Quite emjoyed it to, Ned was brilliant and had me almost litterally fearing for his character at various points (havnt read the books). Lenas character keeps me guessing to her next move, her motive is clear but murky at the same time.

I wanna read the books just to see more of Dayneres intergrating with Dothraki culture.

Out or curiosity have you tried Camelot (this years tv seires), its got similar elements but based on funny enough Arthurian legend (with as far as I know, quite intersting subtle differences).

When I think fantasy the few keywords that come to mind are Tolkein, King Arthur/Camelot/Knigths of the round table, Epic, and swords and sourcery

@ Chris:

I know. It’s too long!

@ Gothmog:

Yeah, I have been hearing that the show follows to books fairly close. I might pick up the first one at some point before Season 2, though I’m not sure if I’ll continue beyond that. It is fun to watch the show going in cold without knowing what will happen. :)

@ Victoria:

Yeah, the wall is cool. I really like their set design in general – how Winterfel is very spartan and Viking like, King’s Landing being all mediterranean, etc… Set and costume design ate great.

@ Adrian:

Heh, I’m in the same boat. I sort of don’t want to know what will happen because so far I have been loving the show, and being thoroughly spoiled by the books will probably diminish the enjoyment.

Plus, if I do read them I will get annoyed when they miss an important detail, or diverge from the source for some reason. :P

@ xWittaker:

Oooh, thanks for the map. I was never confused though, because the opening credits feature a flyover above a map just like this (more stylized though) and zooming in on all the important places, as they lift themselves up into 3d using some funky clockwork mechanisms. It’s very nicely done, and it does give you a good idea of where say Winterfel is with regards to King’s Landing or the Wall. Whenever the series visits a new castle or location it usually gets added to the opening credits, which is a really nice touch.

@ Travis McCrea:

Well, it’s an HBO show – it is sort of a given that there will be tits involved. But I got hooked because of the characters and the story. I guess it’s not for everyone.

@ Sameer:

Heh! Thanks for that link. I lol’d a few times. :)

Game of Thrones had me hooked this past tv-season. Very well written, great characters, excellent pacing. I think they did a great job. Especially the later episodes really hit home. It’s going to be a very, very long wait for season 2!

@ Adrian: I haven’t read the books either and I live in constant fear that I’ll stumble on spoilers. I heard season 1 more or less comprises the first book so now that it’s finished I’ll read the first book.

Careful to those who have yet to see season 1, but there are some laughs to be had here.

I see the draw of the series. However, I have been trying to get into it (first three episodes)… The only thing I am really getting into is their choice of women who take their cloths off… and thats not enough to get me into a series.

I actually haven’t watched the show yet but have read all the books. Now my family members keep asking me questions about what’s going on and I have to bite my tongue to keep from spouting spoilers. If you want to avoid using the term “fantasy” to describe Game of Thrones, I’ve found that the term “War of the Roses with a supernatural element” piques people’s interest.

Also, if you haven’t read the books, but are a bit confused about locations when watching the show, print out the map of westeros located here.

From the brief snippets of what I’ve seen of the show, it looks like they did a very good book to tv adaptation, though not quiet as good as something like Fight Club (where the movie was better than the book). I’ll have to go through an archive binge now that the first season is finished.

I loved the series enormously. They’re just so great in depicting real situations in a “fake” world.

But I’m pondering whether I should read the books.
Should I read them all and know what the show’s going to be about, or should I watch the show and know what the books are about?

Anyone an idea?

Song is my favorite book. I’m really happy with the way the show turned out – I followed it from the very first announcement and casting. The book is still more interesting for me (thankfully, I started reading it kinda late – with 3 books out and only one year to fourth, but I did have to wait 5 years for the 5th one :) ), more complex and subtle and full, but the show is really awesome – the casting is splendid. Tyrion is 100% book, and Arja, and Jaime with his smirk. I loved how the Wall looked too.

I’ve been a Song of Ice and Fire fan from WAY back. Love GRRMs work. I’m very enthused about the next coming out (July 15th!).

I’m happy to hear you’ve enjoyed the show, Luke. I’m quite happy with how HBO pulled it off, with only minor quibbles. I heartily recommend the books. They are more of the same awesome.

I was wondering when you were going to make a post on GoT. It was inevitable.

The only bad part about watching it is having to wait a whole year, or more, for the next season to premiere.