After reading all 5 Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) books and all of the Killer Chronicles books (Name of the Wind) and the first two books in Riyria Chronicles, I wanted to share my thoughts about which series is better.
Game of Thrones: 8/10
Regarding Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin spins a captivating and colorful story. I especially love the chapters that focus on Tyrion Lannister. I often laugh aloud at his often hilarious comments and his amazing ability to "get stuck in a pickle". I consider Martin to be the modern king of creating interesting dialogue, and the witty banter in Game of Thrones is good enough to merit a read.
One complaint I have about of Game of Thrones is that I feel that Martin sometimes can get lost in the details. I simply don't find myself caring about all of the side-characters and back-stories that Martin describes with such vivid detail. Another complaint that I have about Game of Thrones is that I often don't know who is good and who is evil. I prefer having a team to root for, so to speak. In Lord of the Rings, for example (still my favorite series), good and evil are clearly portrayed, and it helped to captivate me a bit more. In Game of Thrones, I feel like too often all of the colors bleed into grey, and I generally prefer more contrast.
King Killer Chronicles: 7/10
I find that the King Killer Chronicle (KKC) books are captivating, and the story only gets better as you read. As George R. R. R. Martin says, "[The Wise Man's Fear] was worth the wait. I gulped it down in a day, staying up almost to dawn reading, and I am already itching for the next one. He's bloody good, this Rothfuss guy.”
One complaint I have about of Name of the Wind is that some of the dialogue is a bit cheesy, especially between Kvothe and Jenna. Unfortunately, it sometimes reminds me of the dialogue between Anakin Skywalker and Princess Padme in Star Wars episodes 2-3.
Riyria Chronicles: 8.5/10
I recently started reading Riyria Chronicles, and have fallen in love with this series. It's my personal favorite of the modern fantasy series that I've read, though I still have to read Harry Potter. Author Michael J. Sullivan is good at dialogue and is great at plot. These novels are filled with unique stories, thrilling adventures and unpredictable twists and turns.
Lord of the Rings: 10/10
Another important question is, how do these series match up against Lord of the Rings? Personally, I still don't feel that any of these authors quite reaches the genius of Tolkien. After re-reading the Tolkien series recently, I just feel that the J.R.R. Tolkien was that good at creating a captivating, beautiful and mesmerizing world.
What are your thoughts? Which Series is better? How do they match up against Lord of the Rings?
1 comment:
I do enjoy GRRM's work, although I find his lust for the spotlight and voracious appetite for money to be never ending... just sit down and finish the book, or for god's sake let your co-writers collaborate and finish it off.
Once I heard the GOT series was surpassing the book I instantly lost all interest in reading the 6th novel (let alone the 7th), if we ever get one.
GRRM's ability to kill off everyone's favorite character without warning is what I enjoy. However I just can't respect a man that writes a book after the show is finished. Is this the first time this has ever happened? If he's wise he'll completely change the outcome of the story...
Enough of GRRM... The Kingkiller Chronicles has been an unexpected journey. I was simply looking for something to fill in the wait time until GRMM finished another book (little did I know it was never happening). I have to say I enjoy TKC much better than I would've expected. Do I enjoy it more than a Song of Ice and Fire? No, probably not... But it's just as good. There's not quite as much death and destruction but the story is very immersive and always keeps you wanting more. I only hope that Rothfuss doesn't follow Martins history of never finishing books.
I was never a Tolkien fan. I did enjoy The Hobbit very much, but the trilogy was incredibly boring. I always thought it to be much more of a cult following than an actual good read. I often found myself day dreaming while reading the Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit had a different flow to it, and kept me captivated.
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