Game of Thrones has so much to offer in terms of life lessons. I mean think about it- can one imagine a more dangerous world, given Martin's penchant for sparing no one? So I thought I'd share some insights I've gleaned from my read- through of the books- and at the tail end I'll even share some thoughts on the new book Fire and Blood. How cool is THAT?
Seriously... the smallfolk always suffer.
Avoid the riverlands
Don't eat anything brown in a bowl in King's Landing
Dragonstone is the bomb
Seriously Dragonstone has it all- a badass fortress, dragons (in Fire and Blood there were dragons all over the place), and... dragon eggs in volcanic caves. I mean okay the island is a bit dreary, but still... considering how badly things go when there's war, I think being isolated on Dragonstone might be a good thing?
The Mormonts produce badass women
Keep your direwolf close at all times!
When a Faceless Man offers you three kills, choose wisely
Dragons are not to be trifled with.
If you're nobility beware of ambitious Sparrows
Happy endings are rare! Cherish 'em!
BONUS
I recently finished Fire & Blood and thought I'd share a few things I learned from that as well. Caution for spoilers.
1) Alysanne's dragon wouldn't fly north of the Wall
2 Are we going to see krakens (or a monstrous kraken) appear? There are several references to them in F & B.
3) There are a lot of parallels between the F & B history and modern events- the debate over incest amongst the Targs (and now Lannisters), the faith rebellions, and- the Pact of Ice and Fire presaging the same happening at the end of the saga?
4) Martin seems to use the Faith as a convenient means of disrupting the nobility, when most of the time the smallfolk and the Faith are pretty subservient. Not convincing.
5) A Jeyne Westerling actually appears in the early years of the Targaryen reign, as one of the wives of Maegor the Cruel. Really? Is this a hint that Jeyne Westerling (the modern one) still has a role to play?
6) We get a lot of info about the reign of Jaehaerys and Alysanne, and in spite of incest I found myself pulling for them?
7) This might be way out there but is there a nod to C.S.Lewis in Fire and Blood? At one point an expedition is mounted where several islands are found and Eustace Hightower is one of the people on the expedition. Is this a Voyage of the Dawn Treader reference?
8) Justice in Westeros is whacked, and this was true under the Targs as well.
9) Did the dragon Vermax really leave dragon eggs at Winterfell?
10) Sometimes there just are no good guys, you know?
Hmm. Did Eustace Hightower turn into a dragon? Did he whinge a lot? 😏
ReplyDeleteAnother lesson to learn from this series: don’t get too fond of anyone if you don’t want them to be killed horribly!
Alas I do not think he did, and it's but a minor incident in the book, but it caught my eye. :)
DeleteAnd yes- that's probably the BIGGEST lesson!
I love the Mormonts in the TV show! Lyanna is so funny! I'm itching for a full rewatch before the new series!
ReplyDeleteShe's awesome.
DeleteWhat an awesome post. I want a dire wolf.
ReplyDeleteI do too. :)
DeleteDefinitely choose your 3 kills wisely!! Though, if she had, the series probably would have had to end sooner... maybe. Guess there's always more drama to be had
ReplyDeleteYes! I was hoping Arya would let me pick. :)
DeleteI definitely want my own direwolf :-)
ReplyDeleteI've only watched a few episodes of this show.
ReplyDeleteNot gonna lie- I'm a bit bitter GRRM put this out instead of, you know, The Winds of Winter lol! At least it's 2019 and April isn't all that far away! I'm excited and sad at the same time for the final season!
ReplyDeleteAlas, I suspect The Winds Of Winter will NEVER come out, due to the TV series forging ahead and the decision to change things so that readers wouldn’t know things ahead of time. Hence all these prequels.
DeleteHe wouldn’t be the only author to do this sort of thing. Isobelle Carmody’s Obernewtyn series took a very long time to finish - and she left the Legendsong trilogy on a cliffhanger at the end of Book 2, around 16 years ago. Apparently she had gotten about 400 pages in, but that was some time ago. I suspect it was the publishers wanting her to finish this and that before Legendsong. Possibly the same with GRRM?
I going to try and get Game of Thrones read this month! 📚
ReplyDeleteIs the "brown" akin to the human gelatin squares? I mean, I can see if you're stranded in a bunker, sometimes you have to nom on your buds, but what is their excuse!? Just zestier than chicken? Okay but seriously is anyone ever (gasp) HAPPY on this show? Because it seems like a lot of blood and betrayal and awfulness, but is there ever like, a funny downtime? Genuinely curious.
ReplyDeleteI bought Fire and Blood but have not yet read it. Since it is a prequel, I may wait til all the books are out and start reading it and the rest of them again. So much I don't remember from the books!
ReplyDeleteI love this!! :)
ReplyDeleteLove this post! "Don't eat anything brown in a bowl in King's Landing" made me chuckle a bit.
ReplyDeleteI skipped the last portion because Fire & Blood is still on my TBR. I love this post! Lady Mormont is such a badass, she is the girl I wanted to be when I was a kid...I failed miserably but still, lol.
ReplyDeleteI am excited to dig into Fire & Blood though. I haven't read the entire series thus far yet, but this one is smaller and easier to manage at the moment.
If everyone in the riverlands has that much literal blood on their hands, yes, I think I will stay away lol. Dragonstone does look badass! Krakens are great. There should be more krakens in books.
ReplyDeleteLessons learnt from Game of Thrones - become an orphan as soon as possible after being born, preferably before you can remember your parents, ensure you are an only child and DON'T marry. You might, possibly avoid betrayal - so long as you take care not to have any close friends or lovers, either... Great article, Greg:))
ReplyDeleteFun post! I need to watch Game of Thrones. I feel like the only one who hasn't.
ReplyDeleteI just love this series. I mean, I haven't read the books, but the tv show is my absolutely no 1.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait for the final season.
Love this post! I unfortunately still need to read the books, but I am looking forward to the final season of the tv show :)
ReplyDeleteOh, it's been so long...Great to catch up on these memories of the books and show. I did enjoy the books(although I didn't finish the series but I have them altoghether in a plastic bag, they are just paperbacks). Although, I felt most were on their own journey if they weren't to stay put to rule (and no one knew how long that might be). He certainly knew how to put the grit in his stories. I really felt he made his female characters EQUALS for the most part. Really it was a tale of light and darkness. I really enjoyed this post! And in reality I would pick a direwolf over a dragon anyday.
ReplyDeleteCaitlin&Megan
Ivy&Ellie
Carefully Listening
Ellie
The Book Group
Holly&Stevie
Cherry Blossoms
Better Left Unsaid