Game of Thrones Book Club

Erik Kain

Erik writes about video games at Forbes and politics at Mother Jones. He's the contributor of The League though he hasn't written much here lately. He can be found occasionally composing 140 character cultural analysis on Twitter.

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17 Responses

  1. Jaybird says:

    I suggest rot13 to help manage spoilers.

    You can’t mitigate stuff enough for some people (“I didn’t know that spoiler warning meant that stuff that *I* care about would be spoiled!”) but you can blunt the worst.

    If people go out of their way to translate “Xyvatre fgnlrq va Xbern” in a thread that talks about M*A*S*H spoilers, they have no one to blame but themselves.

    But that’s the paternalist liberal in me talking. If you want to go pretty libertarian and say “spoiler warning” on the front and just politely ask people to refrain from putting spoilers in the first 30ish characters of their post, that works too.Report

  2. Plinko says:

    Sounds like fun, I just read GoT for the first time over Christmas, so not sure if I want to re-read it already, but I think I remember it well enough to enjoy, if not participate in the discussion.Report

  3. E.C. Gach says:

    It’s been hard to decide. I’m terrified that reading the books will destroy my love of the show, but I think I’ll have to join in.

    This is a great idea by the way.Report

    • Daniel in reply to E.C. Gach says:

      You know, I didn’t think anyone who hadn’t read the books would like the show. I guess I was wrong.

      In any case, I’m pretty sure you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the books and only like the series more.Report

  4. Bob says:

    E.D. Kain
    I don’t think you’ll be surprised by anything in the show once you’ve read the books.
    The surprises are far far too memorable to forget them, but everyone really should read the books, as it will be impossible to go three seasons of this show without running into public spoilers.
    Particularly when it comes to who dies and how.

    Martin has written for TV in the past, so he’s a gifted writer when it comes to moving along a plot. Part of me wonders how much there is to discuss about the books it’s so plot heavy and straightforward. A lot of discussion would involve speculation about later events I feel.Report

    • E.D. Kain in reply to Bob says:

      It’s not so much “surprise” as it is I don’t remember quite where/when everything happens. For instance, I didn’t remember that Jaime corners Ned outside the brothel. I remembered that shit begins hitting the fan in earnest about that time, but not the order of things. So that’s why I like to keep the books rusty. But yes, everyone should read the books if they haven’t or else really, really avoid spoilers.Report

  5. Ryan B says:

    I’m in!Report

  6. Trumwill says:

    I’m not big into the genre and it may not take, but I’ve been meaning to give it a try and this sounds like a good place to start, so I’m in.Report

  7. Murali says:

    I’m in for whatever its worth (different time-zones guys. I’m 12-14hrs apart from the US)Report

  8. Murali says:

    Also, any of the masthead members can have the ability to edit to manage spoilers. It is better than banning repeat offenders. The more likely scenario is not callousness but more in line with being absent-minded and being in a rush.Report

  9. Aaron W says:

    I just recently re-read all the books up to a Feast for Crows, but I would definitely participate in a book club. By the way, even knowing what happens, the television show is still really great because it presents the same basic plot from a different angle. (As to be expected since books and television both have different strengths and weaknesses as media)Report

  10. Lacey H says:

    I have recently started reading this series, I’m now just finishing the first book. All I have to say is ,the fans of this show are going to be completely suprised by the upcoming events.I was stunned!Report

  11. Celawerd says:

    I am different from you. I like to be familiar with the book so I can see the details come to life on the screen.Report