Well, here we are again Wee Readers, with the next part of our adventure into the great land of Westeros. And we’re about to look at one of the things that makes Game of Thrones so remarkably special…namely the Characters.

Favourite Character

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am that basic of a bitch. Ned Stark is and will now always be my favourite character in ‘A Game of Thrones’. For the basic reason that in the book (and that show though that that’s not entirely relevant here) he is by far and away the best person in Westeros. I’ve always know this (for even the show gets that right) but because the book is so much longer we get so much more little instances of his kindnesses, of his general goodness, not only as a man but as as a lord. One of my favourite bits was his insistence that he and his family usually eat alongside his men so that they both know him and that their lives become real to him as their ruling lord.

And that moment that everyone, right down to stupid Show Sansa, call him out on: warning Cersei before he tells Robert of her children’s true father? Yeah, that was done out of kindness, so she could get her children to safety before the truth came out. Oh yeah, what a monster. I sure wouldn’t want that man ruling me if I was a peasant.

Because here’s the thing with a lot of charters the fandom like to harp on about being so cool, and clever and bad ass for playing the Game of Thrones so well would probably be a very shiny ruler to live under. There’s a reason it’s called the ‘game’ of thrones because for the most part it’s nonsense. Shuffling for power and control in a world that is very soon going to be eaten up by ice zombies.(I know we never say the word zombies because it’s not in this world’s vernacular but that’s what they are.) But Ned Stark? He ruled his people with a kindness and caring heart not seen by most lords of noble birth. When he ruled the roads in the north were safe and he managed to inspire so much loyalty in his banner-men that…well spoiler.

I think it’s entirely the point that as soon as this good man looses his head everything else goes to shit in a hand basket.

Least Favourite Character

This is going to seem strange to say but I actually don’t think I have one for this book. I suppose if put on the spot I might say I hated Lady Cat mainly because of her treatment of Jon Snow but not really to the point that I completely despised her character outside of those interactions. At least not like I did in the show. Here her favouring of Bran is more apparent by just how devastate she is when he’s lying unconscious, to the point where she basically ignores everything and everyone else to sit beside his bed waiting for him to wake up. But then again you feel sorry for her because that’s her child she’s waiting to wake up. And when she wakes up and realises she can actually serves her son better by heading to the capital to discover who tried to murder him she’s actually kind of a badass.

I suppose it speaks well for a book that doesn’t have a character I absolutely hate … at least not one that I wasn’t intended to hate. I mean sure Cersei is awful but that’s kind of the point of her. Like she’s one of those characters meant to be lovely hate-able. Like you hate her but you still really enjoy her scenes. Which is a lot more than you can say about some characters in the show.

Character Most Changed in the Adaption

Surprise I didn’t like show Sansa. She was annoying at the start, kind of boring in the middle, and my god did I hate her at the end. But wait … I hear you say … what about all the abuse she suffered? Yeah, what about it? I will say it clearly now so I won’t have to repeat myself going forward: heaping abuse on a character, particularly the kind of abuse that show Sansa suffered, does not a likeable or interesting character make. Yes I felt very sorry for her, I even felt that this should not be happening to her because this should not be happening to anyone regardless of how boring a character they are. Having Sansa raped does not instantly make her a character worth engaging with … and I’m insulted you would try to take that short cut in the first place.

But I’ve got distracted here… because we’re not really talking about Show Sansa but rather her book counterpart. Now, take into account when I talk about her going forward, and the changes they made to her story in the show, I’m speaking about season one Sansa. As this is a review of ‘A Game of Thrones’ the book not ‘A song of Ice and Fire’ the series. Because the thing is that for the most part season one of Game of Thrones is a pretty accurate adaptation for the first book. Sure, there are a few little changes here and there but for the most part they have that story down right.

Except for one change.

One little glaring change.

That is in the book when Ned Stark is going to reveal to Robert what the truth about the Queen he knows everything is going to go down in a bad way so he tries to get his two daughters, and his household, safely out of the city and back home to Winterfell. But wait I here you say that happened in the show. He tries to send them away but they’re discovered and the whole thing goes shits up. Well, yes, that is right they did keep that part in but what they left out is the reason that plan failed.

Sansa told the Queen about it.

Yes, in the book it’s revealed that Sansa, silly little girl Sansa, sold her family out because she didn’t want to be separated for her one true love Prince Joffrey. There was a small chance they could have escaped but Sansa saw to it that it wasn’t even that.

And for the rest of her life that will always be a fact that is true.

Now, surely you must be saying by now ‘but Wee Lassie doesn’t that make you hate this kid and wasn’t it in fact good that they left that out of the show, along with the fact that she actively bullies Arya at the beginning of the book, doesn’t that make her more easy to root for?’

If you are saying that let me stop you there because it’s Game of Thrones and there was one easy-to-root-for character in the entire show and they lopped off his head at the end of season one. And for another no it doesn’t … because you know what this fact makes Book Sansa in a way that her show counterpart … despite the bland false badass they tried to paint her as in the last season …never was: interesting.

Character I was surprised by my reaction to the Most

You know what character I loved in the tv show … Tyrion. Tyrion Lannister was the best character in the tv show. He was badass, he was dark and brooding, and yet deep down he was really rather kind. And the strange thing is, at least in the first book, he’s still all those things…but I don’t know I just found him a bit annoying.

No, annoying’s the wrong word here; I found him frustrating.

I don’t know … maybe it’s just because I’m reading this book as a woman in her thirties, and not the seventeen-year-old I first watch the series as, but I’m not finding the gritty grey divided loyalties as charming or interesting as I once did. I mean in the first book alone he’s pretty certain his brother and sister are responsible for that boy falling out the window. And I’m pretty certain he knows they’re sleeping together – at least that’s the vibe he gave off – but he doesn’t say anything because he’s loyal to house Lannister. Okay so it may have been more out of love for Jamie and the Children, which is a bit more redeeming, but come on people House Lannister sucks.

Possibly most of this annoyance comes from the second book, where he’s actively fighting for House Lannister to be on to, but a lot of the attributes that lead him to do so are present here so I, counting it. And I have to say I was really surprised at myself.

I found Tyrion Lannister annoying.

And there’s no greater damnation than that.

Well, that’s the end of this post, I’ll see you all next week for the our next week into the Game of Thrones world … Plot.

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