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The game of thrones season 5 finale 'killed me' and I would like to read the books for the remaining part of the story.

Could anyone who has read the books and watched the show as well tell me which book should I start reading first so I can read what happens after ( season 5 episode 10 in the tv show).

I actually thought of starting it from the beginning since buying 5 books is a little expensive for me at the moment.

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  • I stopped reading the books a while back but I think the show and the books have pretty different stories at this stage.
    – Daft
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 11:39
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    None. Book 6 hasn't been written yet, and may never be.
    – Gaius
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 11:45
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    The rest of the story is yet to be written, the upcoming book is called The Winds of Winter. Even so, the show has deviated from the books quite a lot. In this answer I explain why you should not skip ahead in the books. Of course, those of us who have read the books have some ideas what is going to happen. A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness..
    – TLP
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 12:11
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    I'd like to see someone explain why they're downvoting this question.
    – Daft
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 13:11
  • No, you cannot know the coming story from books. As TV series is tottally different from book now.
    – Panther
    Commented Jun 25, 2015 at 8:01

3 Answers 3

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In most cases, the television show has already reached the point where the most recent novel (A Dance with Dragons) has left off; the finale on Season 5 lines up pretty cleanly with the end of that novel. (In some cases, like Bran, the show ran out of story last season).

In other cases, the show has deviated quite a bit from the novels, especially with Sansa, Arya, and Tyrion.

In either case, it's been made pretty clear at this point that the producers on the show are going to need to diverge from the novels from this point forward.

While I strongly recommend you read the books, starting with A Game of Thrones and in order, you aren't going to find anything "beyond" the TV Show in them. It will fill in some extra details, especially about the backstory of some of the characters. In addition, Martin is currently writing the next book, Winds of Winter, which he plans to release "before Season 6". However, I'm not sure how much of what going into the books from here on out will really come into play in the show.

In short: you should read the books because they're good books and you'll probably enjoy them. Just don't read them expecting to "get a head start" on the show, or you may be disappointed.

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    There are still potential spoilers in the books. Arya and Sam still have storylines in ADWD that aren't in the show yet (and those two story arcs have stayed relatively true to GRRM's writing so far) . There's also the possibility of the Greyjoy storyline being brought into the show and some more info from Dorne. (Trying to be vague to avoid spoilers)
    – kuhl
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 15:27
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    Sam's storyline is probably the one most likely to continue as in the novels (though I think Sam encounters a character in Oldtown that we know know is still across the Narrow Sea?) Arya's storyline seems to be borrowing bits from the novel but I think it's going to diverge in general.
    – KutuluMike
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 16:12
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    Saying he plans to release The Winds of Winter before season 6 starts is a bit optimistic. He hopes to do so.
    – Mike Scott
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 16:22
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    @MichaelEdenfield If I follow you correctly, I believe that, as of the end of season 5, it's clear that there's no reason to assume the character across the Narrow Sea is the same individual who shows up in Oldtown. ;D
    – recognizer
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 18:14
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    @kuhl You are of course right, but I truly hope they completely skip the Greyjoy storyline. The only mildly interesting character was Theon's sister Asha, her most important bit has already been ignored in the TV show, and all the rest of the Ironborn are a horribly distracting storyline that seems to be going nowhere fast -- and they're villains! The combination of "mostly a dead-end" and "they are villains" makes it completely skippable for me.
    – Andres F.
    Commented Jun 16, 2015 at 23:20
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They are and will become two separate entities. The show is not the books and the books are not the show. The two creators know what's going to happen in the books and given the length of time in between book publishing we will start to see things that you won't read in the 2 upcoming books. The differences between the books and the show make them two different experiences so if season 6 is out before book six the show won't spoil the book which in my opinion is more important because grrm is the trun creator and "God" of the WOIAF.

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Well I've read the books a few times. But the end of the 5th book might've finished like the last episode of season 5, so since there's no 6th book I couldn't tell you. But hey, that means you'll have time enough to read all the books now while waiting for the 6th. (You'll also find that the story line in the books somehow makes a little more sense)

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