KB4RN3S Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 I am working a job this summer that will entail a lot of driving. I got a subscription to Audible where I get one credit each month and was going to listen to books on my commute(since there's not a nerd fitness podcast, and I'm tired of morning talk radio). So my question is do I start with Lord of the Rings series, or Game of Thrones. I've never read either, and I haven't seen either of the two movies/TV shows. Suggestions please. Quote KB4RN3S the level 2 Wood elf, Ranger STR 2|DEX 1|CON 3|STA 2|WIS 2|CHA 0Current challenge "Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one."~Bobby Knight~ "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."~Arthur C. Clarke~ Link to comment
Yraen Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 Just because I'm a huge Tolkien nerd(see the name) I say Lord of the Rings. 1 Quote Challenge https://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/96340-yraen-gets-smarter/ Link to comment
KB4RN3S Posted June 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 That's kind of what I was thinking. How can I call myself a nerd and have not read/seen Lord of the Rings. Thanks. 1 Quote KB4RN3S the level 2 Wood elf, Ranger STR 2|DEX 1|CON 3|STA 2|WIS 2|CHA 0Current challenge "Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one."~Bobby Knight~ "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."~Arthur C. Clarke~ Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted June 11, 2015 Report Share Posted June 11, 2015 I agree about LOTR, and I suggest you actually start with the hobbit. Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Artemis Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Also LOTR. Having read LOTR multiple times and suffered through the first 2 GoT books, I'd say start with LOTR for sure. Hobbit can be a good place to start, but you can also definitely start with Fellowship and that book will be a much longer audio version than Hobbit will. Quote "Fairy tales are more than true not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten" -Neil Gaiman Mandalorian Assassin: Level 5 Current Challenge - Artemis becomes Mandalorian Overall Weight Loss Journey: Starting Weight - Current Weight - Goal -160lbs Link to comment
RisenPhoenix Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Also LOTR. Having read LOTR multiple times and suffered through the first 2 GoT books, I'd say start with LOTR for sure. Hobbit can be a good place to start, but you can also definitely start with Fellowship and that book will be a much longer audio version than Hobbit will. ^This LOTR voter for me, too. Also practically, at least LOTR is finished. 1 Quote RisenPhoenix, the Entish Aikidoka Challenge: RisenPhoenix Turns to Ash "The essence of koryu [...is] you offer your loyalty to something that you choose to regard as greater than yourself so that you will, someday, be able to offer service to something that truly is transcendent." ~ Ellis Amdur, Old School Link to comment
Bekah Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 Both? Start with the Hobbit, then the LOTR books, then GoT and maybe by then, book six of GoT will be released and you can geek out with the rest of us. Quote Druid Assassin Halfling Druid Level 16, Current Quest: Bekah Returns Spoiler Fitbit Facebook Your life does not get better by chance. It gets better by change. - Jim Rohn Link to comment
Gainsdalf the Whey Posted June 12, 2015 Report Share Posted June 12, 2015 I agree about LOTR, and I suggest you actually start with the hobbit. Yeah, start with the Hobbit and do LOTR. It's almost a prerequisite to nerdom. GoT is the flavor of the decade, LOTR of the century. I mean, the series is basically what created modern elvish/dwarvish fantasy everything, including D&D. 4 Quote Massrandir, Barkûn, Swolórin, The Whey Pilgrim 500 / 330 / 625 Challenges: 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 39 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 Current Challenge "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. " ~ Socrates "Friends don't let friends squat high." ~ Chad Wesley Smith "It's a dangerous business, Brodo, squatting to the floor. You step into the rack, and if you don't keep your form, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Gainsdalf Link to comment
KB4RN3S Posted June 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 Yeah, start with the Hobbit and do LOTR. It's almost a prerequisite to nerdom. GoT is the flavor of the decade, LOTR of the century. I mean, the series is basically what created modern elvish/dwarvish fantasy everything, including D&D.I agree. Thanks to everyone who helped me. The overall vote is heavily favoring LOTR. I did get LOTR: Fellowship. I will begin it on Monday on my morning commute. Thanks for all the input. And here's to my next quest to Level Up my nerdhood. 1 Quote KB4RN3S the level 2 Wood elf, Ranger STR 2|DEX 1|CON 3|STA 2|WIS 2|CHA 0Current challenge "Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one."~Bobby Knight~ "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."~Arthur C. Clarke~ Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted June 14, 2015 Report Share Posted June 14, 2015 3 Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
Why not? Posted June 15, 2015 Report Share Posted June 15, 2015 In terms of how they fit into the fantasy genre hierarchy, LOTR is the Beatles and GOT is Limp Bizkit. 4 Quote Long Term Goals: Spoiler 200# 245# Snatch 300# Clean and Jerk 380# 465# Back Squat 450# 500# Deadlift Planche Human Flag Front Lever 285# Log Clean and Press 1k Row under 3:20 Back Flip Bodyweight Turkish Get-up For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 Never compromise. Link to comment
KB Girl Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 They both suck! Go listen to The Wheel of Time instead, that's also really brilliantly narrated. Seriously though, GoT is just the flavor of the month, it's not that great, makes you want to throw the books out of the window a lot because a character dies again. Plus the writer is horrible with writing output. LOTR was written a century ago and can be quite a bore for people who have grown up in this century. I did read and loved it back when I was a kid, but I would never recommend it to someone who isn't a complete reading nerd. The sheer amount of names to remember, gah. WOT is the LOTR of our generation. It's quite brilliant, far more imaginative, more character development, and while there are definitely some boring parts it doesn't even compare to the first LOTR book. Hopefully Sanderson is writing the epic for the next generation atm. Quote KB Quest: becoming a decent kettlebell lifter and an excellent coach 2023 goals tracker; cycling: 1047,7/5000km & reading to my kids: 58/365 days (updated may 1st) my instagram - my gym's instagram Link to comment
KB4RN3S Posted June 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I am halfway through Fellowship. And yes, it does get a little, uh shall I say, dull at times. And yes, there are a lot of things to keep track of. But, I do like it. I like it A LOT! The hobbit came on TV this weekend, and I recorded it, and have been watching it off and on this week. The funny thing is that there is a part in Fellowship that they mention "their ancestors turning the trolls into stone". And I knew what they were talking about. LOL. So, anyway, thank you for all the advice. I love Fellowship. Not sure if I'm ready for Two Towers, but maybe. I may go ahead and do GOT next. Or I may start Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy, also. Not sure where this nerd life will take me next. Quote KB4RN3S the level 2 Wood elf, Ranger STR 2|DEX 1|CON 3|STA 2|WIS 2|CHA 0Current challenge "Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one."~Bobby Knight~ "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."~Arthur C. Clarke~ Link to comment
Gainsdalf the Whey Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 WOT is the LOTR of our generation. I think that's a bit over stated. I'm finishing up the last book now, and while good, I don't think it's the LOTR of our generation. It's pretty solid, but the rediculous divide between the sexes is really iritating. I see what Jordan was trying to do with it, and I think it was clever, but he really took it 2-3 steps too far. It really ruined a few of the characters for me. 3 Quote Massrandir, Barkûn, Swolórin, The Whey Pilgrim 500 / 330 / 625 Challenges: 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 39 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 Current Challenge "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. " ~ Socrates "Friends don't let friends squat high." ~ Chad Wesley Smith "It's a dangerous business, Brodo, squatting to the floor. You step into the rack, and if you don't keep your form, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Gainsdalf Link to comment
Why not? Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I am halfway through Fellowship. And yes, it does get a little, uh shall I say, dull at times. And yes, there are a lot of things to keep track of. But, I do like it. I like it A LOT! The hobbit came on TV this weekend, and I recorded it, and have been watching it off and on this week. The funny thing is that there is a part in Fellowship that they mention "their ancestors turning the trolls into stone". And I knew what they were talking about. LOL. So, anyway, thank you for all the advice. I love Fellowship. Not sure if I'm ready for Two Towers, but maybe. I may go ahead and do GOT next. Or I may start Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy, also. Not sure where this nerd life will take me next.IMO, Two Towers is a lot better than Fellowship, particularly in terms of action. Quote Long Term Goals: Spoiler 200# 245# Snatch 300# Clean and Jerk 380# 465# Back Squat 450# 500# Deadlift Planche Human Flag Front Lever 285# Log Clean and Press 1k Row under 3:20 Back Flip Bodyweight Turkish Get-up For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for the present life and the life to come. 1 Timothy 4:8 Never compromise. Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 Tolkien wrote the first part of Fellowship far ahead of the rest of LOTR, and it shows in the style. Once they get to Rivendell, the tone and especially the pace picks up quite a bit. Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
KB Girl Posted June 23, 2015 Report Share Posted June 23, 2015 I think that's a bit over stated. I'm finishing up the last book now, and while good, I don't think it's the LOTR of our generation. It's pretty solid, but the rediculous divide between the sexes is really iritating. I see what Jordan was trying to do with it, and I think it was clever, but he really took it 2-3 steps too far. It really ruined a few of the characters for me.Yea I get that, I didn't mind it too much but I can definitely see why it might ruin it.But I don't think a work needs to be perfect to qualify as the lotr of our generation, lotr itself certainly wasn't. Wot is the best epic written in the last 20 years though? Quote KB Quest: becoming a decent kettlebell lifter and an excellent coach 2023 goals tracker; cycling: 1047,7/5000km & reading to my kids: 58/365 days (updated may 1st) my instagram - my gym's instagram Link to comment
Gainsdalf the Whey Posted June 24, 2015 Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 Wot is the best epic written in the last 20 years though? Maybe, but it's not the clear winner. The Dark Tower was fantastic, especially the first half, though maybe a slightly different genre vs straight fantasy. It suffers from a fall off in later books. Game of Thrones is up there, but is going to be over-scrutinized due to having the tv series. The main thing I think something needs to be an "LOTR of a generation" is doing something new. For Tolkein, no one had done this high fantasy with elves and dwarves and such. Once he did, other writers took it and gave it their own twists for decades and decades. I don't think WoT does that, it doesn't present such a different new view point or way of doing things that other writers will run with it for a long time, almost making it's own genre. GoT probably falls short as well, but I think it comes closer in various area with the low magic, heavy political intrigue, and no one being safe from being killed off. The Dark Tower might come the closest of these three with its different view of the universe, how worlds interact and bleed into one another, with characters traveling between different but interweaved realities. I'm sure there are others that I just haven't found yet that may be even better, but those might be lacking the chance to be the LOTR of our generation for that very reason, not having been a popular hit. There may be popular ones I haven't read yet either, I've fallen behind on my reading in recent years. 1 Quote Massrandir, Barkûn, Swolórin, The Whey Pilgrim 500 / 330 / 625 Challenges: 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 31 32 34 35 36 39 41 42 45 46 47 48 49 Current Challenge "No citizen has a right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. What a disgrace it is for a man to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable. " ~ Socrates "Friends don't let friends squat high." ~ Chad Wesley Smith "It's a dangerous business, Brodo, squatting to the floor. You step into the rack, and if you don't keep your form, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to." ~ Gainsdalf Link to comment
Tanktimus the Encourager Posted June 24, 2015 Report Share Posted June 24, 2015 I agree with Gainsdalf. I don't think there will be another LOTR of our generation because we are still talking about LOTR. The genre would have to practically die out and someone would have to come along and revive it to truly have that title IMO. Quote Current Challenge "By the Most-Righteous-and-Blessed Beard of Sir Tanktimus the Encourager!" - Jarl Rurik Harrgath Link to comment
KB Girl Posted June 26, 2015 Report Share Posted June 26, 2015 The something new is a good measurement for it, for sure. I had always thought that WoT was the first to really play around with actual magic and rules for how it works. Unlike LOTR which doesnt have any pre-defined rules for magic, just magical stuff showing up every now and then. Much like GoT. WoT inspired people like Brandon Sanderson to play around with magical systems and it's rules.. I really enjoy that type of stuff, so i'm probably very biased in seeing this as a whole new 'type' of books. If I were to be really bold i'd say that WoT could have even inspired Harry Potter, what with it having a magic system with defined rules, but I doubt Rowling read WoT x) And heck, i'm not even sure there weren't other who played around with the magic systems first. Quote KB Quest: becoming a decent kettlebell lifter and an excellent coach 2023 goals tracker; cycling: 1047,7/5000km & reading to my kids: 58/365 days (updated may 1st) my instagram - my gym's instagram Link to comment
KB4RN3S Posted June 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Ok, so I just finished LOTR: Fellowship. My Audible subscription doesn't give me another credit until July 28th. Ugh. And in all seriousness, I am not sure I am ready to ingest another heavy read like Game of Thrones or Two Towers, just yet. I am actually thinking about watching Two Towers and Return of the King Movies to complete the saga. Not sure what I want to read next. I am hoping to find something a little lighter for the time being. But I am happy to say that I am NOW a LOTR reader! It was a fantastic book, and I can't believe I never read it, or watched the movies before now. I did find myself getting "drunk" on the language of Tolkien. I also found myself "zoning" sometimes because it was so heavy. But overall, I really did love the book. Thanks for all the suggestions! 1 Quote KB4RN3S the level 2 Wood elf, Ranger STR 2|DEX 1|CON 3|STA 2|WIS 2|CHA 0Current challenge "Mental toughness is to physical as four is to one."~Bobby Knight~ "The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible."~Arthur C. Clarke~ Link to comment
Earendil Posted July 29, 2015 Report Share Posted July 29, 2015 Both times I read LOTR, I struggled through Fellowship. It picks up slightly after Rivendell, but it's still incredibly slow. The Two Towers is a much quicker and more immersive read, and Return of the King was rapid and engrossing. Still, I much prefer The Silmarillion to LOTR (hence my username lol). I like it because of the mythology more than the narration. It would be insufferable as an audiobook, though. Related: Yraen, I'm ashamed I had to look up what Engwar means. lol Quote Link to comment
Dusk Posted August 4, 2015 Report Share Posted August 4, 2015 If you are wanting to listen to the rest of LoTR but still don't have more Audible credits, I discovered a guy who recorded his own and put it up on the interwebs for freeee! It's really good, too. He does all the voices, and puts music and sound effects and everything. Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers Return of the King Quote Link to comment
chriskra Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 The Kingkiller Chronicles is an AMAZING series! Not saying that it surpasses LOTR or anything like that, but Rothfuss writes beautifully and I think that it is a MUST READ for fantasy fans. Quote Chriskra, Level 1 Night Elf RangerSTR 2|DEX 3|STA 2|CON 2|WIS 2|CHA 4"The only easy day was yesterday" Link to comment
Girl-Meet-World Posted December 30, 2015 Report Share Posted December 30, 2015 I definitely second the Kingkiller Chronicles!!!! Beautiful read, with really complex human characters, that you fall in love with, and amazing plot line. Also, check out some more of Sanderson's work, I can't remember the series titles, but the first one is Mistborn, and there's three of them. His writing really explores new and creative ways to take magic, and I found his ideas really refreshing and original, coupled with beautiful story telling and amazing amazing characters. I have to say that they are my favourite books of all time. Next, is the slightly more comedic (ish) route. Try out the Discworld series (though I don't know how well Audio books go with the footnotes that I love in the physical copies) or anything by Douglas Adams or Tom Holt or Neil Gaiman. Pratchett and Gaiman collaborated on a really good book called Good Omens, which is about how the world should have ended. I would also recommend the Sherlock books. I know that every has heard of them and probably watched something, but its really intriguing to read about Holmes, even if Sir Doyle hated writing them. Now, I think I've said the word amazing a couple too many times, so I'm going to bow out now. Quote Panda Hobbit | Drifter | Level 3 STR 6 | DEX 5 | STA 2 | CON 5 | WIS 7 | CHA 2 "Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself" -- Tolstoy Training | Challenge 1 2 3 4 | Epic Quest Link to comment
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