Good to hear you enjoyed it Jedi. Reading the books is a treat. Not sure if its better to read them now or after the next few seasons. Either way you'll be able to get enjoyment from both especially as the show will deviate more from the books next season.

I don't know that it'll deviate, just that it will jump around and won't follow the chronology of the books in the same manner. It will speed up some plots, put the brakes on others, etc. I'm excited.

I don't mind if they deviate, as I understand they have to do it differently. I am sure I will still enjoy it.

Here's a 2min featurette/teaser on the making of Season 2. Many new characters are visible.... Melisandre, Stannis, Damphair, Brienne, Davos...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pE12H1HorUU

One thing I have to mention - Renly! Looks so much better than in Season 1, just didnt like the look. He certainly looks the part here.

No Brienne on the teaser. Theres something unsettling about Melisandre from that footage

Well Melisandre is an interesting character. I am only 100 pages into Clash of Kings and I can see she has a dark side, although I think she isn't an evil character.

There's a very small and unclear glimpse of her behind Renly at around 1:45ish. Too early to judge.

Hey guys! Or... whoever reads this. Hopefully Karl. I'm reading A Game of Thrones and plan on watching the first season when I'm done. How much of the first season covers the first book? Do I need to finish it before I start watching it?

First season = first book. All of it.

Some minor season 2 scenes in the last episode but nothing major at all.

Season 2 starts April 1st!

I've just watched the whole season and really enjoyed it. I loved that they covered pretty much the entire book and the casting is great for the most part.

AHHH

Can't wait for this to start up again!!

Ecks, as MadGez said, only the first book has aired, so if your intention is reading first, then watching, you'll need to read book 1 before starting. I've heard from many people, some who read first, others who watched first, and both seemed to enjoy it. There are a lot of characters / plots, so reading first will help with that, then again, watching first will help aid your imagination when reading, you won't have your own ideas of what characters look like, and you'll get lots of fun expansion on plot lines.

Either way will work!

The official season 2 trailer has already hit 2.5 million views in 2 days. By comparison it took like 4 months for the theme opening video to hit 1 million. The ratings and dvd sales are going to be huge.

expect an increase in ratings like Walking Dead got.

Yeah GoT viewership has exploded (both legally and downloads). All this before the bluray/dvd comes out.

Season 2 viewership will be substantially higher. GoT is already HBO's third most watched show ever after Sopranos and True Blood apparently.

It is assured a few more seasons that's for sure. I think Seasons 3 and 4 covering book 3 will be picked up after the S2 premiere. Personally I think Book 3 should remain as 1 season but with more episodes - 16 perhaps?

Books 4 and 5 can easily fit into one 12 episode season.

I don't think SoS needs two full seasons either. I'd say throw parts of every storyline but King's Landing at end of the season, end season 3 at the obvious point, then finish Storm of Swords in the first half of season 4.

Definitely.

April's sooo far away

Yes, thats why there really is no need for two seasons for this book, unless they make some serious changes or additions to the first half, we could have a little too much filler.

That said I still don't know where they will end Season 2.

I think that's a shocker more worthy of a season finale than the season opener. Especially because (at least in the books) it takes a while before that story line is continued which would keep people interested in that particular story.

Awesome fan poster. HBO said to reveal more fan posters in the upcoming days. They could make that one the official one though...