Hi everyone! I’m trying to decide whether to start the game of thrones series or the lord of the rings series next and I’d appreciate your input if you have read either!
Lord of the rings PROs:
-Complete series
-Emphasis on friendship, the power of hope, community, and the triumph of good over evil
-foundational to the fantasy genre
LOTR cons:
-lots of travel scenes I’ve heard can get pretty long winded
-perhaps too boring? I don’t know
-not many dramatic twists and turns which is usually what keeps me hooked on a book
GOT pros:
-twists and turns and drama
-ensemble cast of characters
GOT cons:
-some brutal sexual violence
-incomplete series
by TeaOne9866
21 Comments
GOT is excellent, no doubt. But LOTR is a book I think every person should read at least once in their life, and many will read it twice.
George would probably tell you to read LOTR lol.
im in the middle of reading BOTH of them, and i would say it depends on what you’re after. if you want something a little lighter and more upbeat go with lord of the rings. despite being about a war it’s a pretty nice high fantasy with some joyful moments in it. game of thrones is always dark and the characters are almost always going through something dark including their inner turmoil.
i personally like game of thrones more because i like dark mature content more, but you can’t go wrong with either one. i haven’t finished either of them either, im in the middle of both of them, so take what i say with a grain of salt because i don’t have the full picture of both the books, but that’s the general gist of it from my perspective.
With the state of the world in general and the US in particular right now, I’d personally go with LOTR. There ARE some boring traveling scenes, but there are also good guys and an ending where they win.
I would definitely read LOTR. GOT is amazing for the first few books (though the violence is a bit much at times), but the last book dragged so much, I found it almost impossible to get through. Since it may be the last one in the series that ever sees the light of day it’s just a big let down after how strong the series starts out. If you are looking for big epic fantasy Wheel of Time is great and Stormlight Archive has been incredible, though I haven’t read the most recent book.
I’ve read both LotR and ASoIaF. LotR is practically poetry on every page, which can be a double edged sword because sometimes you’ll be in the mood for beautiful descriptions and ravishing prose.. and some times you’ll just want to read about these characters doing cool, heroic things in simple, flowing language
ASoIaF on the other hand has an incredible, diverse of characters and plotlines that weave and flow in together, intriguing and detailed politics that will demand your attention and own intelligence to follow clues along the way (George drops clues in book 1 that pay off in book 5 – it’s INCREDIBLE) and feels like an organic, real world with morally grey characters that you can feel are all doing their best to survive in a harsh world
Perhaps I’m a little biased cause I’ve developed a strong opinion of the two books.. I’ve read through LotR once. ASoIaF, I’ve gone through 3 times now. They’re some of my favorite books ever
The Expanse.
I’ve read both
Lord of the Rings has been my favorite since I was nine years old. I’ve had to buy four copies because I literally read them to pieces. There is so much in the books that couldn’t fit into the movies. It will always have my vote!
I absolutely recommend the Hobbit and then the LOTR Trilogy. 10/10 masterpiece all of them
Lord of the Rings has a stronger fantasy vibe, with deep roots in the old english and norse sagas. Fantastic worldbuilding – lots of stuff hidden under the hood for those who are interested in the lore. And while it does sometimes ramble, the plot moves along at a good clip and hangs together nicely. And I personally loved the songs and the poetry.
Tried GOT and only got through the first book – it just went on and on and on, then killed my favorite character for shits and giggles. Much more “modern” feel, less ancient legends and more medieval f*ckery. Lots of shock value scenes, much less feel-good vibes. I found it sordid and depressing, and didn’t bother with the rest. But, YMMV.
I would say lotr
I like A Song Of Ice and Fire (A Game Of Thrones is the name of the first book of the series) more but I would recommend Lord Of The Rings for you for a few reasons. First is that it’s such a foundational work to fantasy that reading it allows you, at least in my opinion, to better appreciate what comes after it. Terry Pratchett had a quote about Tolkien being a massive mountain that will inevitably influence a fantasy writer in some way and I can’t help but agree with it. Second, it’s pretty short. The entire trilogy is like 480K words, which is only slightly longer than the two longest ASOIAF books, A Storm Of Swords (#3) and A Dance With Dragons (#5), both of which are around 415K words. I also think you’ll also be more likely to finish LOTR because it isn’t as great a committment and because you can be assured that there is an ending.
But I would also like to make a case for ASOIAF. I think it’s as influential as any fantasy series can be after Tolkien. You can see how much of an impact it has had on the genre and also on fantasy adaptations because of the show. It may be incomplete but I am still willing to say that it is still worth reading, even if it never is. I don’t think I have ever read anything else with such a large cast of characters, all of whom are so vibrant, alive and interesting. The highlight of the series for me has always been the dialogue. Everything else is great too but conversations between two characters can be just as if not more thrilling than a fight scene. There’s also a lot of material to sink your teeth into outside of the main five books, just like LOTR.
Go with LotR.
When the first movie came out the same summer that Harry Potter did, I re-read The Fellowship of the Ring within a week of reading the first Harry Potter (my daughter wanted my opinion).
I finished Sorcerer’s Stone in one night (stayed up a bit late). But Fellowship took me a whole week.
HP was popcorn: decently written, enjoyable, but a quick simple run-through.
Fellowship was a fine steak. Needing to have each bite contemplated and savored. And immensely enjoyable.
If you want to take your time and enjoy the high art, go with LotR next.
(who, knows, maybe GoT will get finished by the time you get to the end of it 😉 )
Read LotR. Don’t read GoT.
Good luck with LOTR. I didnt find it an easy read at all. Game of thrones was.
LOTR for sure. I’ve read the series many, many times. I do recommend reading The Hobbit first, if you haven’t already. Don’t get me wrong. I do love the Song of Ice and Fire series, and he is insanely good at character development, but man, he’s never going to finish it.
I’ve never read game of thrones, only watched the show. I’ve read LOTR twice. So I’m biased. But LOTR is fantastic to read. You don’t expect much difference from the movies, but it is different. And it’s spectacular.
Never seen someone make a pros and cons list about books before. You’re overthinking it. Read what you want to read.
Neither. Read non-fiction. It’s much more interesting.
I’ve read both. Start with LOTR, while not necessarily a quick read, it’s a heck of a lot shorter than the current page count of a Song of Ice and Fire. It’s also the foundational work of modern fantasy epics.
Lord of the rings. No questions asked.