Yes, a Song of Ice and Fire. Game of Thrones is just the title of the first book and that's what HBO used for the series. There are some novellas that take place in the same world, hundreds of years before Game of Thrones when the Targaryens rules Westeros. I haven't read them but I don't think they have anything to with the main story.
Correct. The book series is called A Song of Ice and Fire and the first book in the series is called Game of Thrones (second is Clash of Kings). For some reason they just called the whole tv series Game of Thrones (sells better I guess)
It is. Paperback is 1,128 pages compared to 969 for Clash of Kings. Dance with Dragons looks to be longer than Clash of Kings as well. The show creators were really hopeful that the series would last long enough to get to a certain part of Storm of Swords. After the success of the first season, it looks like they'll at least get that far.
The short stories/novellas are just as good as the main books. They add a lot to the history and there are a couple of nods to them in the novels.
Correct. In fact, there are a couple of things in A Dance With Dragons that you'll miss if you haven't read the Dunk & Egg Tales.
Yeah that was my mistake. I just finished Clash of Kings and it took a lot more effort to stick with it than Game of Thrones for some reason. Is Dunk & Egg Tales fit into a specific timeline? Should I read that before or after Storm of Swords? Are they the only side-story entries?
They are in the same universe but set about a century before the events in Game of Thrones. They are definitely a fun read and would serve only to enrich your reading experience imo. There are some small references in ASoIF to events that occur in the Dunk & Egg Tales.
Egg's brother is Maester Aemon, the ancient Maester on The Wall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Dunk_and_Egg
Yeah... gotta get to that "certain part" indeed. Because it's just the most ridiculous thing ever. I recall being slack-jawed for the better part of half an hour. But in the meantime I'm looking forward to the scenes of Tyrion as the Hand, when he just gets over on everybody in King's Landing. Hilarious stuff.
Heck, you think you were slack-jawed...I think GRRM skipped over writing that part, finished the rest of the book...then went back and wrote it last. He said it was the hardest thing he ever wrote. And it would be a perfect ending to Season 3...except its 2/3 of the way into the book. If you are going to break up the 3rd book, you need to end season three like this: Spoiler Jon and Bran both leaving Queenscrown (closing the Jon as a wilding segment) Dany frying Astapor Beric and Sandor's duel (Arya chapter) or Sandor stealing Arya Sansa and Tyrion's wedding Breinne and Jamie in the bear pit The Red b**** casting her spell with the three leeches and Eric's blood, and she says the names as they burn. And you start season 4 with Balon falling to his doom, the first of the usupers to die..Robb heading to the Twins, Jon at the Wall, etc..
Probably already posted but I didn't see it in this thread. Some of the casting for season 2 http://tvovermind.zap2it.com/game-of-thrones/game-thrones-meet-faces-season-2/86984
