Who has read Game of Thrones? SPOILERs

[Baitball Blogger]

I just read the first chapter of the first book and I'm already confused. Part of the problem is that I haven't yet picked up the lingo or the feel of the fantasy fiction.

But here's the question: How did the second guy die? Did his buddy turn into a wildling? Or did the wildling pretend to be his dead friend?

[Duer 157099]

1. It's been several months since I read it

but it may be that it was intentionally left vague, to give a sense of mystery about the wildlings and the wight walkers.

[bluesbassman]

2. I think they both turned, but you'll get more of a feel for that later on.

FWIW, I struggled with the book at first too. I've read a lot of adventure/fantasy books, but this one had a weird cadence and voice. I think part of it was the mixing in of modern speech and expressions that make it hard to fall into a rythym. Good news was that once I did get the rythym it was fine.

[Baitball Blogger]

3. Question is also for Duer15...

I need to know. Are those male babies that are given to the wildings, are they turned into wildings?

[bluesbassman]

4. You're getting it confused, The wildlings are just more or less "savages".

[Baitball Blogger]

7. Appreciate the info. Thanks.

[Duer 157099]

5. The Wildings are humans

They are just the people who refused to live within the Wall. It's The Others, or the Wight (White?) Walkers that are the supernatural beings.

As for Crestor's boys, I can't recall if they were given as a sacrifice or what, but something not kosher.

[Baitball Blogger]

6. Thank you!

[Duer 157099]

8. Sure. I remember being confused about that Preface too, still am in fact

At that point, the Rangers are most concerned with the wildlings, those who live north of the Wall; those dead bodies that the first guy saw were indeed wildlings, but they were killed by The Others, I think. There's something vampirish or zombieish about how this works, which is why the wildlings always burn their dead. Something is happening way up north, in a very remote part of the north, where The Others seem to be from. They are moving south and stirring up trouble, but at this point, it seems that the Rangers think it's all due to the wildlings.

edit: also I think The Others are flushing the wildlings south, which is why the Rangers are having so much more trouble with them, the wildlings are afraid of the Others, of course.

[Baitball Blogger]

10. Thank you for the details

I've followed the first season and didn't pick up on these nuances.

[Duer 157099]

12. I think the whole "Winter is Coming"

is metaphorical for "The Others are Coming" because as it gets colder, the Others can expand their territory (I think)

[AmazingSchnitzel]

9. Correct...

Crestor doesn't make an appearance until book 3 or 4 I think....


Either way you have the main jist of it.

Wildling - Regular human, north of the wall, lives outside of societal norms

Wights - Scary, undead, super cold and super-natural. Kill most everyone they come in contact with and resurrect them as wights as well.

Either way, don't worry too much about the beginning characters. You'll get more info later on. The main point of the chapter is to let you know that there is magic in the world, even though you won't see a ton of it.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. I find myself holding back from liking any character too much because I know

the casualty list is high.

[AmazingSchnitzel]

13. That is an excellent strategy...

... especially for this series.

[nolabear]

14. Except Tyrion. They kill Tyrion and I walk.

Of course I'm bogged downin the fourth book and taking a break to read some other stuff. But if Tyrion gets it...or Danerys for that matter, I'm outta there.

[Baitball Blogger]

15. I wonder if they beefed up Tyrion's roll in the t.v. series

because he is so popular?

[Duer 157099]

16. That would be a smart move

Although the show is faithfully following the books. Good thing Tyrion sticks around for awhile or they'd have had to do like what they did with Boyd Crowder in Justified.

[Baitball Blogger]

17. What did they do to Boyd?

[Duer 157099]

18. Well in the first season he got shot

and I thought the intent was that he died, but he was such a fan favorite that he somehow survived his wounds. I can't recall if it was Ava or Raylan who shot him, but it was in Ava's kitchen.

[cemaphonic]

22. na, Tyrion looms large in the books too

He's both a fan and author favorite, so he gets lots of chapters, and Significant Events.

As for the Prologue, I'll echo what everyone else is saying - It's just establishing that there is an unknown supernatural threat behind the Wall. It's an important part of the setting, but it's not really connected to the main plot of the first book at all.

[white_wolf]

19. If Tyrion, Daneys, or Araya dies I walk.

Seriously, I can live with all the other losses, but those three must alive. I'm halfway though book 5, but I swear I will stop right now if one of them dies. Though, I have heard that Martin once said his wife had forbidden him to kill Araya so she's safe, I hope. As to the 4th book, bogged down is a good way to describe it. It seemed a lot slower than the others, the only chapters I really like were Araya's and Briene's bored me to tears.

[Duer 157099]

20. What about Bran?

But I agree about those three you mention.

[white_wolf]

21. I like Bran, but not as much as the others.

He gets a lot more interesting in A Dance With Dragons, though. Oh, I'll also be very annoyed if Jon Snow dies.