Game of Thrones: Books versus Show

Ah, the eternal conflict.  There is an orthodox faction  among the book readers that claim the show is heresy, and worse, fan fiction. There are some show fans who say those books are way too long and the waiting between them is interminable. In between are many people who enjoy both.

If you are in the first camp, the question that comes to mind is: what did you expect? The novels are both long and dense, and by the very nature of the difference between written and visual media, some of it wont translate well or can't be effectively done at all. There was going to be some editing done by necessity to fit into the time frames of episodes and seasons. With that in mind, every reader would have at least slightly different opinions on what to cut, what to use, what to combine and conflate. So there was bound to be disagreement. In the end, no one is bound to watch the show, so if the viewing experience tarnishes your memories of the story, you are better off just not watching at all.

I've read several opinions claiming that the show has actually improved on the books by streamlining some of the more meandering storylines. While their some truth to this, I think that the glorious sprawl of the books is part of what makes them so amazing. A lot is necessarily lost in the transition from book to show. I would heartily encourage any show fans to give the books a try, there is so much more background information and depth of description to everything you see in the shows, I have a hard time believing you wouldn't enjoy it.

I tend to think of the show and books as two distinct and independent entities, and enjoy them both. I had read the books before the show came out, so it was a real treat to see the characters and locations brought to life. However, after 5 seasons, I'm actually looking forward to seeing the show get ahead of the books this season, and being surprised by developments like the book virgins have been. I'm a little bummed about having the upcoming books spoiled, but given the long waits between books, the effect is somehow lessened. I'm looking forward to a great rest of season 6.