posted
The only characters I really care about left are Tyrion and Arya and neither has done anything interesting the last two books so what's left to care about?
He's tried to make Jamie more interesting and I suppose he has but as far as caring about him, I'd still rather see his head on a pike. Same goes for his sister.
There are some surviving characters that could become interesting like Bran, Sansa and Rickon. No idea where there stories are going but everything so far has pretty much just been set-up for them, nothing to care overly much about.
And then there is Daenerys. Her story could get VERY interesting if she ever makes it Westeros. So far she's just been tooling around in the wastes so to speak. Until she enters the fray (pun not intended but I like it anyway) I just don't care.
I suppose the argument that he has only killed a handful of major characters is accurate but there is a difference between a major character and a character one cares about. I cared more about the dead direwolves than most of the surviving characters.
Now don't get me wrong, I still love the series. All I'm saying is that my continued love of it is dependent on the next book. If it can give me a good reason to continue to care, great. I will still be able to call it an all time favorite. If we get more of the same from the last two books, I might stop caring and hope the predictions of no one left alive are true.
Posts: 891 | Registered: Feb 2010
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posted
It's going to be interesting, because given all the heartache we've endured through, Winds of Winter will be dissapointing unless its the most devastating book in the series. Winter is coming. This crap better be good. Then save the good feelings for A Dream for Spring.
Posts: 1407 | Registered: Oct 2008
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quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: It's going to be interesting, because given all the heartache we've endured through, Winds of Winter will be dissapointing unless its the most devastating book in the series. Winter is coming. This crap better be good. Then save the good feelings for A Dream for Spring.
Well, you should prepare yourself for the fact that The Others are probably going to win. You know that's something GRRM would do. Posts: 124 | Registered: Jun 2013
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quote:Originally posted by SenojRetep: Furthermore, while I agree the characters are complex, I never found them complex in a human way. Rather, they're complex in an algorithmic way, a calculated complexity that serves mostly to elucidate interesting questions of strategic balance rather than answering interesting questions about humanity.
This is actually a very insightful criticism of Martin. I'd say it extends to almost all of even the best medieval fantasy with few exceptions.
Posts: 4600 | Registered: Mar 2000
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I'd say that extends to pretty much every fictional character ever written. I'm hard-pressed to come up with one -- in any genre -- that answers interesting questions about humanity.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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quote:Originally posted by TomDavidson: I'd say that extends to pretty much every fictional character ever written. I'm hard-pressed to come up with one -- in any genre -- that answers interesting questions about humanity.
That's a pretty odd sweeping statement.
You've NEVER encountered a fictional character that answers interesting questions about humanity? Even in sci-fi and fantasy?
Does that extend to fictional television characters?
Posts: 21898 | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Since "interesting" is completely subjective, and there is plenty of wiggle room on what it means for a fictional character to "answer questions about humanity", I don't suppose that you're going to pin Tom down in a satisfying way.
I should write a story where the protagonist makes it a habit to articulate and then answer questions about humanity that he finds interesting.
Posts: 4287 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
I thought that the protagonist, Lauren Olamina, from Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower books that had quite a lot to say about humanity that I found interesting.
Or Father Emilio Sandoz from The Sparrow and Children of God by Marry Russell was deep and interesting.
Just off the top of my head.
Posts: 1711 | Registered: Jun 2004
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