I’m sure you all remember how fans gave in when they realized the Game of Thrones series is about to come to an end.
Whether you liked the ending or not, there is always an inner feeling that makes you feel that each second spent watching it was worth it.
Now the real question is should you read Game of Thrones?
It's worth reading Game of Thrones, because of the brilliant characters, story, and imagination that will definitely take the lead in helping you visualize each second of the book.
So, for the next 5 minutes, let’s devote our time to everything you need to know about Game of Thrones.
Is Game of Thrones Book better than the TV Show?
Although many book junkies rave about the fact that books are way better than movies (take Harry Potter, for instance), surprisingly, the fans of Game of Thrones were satisfied with the superior art form presented by HBO in the Game of Thrones movie or TV show.
However, this is just one side of the story. If you ask me, I wasn’t wholly aware of half of the things mentioned in the movie.
One minute you see Bran happily roaming around the streets of Winterfell, and the next, he is on the bed with Catelyn Stark by his side.
When you delve into each scene's scenery details, you get to create characters of your own with their own personalities and settings that were way better than the actual movie after all; this is the best part about books anyway.
Is Game of Thrones hard to read?
The writing style of the author is easy to read.
You will see short paragraphs with considerably fewer metaphors and stories that are divided into small chapters. As far as keeping track of the characters is concerned, you may find it hard to understand it if you haven’t watched the movie or TV show already.
Bear in mind, this problem will only last for the first few chapters, and you will eventually be able to get hold of everything that is happening. It’s never a bad idea to hit on Google with characters' names and other resources to help familiarize yourself in situations like these.
How Many Hours Does it Take to Read Game of Thrones?
Each book of Game of Thrones is between 694 - 973 pages, so the number of hours it takes to finish a single book depends on which book you’re currently reading.
Generally, if you read at the speed of 300 WPM, you can expect to take around 16 hours and 55 minutes to immerse yourself in the fantasies of each book.
7 reasons to Read Game of Thrones
1. It’s realistic
When you hear about the next coming-up fantasy book, the first thing that comes to your mind is definitely talking animals, unicorns, imaginary worlds, and things that can appear from anywhere, anytime.
However, this is not the case when it comes to George R. R. Martin’s books.
Although you will get to see fantasy creatures like giants and evil antagonists who don’t bleed, you will see the relatively realistic consequences of each act. If the characters make a mistake, the author ensures to make him/her suffer from its consequence.
When characters die, they don’t emerge back into another form, and when kingdoms ignore their debts, you will also get to bankers showing up and ruining lives.
You will not see ordinary people with superpowers to change the world or unrealistic actions that can potentially make us all cringe in the story.
The author has made sure to convey the dialogues in a true way to the real world and portrays emotions that can also put you in the same state until you read the last page.
2. The perspectives
As they say, to truly understand someone, you need to look at the way they view the world. Martin made sure to use the technique to show each chapter from each character's point of view to help you put yourself in their shoes and truly be in the moment.
Even though you will also get to have a general idea about points of view through the movie, each character's details and dialogues can only be imagined once you picture everything they are saying or doing.
3. The history
Many readers of the book claim that Martin goes the extra mile to help you understand the histories of each member of the Westeros family and helps you connect with the characters better than in the movie.
From the visions of the Three-eyed raven to Game of Thrones' complex relationships, the book is rich in quality history and realism that flows from each of the books.
There is a possibility that there are more than a thousand characters in the book, so it can be rather hard to form a picture in mind. However, frequent reading can also make it easier not only to understand the characters better but also to increase the speed at which you read.
4. Unseen characters and plots
Although they did an incredible job at turning this book into an epic TV series, there are still some missing TV series characters.
For instance, names like Coldhands, Uncle Benjen, Pyp, Shireen Baratheon, and Grenn are rarely mentioned in the movie, which means it is harder to emphasize their stories and understand their point of existence.
Plus, what’s a good movie when they don’t have the correct characters in the first place, right?
Therefore, you can either read the book and then watch the film to understand the visual content better or watch the TV services first to help you grab ideas and remember thousands of characters even initially.
As far as the plot sare concerned, many readers hated that the movie portrayed a poor version of Dorne, that too after Season 5 when the book version is considered cooler and legitimate.
Each of the cheaters and scenes is showcased to help you imagine yourself in certain important decisions and help you get in-depth with the book's concepts.
5. Westeros is bigger in the book
Even for a budget as big as HBO’s, you can ever capture the irresistibly beautiful and huge Westeros in the movie.
The book has made it feel nothing compared to what people see on the TV show. Minor changes like these lack in the movie than in the books.
Therefore, they are recommended that you indulge yourself in the best imaginary views of the books rather than opt for artificial sceneries in the movie.
The triple walls of Qarth, Black Valyrian roads in crisscrossing Essos, and the Storm's end definitely take the lead in its scenic descriptions than any other fantasy book I’ve ever read.
6. Understand characters
The thing that breathes life into any ordinary story is its characters and their dialogues.
Sure, the movie producers and directions have done an incredible job at translating the book into a TV series; it will always lack the authenticity that the author went for in the first place.
The book's point of view helps you understand the personalities of the characters better since it also conveys what the character is thinking internally rather than blinky falling for the visuals that you lose the true essence of the book.
This factor is indeed one of the strengths of reading novels over watching movies/Series.
An excellent example of such a case is Tyrion Lannister. Although Peter Dinklage has done an outstanding job at portraying Tyrion, many people observed that he had been whitewashed and simplified before having him on the series.
Some of his physical features also don’t resonate well with the Tyrion Lannister from the book. Sure, Tryon is one of the most favorite characters from the TV series, but it lacks the right character essence from the book to the TV.
7. Your imagination is more visual than Hollywood
No one can portray the right side of the characters like the author himself. And for the record, Geroge R.R Martin has actually done a better job at bringing out the best of your imaginations that can never beat even the modern visual effects and substantial triple-A budgets of Hollywood.
When we only look into the specifics, the show is more about the actors' personalities rather than the true characters of the book. That’s not it; if we look into the battles, feast, and visions for each scene, it looks much better in your head than it could ever look on the screen.
All in all, the fact that novels are inevitable at the purest form to understand and take in a good story and movies can help you grab the bigger picture better; both can go hand in hand to elevate your experience with a specific story instantly.
