Wheel of Time vs Game of Thrones

Now that the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) last season is out and it doesn’t look like the next book is going to be published until the Sun rises in the West, I want to put out there why I love Wheel of Time more than Game of Thrones. Don’t get me wrong, Game of Thrones is an incredible series and I cannot wait for the rest of the books to come out. The show is probably the best I’ve ever watched. I think GRRM has an unique way of writing very different characters and I love how he can make people who shouldn't be heroes into just that. I just happen to like The Wheel of Time more for the following reasons. Some of my downsides for Game of Thrones may be other people’s strong points but here’s what I think:
“Game of Houses vs Game of Thrones”
  1. To me the point of reading fantasy is to find a world that you can see yourself in, and want to be in. People read Lord of the Rings because it would be awesome to be an elf or a wizard. People read Harry Potter because they imagine what it would be like to be a student in Hogwarts. People watch Star Wars because they imagine what it would be like to be a Jedi/Sith. People read The Wheel of Time because people want to imagine what it's like to Channel or to be a Warder or to be important to prophesy. I would never want to be any part of Westeros. I would not want to be in the Night Watch, I would not want to be a King, I would not want to live in any part of that world.  For some people, this is what draws them to Game of Thrones, for me though Westeros just sounds like a nasty place to live.
  2. I am constantly rereading my favorite books. I don't think i have stopped reading and rereading The Wheel of Time since 2001. For whatever reason though I have not reread A Song of Ice and Fire the same way. Maybe the show is keeping me from needing to reread it but I really have no desire to do so. The last two book are just so dark and seemingly hopeless for our characters I don’t see how anything is going to get better. The 8 year and counting wait until the next book doesn’t help either. I don't want to reread the series until i hear the next book is going to come out.  I thought the Dunk and Egg novellas were a breath of fresh air for the Game of Thrones series because they really are a knight doing heroic things.
  3. I have no idea where the story is going in Game of Thrones. I’m talking about the book series here. For The Wheel of Time I knew the series was moving towards the Last Battle. I knew for 14 books that is where it was headed. For Harry Potter I knew the goal was the beat Voldemort or Lord of the Rings its to destroy the Ring. For Game of Thrones I have no idea what the goal is. There is no Night King in the books like there is in the show to fight against. There feels like a million loose ends in the story and I just don’t see how GRRM is going to wrap this story up.
  4. No one is better than Rand, Mat and Perrin. Arya, Tyrion and Jon are great. There’s just way too many characters to care about in Game of Thrones (which is saying something compared to The Wheel of Time)
  5. I think Robert Jordan creates more unique civilizations. People like the Aiel are built with their own traditions and history that make sense when you read about them. The Wildlings have their own history that makes sense but I think the Aiel society building works better.
  6. I like how Robert Jordan takes common fantasy themes and makes them different. The idea of a Dragon, the way that wolves are used, time itself (just to name a few)  is used in ways that I have never seen anywhere else. Whenever someone sees my copy of “The Dragon Reborn” they say “Oh so this book has dragons in it.” I love trying to explain how there is a Dragon but not the way that you would think. The Dragons in Game of Thrones are awesome but Ii love how Jordan sees something and decides to make it his own.
  7. Seeing back in time in The Wheel of Time comes from people’s past lives and Ter’angreal rather than someone being some type of seer. I’m not sure if one way is necessarily better but I like how in Game of Thrones only one or two people can look back in time at whatever they want to see. In The Wheel of Time only certain people remember or can see the past and that's only from certain point of views, not whenever or wherever in the past they want.

What I do like about Game of Thrones is that it is not to heavy handed with the magic and supernatural. No one is all powerful. Two many fantasy stories are so heavy with the magic I can’t read them for too long. I also love how being part of a house really means something in Westeros. There are Houses and Nobles in Wheel of Time but I think GRRM does an excellent job of making those Family names seem more important than you would find in Andor.
Anyways that’s some of what I think. Needless to say I cannot wait for the next Game of Thrones books and the rest of the show to premiere. Just remember that the “Game of Houses” are better than a “Game of Thrones.” Here’s to hoping The Wheel of Time show is just as good, and it certainly looks like they are going in with the same care and respect that they made Game of Thrones with.

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