User blog comment:LexiLexi/Game of Thrones Season 2 Pictures/@comment-99.242.78.251-20120604022605/@comment-5014364-20120604031324

The thing we consistently have to explain to people is that book 1, and even book 2, are in large degree simply setup for the utter insanity that happens on every page of book 3. Of course, the TV show is splitting book 3 between seasons 3 and 4 (its a really long book) so things pick up from here on out.

I'm a huge Daenerys Targaryen fan...and even I would bluntly say that her storyline is backburned in book/season 2, and the entire Qarth storyline was simply filler (they had to pad it out in the TV show). Similarly, Jon Snow's storyline...while advancing certain significant plotlines for him, is largely just setup. Jaime Lannister is completely backburned in book 2.

Book 2 and Season 2 were largely Tyrion's, many of this standout moments in the series are in book 2. If anything, he loosely, loosely becomes the "main character" after Ned Stark (except there isn't really a main character).

Its much like Lord of the Rings, where people kept complaining in the first two movies, that they were largely setup....then the third film wasn't even a conventionally structured movie, just 40 solid minutes of what is normally a 5 minute climax scene, one after another (*wham* Oliphaunts!, *wham* giant spider), etc. etc.

The entire "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series was originally conceived of as a trilogy, so it follows a three-act structure. Problem was that the storyline just kept expanding.

Loosely, the three "Acts" are going to be:

Act 1 - The War of the Five Kings Act 2 - The Targaryens try to take the throne back Act 3 - The heart of Winter, and the White Walkers have returned in force to cover the lands in darkness.

And they're setting all of this up so there are certain plots in the background.

Similarly, "Act 1" is books 1 through 3. So the "climax" of Act 1 only came in Book 3, which will be seasons 3 and 4.

Prepare to be blown away.