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I was referring to u/fao_, yes. You're right that it was a shallow dismissal and not a constructive critical comment. I'm sorry for that poor behavior. Thanks

I was referring to u/fao_, yes. You're right that it was a shallow dismissal and not a constructive critical comment. I'm sorry for that poor behavior. Thanks for calling me out. For the record, I picked up the first book of ASOIAF after loving GRRM's beautiful novella The Hedge Knight, I believe written for the Legends anthology I discovered it in. I was deeply, profoundly disappointed in it and never touched another book in the series again. It fell so miserably short of The Hedge Knight that I would need multiple pages to fully express my disappointment.

the_af 5y ago
No harm done. Thanks for replying. As for ASOIAF: interesting, could you elaborate? I read The Hedge Knight last (well, the whole Dunk & Egg I mean) and I liked it. I found it to be a compressed, fast-forwarded version of A Game of Thrones. But the style elements and plot devices are all there, and I find them to be mostly the same. What is it that you liked in Hedge Knight but disliked in A Game of Thrones? Was it the supernatural element (dragons, zombies, etc)? (I realize this might be hard to answer, and that's fine!)
- NateEag 5y ago
  The Hedge Knight does a wonderful job of contrasting Dunk's pure, steadfast insistence on doing what's right and upholding a knight's duty no matter the cost with the selfish meaningless insanity of the political machinations around him. I was really excited to dig into the whole series based on how well the author pulled different elements together into that overall structure. As I worked through the first book, I slowly realized "Oh. This is all about the meaningless sound and fury of political maneuver, backstabbing, and treachery, signifying nothing... along with an overdose of prurience." What would take me pages to do (and hours to revisit the story) is explain in detail all the things that work so well and come together to make The Hedge Knight's overall effect what it is, and then to explain just how much that element is missing in A Game of Thrones. I have absolutely no interest in revisiting A Game of Thrones in order to make this point thoroughly and well, so I doubt I'll ever write a full, detailed explanation of my disappointment.

the_af 5y ago

No harm done. Thanks for replying. As for ASOIAF: interesting, could you elaborate? I read The Hedge Knight last (well, the whole Dunk & Egg I mean) and I liked it. I found it to be a compressed, fast-forwarded version of A Game of Thrones. But the style elements and plot devices are all there, and I find them to be mostly the same. What is it that you liked in Hedge Knight but disliked in A Game of Thrones? Was it the supernatural element (dragons, zombies, etc)? (I realize this might be hard to answer, and that's fine!)

NateEag 5y ago
The Hedge Knight does a wonderful job of contrasting Dunk's pure, steadfast insistence on doing what's right and upholding a knight's duty no matter the cost with the selfish meaningless insanity of the political machinations around him. I was really excited to dig into the whole series based on how well the author pulled different elements together into that overall structure. As I worked through the first book, I slowly realized "Oh. This is all about the meaningless sound and fury of political maneuver, backstabbing, and treachery, signifying nothing... along with an overdose of prurience." What would take me pages to do (and hours to revisit the story) is explain in detail all the things that work so well and come together to make The Hedge Knight's overall effect what it is, and then to explain just how much that element is missing in A Game of Thrones. I have absolutely no interest in revisiting A Game of Thrones in order to make this point thoroughly and well, so I doubt I'll ever write a full, detailed explanation of my disappointment.