Quote :

"how did the deserter in the beginning make it back to the otherside of the wall?"

I was wondering the same thing, but with regard to the dead dire wolf that the Starks found.

My guess is that there may be a hole in the wall that we'll learn about later?

[Edited on March 22, 2012 at 5:02 PM. Reason : 31]

3/22/2012 5:01:17 PM

wildlings have been scaling the wall in small groups ever since the Watch lost enough members to man the entire span

the wall is high, but you can scale it as long as you have enough time.

as for a hole in the wall, or a passage through? ...

3/22/2012 5:53:54 PM

the deserter could've also come through the gate and just kept going. it's not really too important.

3/22/2012 6:24:04 PM

The deserter was a member of the Night's Watch so there are a number of ways he could have gotten past the wall without suspicion. I don't want to reveal any spoilers though, so don't worry about it.

3/22/2012 11:19:44 PM

No, I've read the novels, still doesn't make sense how he got across without seeing any of the other Night's Watch

3/22/2012 11:40:17 PM

I don't see why it's such a stretch when it's stated over and over that they don't have enough people guarding the wall.

3/22/2012 11:56:28 PM

lol, I know it's such a tiny detail, idk why it just bugged me.

[Edited on March 23, 2012 at 12:00 AM. Reason : a]

3/23/2012 12:00:47 AM

I wouldn't consider this to be a spoiler really, but I think they mention there are 17 different outposts scattered along the wall. Most of which are unmanned.

3/23/2012 7:31:25 AM

So....new HBO subscribers. I enjoy fantasy, especially the Wheel of Time series.

Yesterday, I thought I'd try this series, as they had all ten on-demand.

Wife offered to give it a try also (not usually her genre, at all).

By 10:30 pm we were done with all ten. Felt kinda like that Battlestar Galactica sketch from Portlandia.

I now intend to read the series. Having seen the first season, ought I still put in the time to read the first book?

[Edited on March 26, 2012 at 9:37 AM. Reason : ]

3/26/2012 9:36:36 AM

Yes, I definitely think it is worth it. There are definitely things they had to gloss over or entirely skip to fit it into 10 hours. There are also some characters omitted and added.

[Edited on March 26, 2012 at 9:38 AM. Reason : ]

3/26/2012 9:37:19 AM

Ok. I just know the second season is about to start and will have to delay watching it until I can at least catch up or get ahead. If I do it right I could read in parallel and experience both the show and the book for the first time at the same time.

Back on page 17 or something, someone said of Ned's death (which caught me off guard as a newb): "That is the catalyst to everything that is to come. Ned dying has left every situation completely open ended and there's no way to know how things are going to shake out. It's great."

My thoughts exactly. It is truly great.

3/26/2012 9:40:04 AM

I am actually doing series then book.

I have all 5 books (4 on audio). But since I watched the HBO series first I am waiting to see the show before moving on to book 2.

Book 1 was awesome. I just kept thinking how well they adapted it to tv while reading it.

There is no way Neds death would have hit me like it did if I had read it instead of seeing it in the series. So glad I watched before read.

[Edited on March 26, 2012 at 10:23 AM. Reason : *]

3/26/2012 10:22:54 AM

i dono, the only time ever that I have thrown a book down (not across the room but down onto the couch) was after reading about Ned.

3/26/2012 11:01:51 AM

Reading ACoK on my Kindle now.

Don't have HBO.

Sad panda.

3/26/2012 11:31:56 AM

I actually started reading the first book after the series, and just ended up putting it down and going to the second.

The series captured a lot of the book, and I was kinda bored with re-reading something I just saw.

3/26/2012 1:15:55 PM

I AM EXCITE

3/26/2012 1:30:26 PM

read the first dunk and egg novella last night. good stuff!

3/26/2012 3:38:17 PM

^yep, those are pretty fun little reads.

3/26/2012 3:50:33 PM

I ordered HBO and I'm ready for April 1st.

OH WE BACk

3/27/2012 8:16:25 AM

I'll be activating my HBO again this weekend for it of course.

3/27/2012 9:21:30 AM

The new characters of Season 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=flIHsZvC1SU

I do have a quick question about the name of the show. The official name of the series is a A Song of Ice and Fire, and each book has it's own title (Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, Storm of Swords, etc). I understand that each season of the show is meant to be one full book (can't remember where I saw this, someone please correct me if I am wrong).

My question is, why are they keeping the name, Game of Thrones? A small gripe but I wish the show would have been called, A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings, etc instead of Game of Thrones: Season 1, Game of Thrones: Season 2.

3/27/2012 2:26:09 PM

I kind of like Game of Thrones for it all. A Song of Ice and Fire doesn't sound badass enough

3/27/2012 2:48:53 PM

They thought the name Game of Thrones worked much better for TV (and I can't disagree with them) since, in order to succeed, they really needed to pull in people that aren't traditionally into "fantasy" and wanted a little more to-the-point name. To keep it consistent, they are just keeping the name Game of Thrones throughout.

The series will always be A Song of Ice and Fire to me, but I think GOT works well for the TV medium. Also, talking to someone about Game of Thrones Season 2 rolls off the tongue a little easier in conversation than A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings.

3/27/2012 2:50:56 PM

Song of ice and fire sounds like a musical based on Corchiani and Monroe.

Game of thrones works much better for TV.

3/27/2012 5:03:42 PM

Plus, A Game of Thrones is basically the theme for the entire series...a bunch of people vying for control of the kingdom. It's like a bigass game of chess.

3/27/2012 5:19:08 PM

I'm sure on the first episode of season two they'll put something like "Volume II: A Clash of Kings" or something like that. When they first pitched the idea they probably didn't know it would be so popular and weren't sure that they would be renewing it so just naming it Game of Thrones seems like it would bring in more outsiders.

3/27/2012 5:23:27 PM

They have basically disassociated themselves with the book names so I don't think you'll see a reference to "A Clash of Kings" other than possibly in an episode title. While they have essentially done 1 book = 1 season so far, they have come out and said that they aren't necessarily sticking to that going forward and don't want viewers to think like that. Especially when you start getting into ASOS, AFFC, and ADWD with the length of them and also the fact that certain events from different books are actually happening a the same time.

They were quoted as saying something in a recent interview along the lines of Game of Thrones being an adaptation of A Song of Ice and Fire, but 1 individual season from here on out isn't necessarily an adaptation of 1 specific book. There will be things rearranged and shifted for a lot of reasons.

3/27/2012 5:38:24 PM

^ here is the quote from the interview- executive producer David Benioff

Quote :

"We're not looking at our series as a book-by-book adaptation so much as an adaptation of George's entire saga. In other words, in our minds season two is not A Clash of Kings [the series' second book]. It is the second season of our adaptation of [the entire saga], A Song of Ice and Fire."

Quote :

"My question is, why are they keeping the name, Game of Thrones? A small gripe but I wish the show would have been called, A Song of Ice and Fire: A Game of Thrones, A Song of Ice and Fire: A Clash of Kings, etc instead of Game of Thrones: Season 1, Game of Thrones: Season 2."

as a couple people have mentioned, the game of thrones is a running theme throughout the entire series, and the specific line "game of thrones" is mentioned at lease once in each of the books so far, so i think it works fine for the show name. It also makes even more sense not to name it as you described considering what i quoted- that each season does not = a specific book.

3/27/2012 6:17:00 PM

It's not a spoiler, but book 4 and 5 happen and essentially the same time, so it will be interesting to see how they do that.




[Edited on March 27, 2012 at 7:09 PM. Reason : 4 and 5]

3/27/2012 7:05:05 PM

^4&5

3/27/2012 7:09:19 PM

Fixed

3/27/2012 7:09:50 PM

I think we will see all of book 2 in this season, then next season will be the first half of book 3... ending well, you guys know where. Then season 5 will be parts of books 4 and 5. I doubt they will split those two into two different seasons. Probably just go with the time frame.

3/27/2012 7:50:39 PM

that's pretty close to how I assume it will go if they get that far.

3/28/2012 7:41:15 AM

I can't deal with a discussion where most everyone is being reasonable and accurate. Spice this up.

3/28/2012 5:45:21 PM

Any word on if we will get to see some dire wolves in combat this season? I remember reading somewhere the reason that they weren't as prevalent in season 1 was due to underfunding.

Also, how big do those guys(gals) get? I understand they were adolescents in season 1 but they looked no bigger than the average dog? Are we talking greyhound sized or much larger like a lion or tiger? The "real" dire wolves were about 5 ft in length and weighing between 110-174 lbs according to fossil record. Should we expect about the same size?

I would look this stuff up on a wiki but I fear the spoiler minefield. I am reading each book as each season finishes because I am so far behind (grad school also is a hindrance to my reading for pleasure).

3/28/2012 6:05:38 PM

Huge, if you rewatch the first episode you'll see the corpse of the mother direwolf when they find the pups.

3/28/2012 6:26:24 PM

So I found a wiki just on the show and found this cool tidbit on the wolves:

Quote :

"In season one, the production team used adult dogs to stand in for the juvenile direwolf puppies. In interviews they have stated that this was done to allow the audience to grow attached to them, which would have been more difficult had the dogs been created by special effects. However they have also stated that by season two, the direwolves will reach the point when they are too big to be represented by dogs, and will be portrayed as a CGI effect (i.e. a horse-sized Grey Wind ripping the throat out of Lannister war-horses, utterly terrified because they've never encountered a wolf bigger than themselves). "

I absolutely cannot wait for this season!

[Edited on March 28, 2012 at 6:46 PM. Reason : bold]

3/28/2012 6:46:15 PM

I decided to try and just start reading at book two, since the consensus seems to be that the first season captured the first book well.

200 pages in, I've come across nothing I didn't understand, picked up immediately as the first season ended. For now I can do season 2 book/show in parallel. But I'm a completionist, so I'll probably go back and read book 1 after seasons 2 is over.

MUST. AVOID. WIKI.

[Edited on March 30, 2012 at 7:57 AM. Reason : ]

3/30/2012 7:56:08 AM

I was going to start reading the books

But with all the research I've got to get done, I took one look at book one and gave up on that idea

3/30/2012 8:31:27 AM

The series has tons of massive cliffhangers, twists, etc. I HIGHLY recommend remaining unspoiled through the books/tv shows.

3/30/2012 9:28:21 AM

yep. if you really want to look something up, use Tower of the Hand's tiered / spoiler prevention site.
http://towerofthehand.com/

3/30/2012 9:31:00 AM

just found out that conan stevens is no longer playing gregor. i liked that guy.

3/30/2012 3:23:44 PM

agreed. I was really disappointed when I found that out. Especially since Gregor didn't really have much going on the first season so he barely got utilized.

3/30/2012 3:33:57 PM

just bought a direwolf tshirt

3/30/2012 9:37:06 PM

If this cloning game ever gets off the ground I am buying a direwolf pup so fast.

3/30/2012 9:40:14 PM

Okay, I saw the first season, then I read the book.

I don't remember it mentioning in the book that Renly was gay. It was definitely in the show, though, and GRRM is dropping little hints in ACoK. It just isn't explicit. That is, not as explicit as in the show.

4/1/2012 9:19:44 AM

Inspector Clouseau

4/1/2012 9:30:55 AM

SO

EXCITED

4/1/2012 10:16:59 AM

Quote :

"I don't remember it mentioning in the book that Renly was gay"

The book doesn't directly mention it, but it is strongly hinted at.

4/1/2012 10:25:04 AM

I

AM

EXCITE

4/1/2012 10:44:21 AM