# Game of Thrones: Why I Quit After Book Three **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2015, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989 "2015-06-08T17:30:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/21 "2015-06-11T15:22:02Z")
> [@by-tor](#): > > …What bothered me the most (other then the glacial waiting periods between books) was the monotonous repetition of lame catch phrases such as “the night is dark and full of terrors” and “you know nothing blah blah.” It started to feel like mental torture when they were said for the umpteenth time. You’re not wrong. D&R ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/22 "2015-06-11T19:43:00Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > Yup. You get the Oldtown prologue and then dive right into the Lovecraftian (IMO) Iron Islanders. How so? House Borrell (opposite side of the continent) reminds me of Innsmouthers - webbed fingers. > [@bump](#): > > Well, I personally thought that Victarion Greyjoy was about the most amusing character in the series so far. I mean, in terms of the Ironborn way of life, the guy’s the equivalent of a church going, rotary-club attending successful businessman. He’s a fan favorite, which amuses me as he is brutal and one of the least PC and racist-sounding characters. But he has a sense of honor and comes off better than his brother. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/23 "2015-06-12T11:44:51Z")
I read the first three avidly. I read the fourth out of a sense that I deserved to after the long delay, but it disappoointed me. I bought the fifth as soon as I saw a copy at the jumble shop, and did not read more than two chapters. After the fourth book I realized that I no longer cared what happened to any of the characters and that GRRM had not given me any reasons to care. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/24 "2015-06-12T12:13:08Z")
I can’t get into the books, either. I tried with the first one but stopped about half way. I fully acknowledge that the GOT series and completely understand why people like them. I don’t. When I attempted the read I was a history major undergrad. Now I’m a history grad student who studies death and dying in the military. My entire work consists of me reading and studying war, genocide, last letters home, memorials, etc. Hell, I’ve been to war. I already know that people are bastard coated bastards filled with bastard cream (don’t get me started on stupid "faith in humanity restored posts). Why do I want to read more of that in my off-time? I want something a bit less depressing. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/25 "2015-06-12T15:09:26Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > How so? House Borrell (opposite side of the continent) reminds me of Innsmouthers - webbed fingers. The stuff about The Drowned God, their sigil, The Prophet strikes me as a very New England type of wandering priest ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/26 "2015-06-12T15:36:13Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > After the fourth book I realized that I no longer cared what happened to any of the characters and that GRRM had not given me any reasons to care. I found myself wondering whether GRRM himself cared about any of his characters, given how viciously he treats them all. You’ll probably enjoy [this review at Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/review/RQMHSVDEC80QE/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003YL4LYI&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=283155&store=books) of the fifth book – confirms your decision not to try it. As one of the early comments puts it: “People save yourselves twenty bucks and just read this review. You’ll have saved money and a piece of your life.” ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/27 "2015-06-12T15:46:44Z")
Show watcher here and I had the same reaction, I’m mostly still watching for the promised zombie apoc and wanting to see how it ends. I really almost gave up, not because of Ned losing his head but just the unrelenting grimness and nastiness of 90% of the characters. Of course Tyrion’s father had him and his wife gang raped, of course Roz gets tortured to death by Joffrey. I have heard several people say they hope Arya completes her training and just starts killing everyone in Westeros because they all deserve it.😛 How many characters aren’t explicitly evil? Dany? Bran and Hodor? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/28 "2015-06-12T16:20:36Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > I found myself wondering whether GRRM himself cared about any of his characters, given how viciously he treats them all. > > You’ll probably enjoy [this review at Amazon](http://www.amazon.com/review/RQMHSVDEC80QE/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B003YL4LYI&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=283155&store=books) of the fifth book – confirms your decision not to try it. As one of the early comments puts it: “People save yourselves twenty bucks and just read this review. You’ll have saved money and a piece of your life.” Brilliant review. Could be reduced to “Everyone potters around for several hundred pages.” ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/29 "2015-06-12T16:41:05Z")
I’m not even sure where I stopped. I think the first two were in paperback and maybe the third wasn’t when I started but was later. But by the time the next book was in paperback I had forgotten too much. (again the exact book numbers may be off - I might have read the 1st 4. I know I read the first two an am pretty sure about the third) Brian ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2015, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/30 "2015-06-14T03:41:39Z")
For the record, I stopped after book 4, but mostly because it was so long for book 5 that I forgot a lot of details, and while I liked the books I didn’t like them enough to reread them. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/31 "2015-06-18T04:00:24Z")
Enjoyed the first two books but then it got very monotonous. Misery atop misery. The final straw was when I read that it was supposed to be a series of five books but the he extended it to seven. A perfect example of losing the plot. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/32 "2015-06-18T04:37:42Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > By the end of the first book I took the violence as a technique GRRM was using to shock. By the end of the second book, I decided there was no point in forming any emotional attachment with any character in the books. No one was “safe”. I didn’t make it to the third book. > > I don’t read fiction to get stressed out of my mind. Real life takes care of that just fine. Same here. I didn’t make it all the way through the second book. I like rooting for a character, and if you’re just going to whack anyone I like, I won’t bother getting invested because I actually do worry for characters I like. And if I’m not invested, I’m sure as hell not going to read hundreds of pages. ---
**Author:** ![F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.Pu-du-he-pa-as)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2015, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989/33 "2015-06-20T13:25:19Z")
For me, the issue is that his style is just so…mediocre. He did a fantastic job of worldbuilding and developed a fantastic story within that world, but he just doesn’t tell it well. He also doesn’t write female characters well-- they think about sex and their body parts at weird and inappropriate times, and some passages are written like a cheap romance novel. It’s very jarring. I still follow the books, but now I just read the wiki. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/game-of-thrones-why-i-quit-after-book-three/721989.md?page=1)