Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with gameofthrones

A Song of Ice and Liquor

mcstayinskool — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:57:06 -0800

What would you name a cocktail specifically concocted to drink while watching Game of Thrones? Game of Thrones is coming back for a third season, which of course we are all very excited about.

I watch episodes with a group of friends, and last year I started a tradition of us enjoying signature cocktails during the viewings. It started with this recipe:

The Drowned God
1 1/2 oz. The Kraken Black Rum in a shot glass
Highball glass filled with Ginger Ale
Say in unison "What is dead may never die", drop shot into highball and drink.

For the Blackwater episode another friend concocted Wildfire. I have no idea what it contained, but it was just as neon green as the one on the screen. Did not go down smooth.

I've been working on a list of cocktail names for the new season, but would like input from the hive on this. As the episodes start rolling in, I will try to come back a few times with single drink titles and ask you all again to help me with the ingredients.

So. What would you name a cocktail specifically concocted to drink while watching Game of Thrones?

Game of Thrones, from TV to books

stargell — Wed, 02 Jan 2013 12:17:35 -0800

I spent my holiday break watching the first two seasons of Game of Thrones on HBO, having not read the books. Now I can't wait until late March for the third season and want to pick up with the books. Will I be able start with Storm of Swords, the third book? How closely does the show hew to the books, in terms of plot, character and chronology?

Taking the black

DynamiteToast — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 09:28:15 -0800

I want to be a night's watchman (from Game of Thrones) for halloween. It's not too hard of a costume, considering I just get all black stuff and wear it, and try to find some black fur looking stuff too. However, in the tv show everyone's outfits are pretty faded and covered in snow. How can I replicate that? Any other suggestions? I'm going by the costume store today, and maybe goodwill too. I have a shirt and gloves that'll look fine and am probably just gonna wrap some brown boots in black fabric and wrap rope around it to hold it. But when I buy a cloak and pants, its gonna look brand new. Is there a way to artificially fade black clothes in the next two days (there's a party I'm going to on Wednesday)? As for snow, I don't want it to be a huge part of the costume, just thought it'd be a nice touch if the clothes were a little white. I guess I could buy some false snow, but would throwing a little bit of flour strategically accomplish the same look?

Also, any other neat small touches are appreciated. I'm thinking for the "fur" look I might buy a black shag bathmat from walmart and cut it to fit my shoulders...

GAME OF THRONES is a gateway drug

apostrophe — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 21:38:16 -0800

Requesting intelligent, well-written "realistic" epic fantasy book suggestions. Having George R.R. Martin withdrawals. Need more severed heads & engaging dialogue and relatable bleakness, less "you're the one," stilted conversations and Randomly capitalized Words. Yeah, so, I'm a little bit of a geeky girl. Never played D&D but spent time on BBSes in the 90s and went to one (only one!) SCA festival. Been resisting the pull of epic fantasy novels for a long time, partly because I find it hard to take this swords & wizards & cloaks & (as mentioned) randomly capitalized words seriously (I'm looking at you, Robert Jordan). I'm a writer and have an MFA and stuff and used to be much more snobby. But "literary" books bore me to tears these days. Found myself swept up in the Game of Thrones TV series; subsequently tore through the books in a 2-week haze. Now aching for another epic fantasy series, but not sure where to turn.

Yes, I read the previous questions & recommendations on this topic, but nothing sounds quite right. Yes, I'd like something long & meaty (that's what she said), but I also really care how well it's written. Can you listen to my special snowflake requirements and recommend me some books?

What I liked about A SONG OF FIRE AND ICE:
-epic scale, a story unfolding over a long time period
-how magic caused more problems than it solved. how there are freaking dragons in the world but everyone thinks they're bullshit.
-the dialogue. so well done. snappy & realistic & funny & real.
-dream/prophecy sequences that I actually cared to read & pored over because they felt so IMPORTANT
-bleakness, severed heads, suffering
-cover art without boobs exploding out of corsets
-amazingly complex plot that rewards the persistent reader

What I didn't like:
-too many characters
-felt like GRRM's editors had given up--needed LOTS of trimming/tightening
-I worry it will never be finished

What I'm NOT interested in:
Samuel Delaney (felt like homework to read)
YA, Harry Potter, Eragorn, Hunger Games, etc. (love it, but not what I'm looking for)
Anything too old (like published before 1980 or so. Sorry, I suck. I know. Just want something more current)
Tolkien (see above)
Robert Jordan (picked of EYE OF THE WORLD a couple days ago & am so dismayed by it--the forced dialogue, the "you're the one to fulfill the prophecy" right at the get-go. it feels too artificial.)

Okay people. Hit me.

I'm nonplussed by GoT, what now?

knz — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 04:39:42 -0800

How to phrase my feelings about Game of Thrones? So this is really two questions bundled into one.

I have this awesome friend who keeps harassing me (in a friendly way) with the idea that my cultural life would be incomplete without reading Game of Thrones.

Things he used to sell me the read:

- the unexpectedness of all the twists (him: "so many other authors are boringly predictable"),
- the intricacy of the plot (him: "at last, a challenge"),
- the details in the descriptions (him: "so much as to give an atmosphere, not enough to be boring like Tolkien"),
- the realism as to violence and the condition of women in the middle ages (him: "most of the rest of fantasy is non-realistic as to human interactions")

So I got a copy of the first book and I started reading. After two days (and about 100 pages) I feel extremely uncomfortable:

- it really sucks to be a woman in that world. I am annoyed at the lack of self-determination, by the depiction of woman life defined by child-bearing romance and being objects of lust, etc. it just gets on my nerves.
- it really sucks to be anyone in that world. Characters are constrained by duty and all kinds of miserable stuff happening to them, and have all kinds of traumatic emotional scars with more piling on at every page. I'm not in a happy phase myself these days, and this piles on my unhappiness to the point of nearly making me depressed.

To me these feelings are strong enough that I want to drop the book and not go further. However when I hear my friend I have the feeling I am missing something great. Given he himself is not misogynistic, non-violent, sensitive, etc, that thing must be so great that he is able to balance it against the darker sides of GoT.

Hence my first question: what makes it worth reading despite all the unhappiness?

We both read a lot (lots, LOTS!) and like fantasy; however while he mostly reads fiction I spend most of my time reading news, blogs, technical stuff, etc. This guy is extremely nerdy but also extremely bright.

So maybe a factor is that while I am quite flexible and I am quite happy with the style of authors this friend calls "boring" (Robin Hobb, Mercedes Lackey, Christopher Paolini, etc.) he reads LOTS of fantasy and has become more critical, so he may have higher expectations.

Hence my second question: are there other works of fiction/fantasy that exhibit a similar level of reading challenge and intricacy as GoT, but skip the depressing bits?

I'd like to try some stuff out and then explain to that friend that all the unhappiness is not a requirement to get good fantasy literature. (if that's possible)

Game of Thrones potential spoilers - TV show vs. books

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 13:31:03 -0800

Game of Thrones: I recently finished watching the second season of the HBO show. Does the second book in the series contain any spoilers for what might happen in the third season of the TV show? I realize the definition of "spoiler" in this context is a bit tricky. I read book one after watching season one and there were a bunch of minor details that didn't make it into the show. So I'm generally talking about bigger things—major plot developments or key pieces of information that appeared in book two but did not appear in the show yet could conceivably appear in season three.

Oh, and please don't give any actual spoilers away in this thread! :) Thanks so much.

P.S. If this question looks familiar, it's because I asked a similar version after the conclusion of the first season. (The consensus in that thread, which I ultimately agreed with, was "no spoilers in book one for season two.")

Glass and Game of Thrones

scunning — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 09:49:27 -0800

I'm watching Game of Thrones and noticed that often the windows do not have glass, and yet I think I sometimes see glass trinkets. Glass seems like a very important technology because it keeps out bugs but allows in light, which sounds pretty useful when disease travels by insects and the winter is coming. When does glass begin to become a common-place part of domiciles, and what benefits did it mainly have for human civilization when it began to be more widely used in architecture? Is technologically feasible for the world of Game of Thrones, and if not, what are the main constraints?

Should I (re)read Game of Thrones

freshwater — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 10:13:12 -0800

I tried reading Game of Thrones a couple of years ago, and I hated it. I maybe made it through half. Just watched the first season of the series and I (mostly) really liked it. Now that I have some interest in the characters, will the things I hated bother me less, or should I just stick with the show? First season/book spoilers below.

Things I Hated About the Book:
1. So much creepy sex. I'm a grownup, I like sex in books, but with the twincest and the whoring and the raping, it was just gross.
2. It seemed like there were pages and pages about the dire wolf cubs and other stuff that did not push the story forward. The pacing felt way too slow.
3. The ridiculous number of characters and POVs and weird spellings (I figure that this should be less of an issue).
4. Lots of misogyny. I don't need to escape into a world that hates women so very much.

Things I Like About the Show:
1. The wall -- the characters, the scenery, the suspense about the white walkers
2. Arya
3. The horribleness of Joffrey
4. Danaerys (aside from the rape)
5. Dragons!
6. Tyrion (of course)
7. The horribleness of Viserys
8. The plotting at court
9. The acting in general, and the complexity of the characters and their motivations

Things I Hate About the Show:
1. A bit more creepy sex than I need.
2. Daenerys getting raped a lot. And then realizing that she just needed to change positions to totally fall in love with her rapist.
3. These people seriously never noticed that black haired people don't have blond kids?

The rape and misogyny aspects are the big thing keeping me from getting the books right now. I never finished Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever because I was so disgusted by the way the rape was addressed.

Apparently the book shows this monumental love story between Danaerys and Drogo, but I don't want that. I can appreciate the story arc of a woman finding her one area of influence in a generally powerless situation, and using that to gain a little more agency. But I don't buy that a teenager being raped on a daily basis falls in love with her rapist and becomes completely thrilled with her lot in life. I also don't buy that a scene where a girl loses her virginity in public without the ability to consent is tender and romantic.

The book also seemed to be very misogynist, though I'm not sure whether that's just some of the characters or Martin. After seeing the show, I can believe that Martin is good at writing misogyny as a character trait, but also good at writing strong and valued women when appropriate. But I don't want to read the books if the misogyny really does underlie every character.

I think there was great character development through the acting in the show, and I don't feel like I need to learn more detail behind everything. But I am interested in learning more about Westeros, and I want more time with the characters. So will I enjoy the books, or will the things that pissed me off not get any better? Since I know that Drogo dies, I can probably push through that if the rest of the book makes it worth it, but the misogyny is a nonstarter.

Fiction that's like Game of Thrones

Green Winnebago — Thu, 03 May 2012 22:57:00 -0800

I'm looking for something like game of thrones, but real. Epic, sweeping historical fiction with complex stories, political intrigue, backstabbing, and moral ambiguity. I started watching Game of Thrones a few weeks ago. Since then, I've started the novel, and gotten really into the world's history, locations, and characters, to the point where I've been reading up on the backstory online to learn about the things that are glossed over in the show/books. The other day, though, I wondered: why not get into something where I can put the same energy into learning about actual, historical characters and events, instead of obsessing over a fantasy world?

I'm trying to find something that's similar to Game of Thrones and the A Song of Ice and Fire series, but based off of real history. For those of you haven't read the books, they're a series of sprawling fantasy novels that are [very] loosely based off England's War of the Roses. The series follows the kingdom of Westeros as a series of squabbles between two powerful ruling families escalates into an all-out war of succession, with at least five major factions vying for power.

Here's what I'm looking for:

A historical setting, preferably set in antiquity to the 1700s (bonus points for Medieval Europe)
A plot that deals with people fighting for a throne, or at least for political power
Focuses on political intrigue and backstabbing, with a lot of shifting and vague alliances
Lots of period detail
multi-faceted characters, each with surprisingly intricate pasts, inspirations, and ambitions
A skeptical to cynical outlook about medieval kings, power structures, social mores, etc.
An emphasis on powerful families (great houses or something similar,) their allegiances,
Based (at least loosely) on history, with real characters and events
A large cast of characters and information about their lineages, histories, family rivalries, etc.
If possible, multiple protagonists and points of view, preferable from both sides of the battle
Flawed yet likeable characters that are forced to make morally ambiguous decisions while wrestling with their baser instincts
Some action and adventure (exploration, warfare, ambushes, etc.)
Shows the [sometimes detrimental] effects that the decisions of the ruling class have on common people
Shows what it's like to live as a woman in a patriarichal society
isn't afraid of sex
Relatively fast-paced, with plenty of different "stuff" going on
Isn't primarily about soldiers, generals or warfare (some of this is great, I just don't want battle strategy and tactics to be the main focus of the book)
Lots of bonus points if it's about the War of the Roses.

I don't expect any one work of fiction to fit all of those descriptions, but if at least a few ring a bell, go ahead and post it. (For instance, Pillars of the Earth would be a good suggestion, even if it doesn't involve kings fighting for power. War and Peace would qualify, even though it's more modern, as would some books about, say, the first world war.) I also don't care what medium it is: books, movies, TV shows, and video games are all good. A narrative format is preferable, but I'd like to hear about non-fiction/documentaries too.

The Physics of the Wall (Martin's, not Waters')

COBRA! — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:06:49 -0800

Suppose there's a 700-foot-high wall of ice sitting in an environment that resembles, for the sake of argument, Alaska. I have some questions about the physics and long-term stability of such a structure. Say this wall does include a foundation and some low-level backbone of very large stones, but it's mostly ice. While the air temperature is always below freezing, it's not uncommon for there to be sunny days where the wall "weeps" with meltoff. Moreover, there are men patrolling the top of the wall, and the friction of their presence is enough to require at least some reconstruction and reapplication of gravel for footing, etc.

My question is: would the wall be stable over a period of centuries, or even millenia? Or would the loss of mass from melting (and occasional Wildling attacks) eventually just whittle it down to a collection of frosty foundation stones? Would geologic activity result in cracks?

I've already got the husband and suckling babe part down...

ifjuly — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 05:10:55 -0800

Where might I procure a cheap old timey laced vest for a nerdy Game of Thrones Halloween costume? For Halloween this year I think I want to be Asha Greyjoy from Game of Thrones as it suits me well (I've already got short black hair and pirate-y boots) and for once is timely (plus she's rad). I think I've got most of it down--the axe and dagger will be easy to make for cheap, most of her outfit like a loose, pirate-y top and pants can be found easily at thrift stores--but a big part of what will make it recognizable is having the tighter laced vest over the top, and I don't know where to find one for a reasonable price. Any suggestions or leads? (I can't sew and don't know anyone who can, so that's out.)

Also, any stickler's tips or details I might've missed about her character that would make the costume more immediately recognizable would be great too. Really anything to help make the costume work.

I can't believe I'm doing this as I'm normally not a balls out nerdy nerd (saying this with affection) in public, so I don't know much about costume tricks!

Staggering at the tip of the Winterfell iceberg.

Gordion Knott — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 09:05:37 -0800

One hundred forty pages into Game of Thrones, and I feel like an uninvited guest at a wedding banquet, floored by unfamiliar names and familial relationships and alliances. What do I need to know to get over the hump? I've checked out reference sources here and here, but the level of detail seems overwhelming. Are there sites on the Web that present the characters and familial alliances in the form of a chart or graph? More importantly, realizing I may need to swallow minor spoilers, what features of the book, its characters and storyline should I know--and commit to memory--to proceed further?

Game of Thrones - TV show vs. books

Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 11:16:29 -0800

Game of Thrones filter: I recently finished watching the first season of the HBO show (and enjoyed it very much). Is it possible to read the eponymous first book in the series without giving away any spoilers for what might happen in the second season of the TV show? That is to say, is season one coterminous with book one? I know that there are were some scenes in season one which appeared nowhere in the book, and I'm also told that there's all sorts of background stuff in the book which didn't appear on the TV show. But is there anything meaningfully spoiler-ific in the book that didn't appear on the show?

I realize the definition of "spoiler" in this context is a bit tricky. But if the extra material in book one is along the lines of "so-and-so happens to be such-and-such's father," then I'm fine with that. But if it's more like, "There was an epic battle in the first book we never saw on the show but which they're probably saving for the second season," then I'd probably want to avoid the book.

Oh, and please don't give any actual spoilers away in this thread! :) Thanks so much.

NERD ALERT

bardic — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 05:33:35 -0800

[Game of Thrones Filter, likely spoilers] Did Syrio the swordmaster get killed or not? I'd like to be spoiled, but really all I need is a yes or no answer if possible.

When the guards come to take Arya she runs off as Syrio blocks them.

In the novel, did he live or die?

Do long winters occur on both Westeros and Essos?

nikkorizz — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:30:43 -0800

Game of Thrones: I haven't read the book, but I've been watching the HBO t.v. series. Do the long winters occur only on the Westeros continent? Or is it assumed that the long winters impact both Essos and Westeros, and/or is the result of some global phenomenon? In the HBO series, many characters from the Westeros continent have mentioned the long winters and their impact. However, I've noticed that no one from the Essos continent seemed to be concerned about the winters. This has lead me to believe that the long winters occur on only the Westeros continent. Is it true? Do the people of Essos experience somewhat more regular seasons?

(Limit spoilers please!)

Winter is Coming, and I have no HBO!

egeanin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 10:10:57 -0800

Please help me find a way to watch the upcoming Game of Thrones miniseries on HBO that starts this week, without having to actually subscribe to HBO. I don't have HBO, and none of my friends who do have HBO like watching fantasy series.

Does anyone know whether Game of Thrones going to be up on hulu.com or hbo.com or some other site, anytime soon? Or am I going to have to wait a year or more for it to come out on netflix?

I'm not very tech-savvy, but if you know of any other sites that might post each episode soon after it airs, I'd be much obliged. Thanks!

A Confusion of Timelines. (Or: How does "A Feast for Crows" fit into the bigger picture?)

TimeTravelSpeed — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:27:13 -0800

I'm half-way through George R.R. Martin's "A Feast for Crows" and I have a question about the timelines of this book versus the eventual "A Dance with Dragons"? (POSSIBLE SPOILERS WITHIN) Note: I'm only half-way through "Feast", so please be careful with spoilers :)

Question: Is "Dance" going to be told in parallel with "Feast"? That is, will Dance begin and end at roughly the same points in time that Feast begins and ends? Or will Dance pick up where Feast left off?

Why I'm confused: (info from wiki link)

1. Feast(draft) took place during the 5 years following "Storm",
2. Dance(draft) chronologically started after that.
3. Feast(draft) was too long and had to be split into 2 parts: what is now Feast(final) and Dance(final).

So is Feast(final) still taking place over those 5 years with Dance(final) following after it chronologically? GRRM says they're in parallel, with the books separated by character not chronology. If that's the case, then Dance(final) no longer takes place 5 years after Storm? Maybe all the Dance(draft) content is being pushed into the 6th book?

I may be over-analyzing this, but I think a lot of the problems I'm having getting into Feast is that I don't understand the big picture here and what I should be assuming is going on in the rest of Westeros. That, and the lack of my favorite characters.