Julie in Austin Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (1) Are these books appropriate for children? (2) Do you think they would work well as a family read-aloud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyBee Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Well, I just started reading the first one, but from what I've read so far, my personal answers would be: 1) no and 2) no But I suppose it would depend on the ages of your kids--I'm basing my opinion on my kids being 12 and 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Not at all. Unless you like graphic violence and incest in your read-alouds :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in Austin Posted July 14, 2011 Author Share Posted July 14, 2011 Not at all. Unless you like graphic violence and incest in your read-alouds :tongue_smilie: :001_huh: Good thing I asked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 They are absolutely not appropriate for kids. Incest, rape, and graphic violence are pervasive, and I think they become more prevalent after the first book. The first half of the first book might lead you to think that it might be okay for some kids, but the adult themes become much more common after that, especially in some of the following books. I have way more relaxed standards than some of the parents here, and I would NEVER let my child read these! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 How old are your children? If you're of the "no Stephen King until they're 18" camp, then these won't work. :) They're rated R. Maybe NC-17 depending on the standards you set for your family. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
golfcartmama Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 No. They even disturb me some! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sun Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 How old are your children? If you're of the "no Stephen King until they're 18" camp, then these won't work. :) They're rated R. Maybe NC-17 depending on the standards you set for your family. I think these books go well beyond the Stephen King level. When you have multiple mentions of rape by 50 or a hundred men, "bed slaves," incest that is central to the storyline, and lots of graphic violence (flayed skin, severed heads and other body parts, hangings, guts falling out), I find it different than the Stephen-King type adult novel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrappyhappymama Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Not at all. Unless you like graphic violence and incest in your read-alouds :tongue_smilie: I just had a mini-heart attack, considering my 9 year old is currently reading The Throne of Fire, which he recently got for his birthday and which I have not pre-read. Fortunately... completely different Thrones. Whew! I think I need some coffee. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 They are absolutely not appropriate for kids. Incest, rape, and graphic violence are pervasive, and I think they become more prevalent after the first book. The first half of the first book might lead you to think that it might be okay for some kids, but the adult themes become much more common after that, especially in some of the following books. I have way more relaxed standards than some of the parents here, and I would NEVER let my child read these! :iagree: I would let my kids read King before GoT, by far. I couldn't even finish it I found it so disturbing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I think these books go well beyond the Stephen King level. When you have multiple mentions of rape by 50 or a hundred men, "bed slaves," incest that is central to the storyline, and lots of graphic violence (flayed skin, severed heads and other body parts, hangings, guts falling out), I find it different than the Stephen-King type adult novel. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) I just had a mini-heart attack, considering my 9 year old is currently reading The Throne of Fire, which he recently got for his birthday and which I have not pre-read. Fortunately... completely different Thrones. Whew! I think I need some coffee. :D *LOL* Yeah, those are totally different books! eta: My kids love those Rick Riordan books! Edited July 14, 2011 by Mrs Mungo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I've read a lot of Stephen King - nearly everything he's written. There were some of those that were more challenging for me because of the suspense - the "something waiting in the dark corner" kind of thing. I listened to Game of Thrones, and I've seen the TV series. I think I was more.... tolerant? of that because I thought of it as another time. It wasn't something that might be happening currently (unlike the King books set in present day). The incest between the Queen and her brother? Perfectly reasonable in a medieval time period when one was trying to maintain family ties to land and property. There was violence related to war conquests. I guess it just seemed like "reasonable" situational stuff. And maybe listening to it versus reading it directly gave me some more emotional distance from it? I just finished Joe Kilborn/JA Konrath's "Afraid" and that actually gave me nightmares because of the suspense related stuff. I didn't want to get out of bed because someone might be in my closet. Yeah - I'm an adult. I used the Stephen King reference initially because there are lots of people here who don't consider King appropriate for anyone under 18. If that was the situation for the OP, then it would be easy to say that GoT was inappropriate. The fact that she was asking about it as a read-aloud cued me to the idea that there would be children listening (not just older teens), which again - makes the King reference an easy guideline. If someone were asking if her teens could read GoT themselves, the King reference again is handy - if you won't allow that, then GoT is not for your teens. If you're a family that does allow King for older teens, then you'd need to explore more about whether the subject matter covered would be appropriate for your family. I'm willing to agree that GoT is more adult than King. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 Now that you've read the other responses, you can imagine my *gasp*of*horror* (then giggling) as I read your post. ;) And I'll back everybody else up: no way, no how. :) (On the other hand, *I*'m totally hooked on them for myself!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 I listened to Game of Thrones, and I've seen the TV series. I think I was more.... tolerant? of that because I thought of it as another time. It wasn't something that might be happening currently (unlike the King books set in present day). The incest between the Queen and her brother? Perfectly reasonable in a medieval time period when one was trying to maintain family ties to land and property. There was violence related to war conquests. I guess it just seemed like "reasonable" situational stuff. And maybe listening to it versus reading it directly gave me some more emotional distance from it? That's funny, because it wasn't until my cousin saw them on tv that she realized (to quote what she posted on facebook) that she had been reading smut. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once Again Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 NO and NO. Absolutely not. I read the first book when it first came out in the 90's. Then I threw it in the trash and haven't touched the series since. Horrible graphic violence, all too often directed at children Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 No, no, no, no! No way! Very much adult material all around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amey311 Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 That's funny, because it wasn't until my cousin saw them on tv that she realized (to quote what she posted on facebook) that she had been reading smut. :lol: Because the books are SO long, with so much narration (versus dialog) that I can see where you might get so bogged down in trying to keep various areas and people straight that you forget about the smut :) Have you read the book? I really regretted reading ahead of where we watched. I have books two and three (audio) on hold at the library. I'm guessing they'll see me thru a lot of our upcoming vacation. The first was like 33 hours of reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted July 14, 2011 Share Posted July 14, 2011 (edited) I wouldn't let anyone under 14 near these books. The best way to think of the Game of Thrones/A Song of Fire and Ice series is as a chronicle of war atrocities and as an index of sins that rivals the rings of Dante's Inferno. That said, it's a brilliant story that is simultaneously geopolitically and personally/psychologically stunning. I consider this to be an excellent overview of the series: 10 Reasons Why You Should Read George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones P.S. These books have amazing vocabulary! I'm reading ADWD and I'm using the definition function like a bandit and learning a tremendous number of medieval Scottish words! Edited July 14, 2011 by kubiac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori D. Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 (1) Are these books appropriate for children? (2) Do you think they would work well as a family read-aloud? 1. NO. 2. NO. I only managed by *forcing* myself to get 3/4 of the way through book 1. Dark, depressing, and NO redeeming characters whatsoever. Everyone is as nasty and selfish as can be. There are just a very few innocent characters, but they quickly get brutalized -- for example, a young boy gets deliberately thrown off a tower; he survives but his back is broken. The writing style/vocabulary is adequate, but nothing spectacular. The characters are not very complex; self-focus and getting ahead seems to be about the depth of anyone's motivation. Several sex scenes and, while not exactly porn, all were written in an embarrassingly ham-fisted manner. The only positive comment I have about the book was that the author successfully created a large fantasy world in which you were always clear where you were. But what good is that if the world is filled with hateful, horrible characters with which you want nothing to do? And worse, having to suffer along when the rare innocent character has something especially horrible done to him/her deliberately? Ug. And as a lover of fantasy fiction, I went into it *really* wanting to like it. I felt violated. I couldn't make it through the book, and I wouldn't want to drag anyone in my family through it. Just my 2 cents worth! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morningxmorning Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 There is so much sadistic gratuitous violence in those books that I'm not sure it was age appropriate for me and I'm 40. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Now that you've read the other responses, you can imagine my *gasp*of*horror* (then giggling) as I read your post. ;) And I'll back everybody else up: no way, no how. :) (On the other hand, *I*'m totally hooked on them for myself!) I agree. I do really like them for *me*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 That awkward moment when you have to explain twincest to your kids. And your husband. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moxie Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Does anyone here watch Cougar Town? On the last episode they were watching GOT for Family Night (their only child is grown). She popped the video in and immediatly said, "Wow, b00bs already!" Yep, that is how GOT rolls! Julie, I hope you don't feel like we're making fun of you! I promise we're not; it is just so NOT FOR KIDS!! that the question is shockingly funny to those who have already read them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Because the books are SO long, with so much narration (versus dialog) that I can see where you might get so bogged down in trying to keep various areas and people straight that you forget about the smut :) Have you read the book? I really regretted reading ahead of where we watched. I have books two and three (audio) on hold at the library. I'm guessing they'll see me thru a lot of our upcoming vacation. The first was like 33 hours of reading. I have read them, and I agree that they are long and plenty of it isn't smut. Although, even some that isn't smut is still incredibly uncomfortable. This is a weird thread to get a bump, but I thought I'd answer the question directed at me while I was here. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 I've been a reader and lover of the series since it started. They are difficult, complex books to get into and understand, but the journey of the characters is one I would never give up. My 8yo has picked up and started reading the books but when we found out, wr stopped him. The HBO series is not completely accurate but fun none the less. As a teen/adult they are definitely worth the read, but not for kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lizzie in Ma Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 (1) Are these books appropriate for children? (2) Do you think they would work well as a family read-aloud? Absolutely not, no way, no how, nuh uh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chiguirre Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 That's funny, because it wasn't until my cousin saw them on tv that she realized (to quote what she posted on facebook) that she had been reading smut. :lol: The TV series has more smut than the books. Ros isn't a character in the books! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 The TV series has more smut than the books. Ros isn't a character in the books! I have 3 younger sisters and a bunch of cousins. Most of us have read and discussed the books. I disagree that the books are less smutty. But, I think I have a better memory for what I read than many people and/or more imagination. :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
imagine.more Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 That awkward moment when you have to explain twincest to your kids. And your husband. Rofl!! Yeah, I love game of thrones but only read it on my kindle lest my kids pick it up one day to read innocently thinking it's some regular old fantasy series. And I am no prude when it comes to literature or movies typically. I agree the tv show is more smutty but only because proportionately the content in the books is just more varied. For example a chapter might contain one beheading, one whore, and some creatively vulgar language but also contains families, friends, political disputes, mythological elements, corrupted religion, and an adventure or two. The only parts that seem to make it into the tv show are the whores and language with half the violent killings. So the shows aren't making up much (though I've seen one super smutty scene I do not remember from the books) but the emphasis is a bit different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted January 20, 2013 Share Posted January 20, 2013 :iagree: I would let my kids read King before GoT, by far. I couldn't even finish it I found it so disturbing. Agreed. I stopped reading halfway through the first book and couldn't finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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