are a bit "meh". To be fair, though, it's a well written, well acted, faithful-to-the-book series. Also there's this thing called The Interweb which has approx. 17 million trillion gajillion pictures of hot women.
Should have stopped at boobies and bums, seen those dwarf shows in Amsterdam, not my cup of tea but as long as there's no donkey...