I haven’t finished the entire GOT book series, yet … from what I’ve read so far HBO stuck pretty closely to the books. If you’ve watched the series you’ll have a good idea of the books. Of course books are always better as they are more descriptive. My library has all of them which is why I didn’t bother to buy them. Just my 2 cents.
TrainingAvocado3579 on
The books are unfinished and are likely to remain that way. I think the books story is more interesting and complex, but if you’d be annoyed to not see how all the story lines intersect and play out, you may not want to bother. The end of the show is the best you’ll get.
The story in the books follows the first few seasons more or less, they cut out quite a few plot lines and characters to simplify the already complex narrative. The show also added a lot of lore around the white walkers (the swirl design, the baby white walker) that are not in the books.
Season 5 of the show they ran out of book and my understanding is that the writers had some loose notes from the author but were kind of winging the rest.
If you’re looking for an in-depth fantasy book series in a similar vein, that actually concludes, may I suggest Robin Hobb?
-rba- on
First three books are among the best fantasy ever written. Next two are not as good but still above par. It’s unlikely the series will be finished but if you’re ok with that, then they’re definitely worth reading.
Scuttling-Claws on
If you love the show, it’s worth a try. But maybe get the first one from the library before you commit to the series. Epic fantasy isn’t for everyone
Flammwar on
Absolutely, they are the best books I’ve ever read, and I’m still looking for another book that can satisfy my craving for more of the same quality.
The series leaves a lot out and simplifies some plot lines, so there’s still enough new content to enjoy.
AncientScratch1670 on
I have the series (although incomplete as others have mentioned). I bought it at a library book sale and bought the whole set for $1.25. I would recommend you look around in thrift stores and garage sales. You can probably save a small fortune
ChickenNugsBGood on
No. Its not finished, probably never will be.
mrbeefthighs on
I read the books around the time Season 5 of the show was coming out.
I don’t read too much fantasy, so it was a fun little exploration of a new genre for me.
I think they are fine. Not bad, but not life-changing, just fine. They are also VERY different from the show in too many ways to list here.
Eventually I got frustrated with them, having read 5 books back-to-back-to-back-to-back and realizing that in a best-case scenario I wouldn’t get to know the ending of the story for probably another 10 years at the earliest.
I ended up DNF’ing with about 100 pages left to go in the last book. I just didn’t care anymore.
If you like reading fantasy, go for it as long as you are okay with the story not being finished.
8 Comments
I haven’t finished the entire GOT book series, yet … from what I’ve read so far HBO stuck pretty closely to the books. If you’ve watched the series you’ll have a good idea of the books. Of course books are always better as they are more descriptive. My library has all of them which is why I didn’t bother to buy them. Just my 2 cents.
The books are unfinished and are likely to remain that way. I think the books story is more interesting and complex, but if you’d be annoyed to not see how all the story lines intersect and play out, you may not want to bother. The end of the show is the best you’ll get.
The story in the books follows the first few seasons more or less, they cut out quite a few plot lines and characters to simplify the already complex narrative. The show also added a lot of lore around the white walkers (the swirl design, the baby white walker) that are not in the books.
Season 5 of the show they ran out of book and my understanding is that the writers had some loose notes from the author but were kind of winging the rest.
If you’re looking for an in-depth fantasy book series in a similar vein, that actually concludes, may I suggest Robin Hobb?
First three books are among the best fantasy ever written. Next two are not as good but still above par. It’s unlikely the series will be finished but if you’re ok with that, then they’re definitely worth reading.
If you love the show, it’s worth a try. But maybe get the first one from the library before you commit to the series. Epic fantasy isn’t for everyone
Absolutely, they are the best books I’ve ever read, and I’m still looking for another book that can satisfy my craving for more of the same quality.
The series leaves a lot out and simplifies some plot lines, so there’s still enough new content to enjoy.
I have the series (although incomplete as others have mentioned). I bought it at a library book sale and bought the whole set for $1.25. I would recommend you look around in thrift stores and garage sales. You can probably save a small fortune
No. Its not finished, probably never will be.
I read the books around the time Season 5 of the show was coming out.
I don’t read too much fantasy, so it was a fun little exploration of a new genre for me.
I think they are fine. Not bad, but not life-changing, just fine. They are also VERY different from the show in too many ways to list here.
Eventually I got frustrated with them, having read 5 books back-to-back-to-back-to-back and realizing that in a best-case scenario I wouldn’t get to know the ending of the story for probably another 10 years at the earliest.
I ended up DNF’ing with about 100 pages left to go in the last book. I just didn’t care anymore.
If you like reading fantasy, go for it as long as you are okay with the story not being finished.