to let DD (13) read the Game of Thrones series?

[PurpleAquilegia]

DD is nearly 14. She's reading the Game of Thrones books, currently on book 2.

This came up in conversation with some mums of similarly aged youngsters today, and they seemed appalled. Some more so than others, but the consensus was that the books are totally unsuitable for that age group.

I'm inclined to let her continue. AIBU?

Id stop her reading them because they're utter shite and filled with rape and degradation of women and children. the author doesn't portray most of the violence against women and children as a bad thing. In fact most of it is inconsequential to the plot and the author just seems to shoehorn it in for no reason. People say oh its how it was in those days ... well no. Is a fictional series set in a fictional world. It's come entirely out of his mind.

Get her to read Robin hobb if she hasn't already, starting with the assassins apprentice. Great fantasy books with complex characters and a well built world. And without a rape every other bloody page. Then she can go back to the game of thrones shit after and see it for what it really is.

If she likes adult fantasy, Raymond E. Feist was a good suggestion upthread - Magician, the Empire trilogy and the Sethanon books are all pretty good, although the later books are crap. Tolkien is the obvious one (including The Silmarillion and now several other unpublished works edited by Christopher Tolkien).

"Id stop her reading them because they're utter shite"

^Is one opinion. Some of us actually enjoyed them.

And some of us didn't.

The Farseer books, the Mistborn Trilogy, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, the Name of the Wind...all really good fantasy novels suitable for this age range.

I think if she can understand the themes and not be bored rigid by the turgid prose, then she should crack on.

michy27 They get worse!

Daughter of smoke and bone is good.

Thank you very much for all these opinions and suggestions. I need to really mull this over. I'll respond more tomorrow - am knackered and my brain has shut down for tonight.

I think they may be too much for a 13 year old but bloody hell she's on book two you can't stop her now!!
How is your relationship? You mentioned that you talk about things so perhaps suggest if there's anything she wants to discuss you are there to help her understand?
I honestly think it would be impossible to get her to stop and better you know she's reading them than her doing it behind your back.
Don't worry too much, I think loads of us read books/saw films that were far too adult when we were younger.

Try and redirect to Robert Jordan, trudi caravan and robin hobb. Better written better stories less grim.

It's interesting though I don't remember any of the scenes quoted above.years since I read them though

Plus he still hasn't finished the bloody series.there's a reason not to start

I read some dodgy and questionable stuff at an early age, the Flowers in the Attic series for example. You could argue that a lot of women's fiction can be damaging in that it has unrealistic depictions of sex and romance and a lot of casual sexism. But these books are very graphic and some of it made me queasy even as an adult. The description of a knight raping a twelve year old while wearing his armour haunted me for a while.

Briarthorn: Me too - what a load of tripe

But seriously, nowhere near comparable in terms of content. Seriously dodgy, but never particularly graphic.

Let her. I had read all kinds of stuff by that age including flowers in the attic. I survived and thrived.

I think they're pretty fucking fantastic actually, and I have a PHD in Eng Lit. His prose style is a bit pedestrian, but the plotting and character development is stunning.

And leagues better than the TV show.

Interesting that someone has mentioned American Psycho as well. I've re-read that a few times and for me it isn't about his murders at all. It's the culture, the superficiality of it all and his disintegration. I also like reading descriptions of clothes and food and there's a lot of that too. And the album reviews aren't bad either

Oh god, I hate his character development. As the series moves on the characters get increasingly peripheral and as a reader I just stopped caring!

Briar thorn: Of course AP isn't about the murders but that's not the point. The murders are depicted in the most graphic, extreme manner possible. A child reading that book could be seriously harmed and I would be concerned about what was going through a parent's head if they allowed them to read it because there was a metaphorical meaning they found interesting!

I read the first few when I was about 15/ 16 and found them disturbing, but no more than some of the books I had to read for English like A Handmaiden's Tale, Clockwork Orange and 1984. 13 might be a bit young but ultimately all 13 year old are different. You know her better than any of us. If your not sure, maybe talk to her about it and ask her what she thinks about the more violent stuff.

Did you VA readers also read My Sweet Audrina? Child is raped and so to save her from the shame the parents gaslight her so much that she doubts her sanity. WTF?

I read My Sweet Audrina too - now that was shite. Total snore fest.

Completely agree with you Trifle r.e American Psycho, I must have missed the point a bit. I've only ever read those chapters once and wouldn't want a child to.

I read my sweet audrina when I was 10. Only when I reread it recently I understood that the the rocking chair was supposed to be some sort of occult object. I didn't pick up on that when I was young ( I understood Damian was a crazy fool though). Or just how much Audrina let's Arden off the hook for at the end.

Reading is the first thing to give them freedom to choose themselves what's right, reading is a pretty safe environment to explore all sorts of things. I would have thought most people would be mature enough at 14 to take that responsibility, the time period before they'll have complete self determination is too short if they're not.

So no, YANBU.