@ fasces.. my wife and I listen while we are getting ready for the day in the morning (introducing her to Ender's Game that way). I also get about 30 mins each way done on my commute to work, and another 50 mins each way commuting to the parking lot and riding the shuttle when I head in to the university.

I can't have it on while working hybrid systems theory equations for my thesis though.. that's way too much multitasking for me..

Theon Greyjoy did not sack Winterfell. He seized it. Keep reading to learn who sacked it...

I watched the series, so can't :P

Theon and his 20 men scales the wall and captured Winterfell. His plan was to have his sister send 500 men from Deepwood Motte to hold it, but she refused him, and he was too proud and angry to leave. In case it's not quite clear yet, Theon is a very tragic character caught hopelessly in the middle of the Greyjoys and the Starks, ultimately failing both houses.

The answer to your question isn't really that complex, although the HBO series does a poor job of explaining what's going on with Winterfell (mainly because they felt the need to insert 20 minutes of graphic homosexual sex into the episode while drastically slashing and altering the story). Had they spend a few more seconds and a few extra sentences of dialogue, it would all make a lot more sense.

As Kaner has alluded to, recall whom Robb Stark ordered to go liberate Winterfell. Once again it's difficult to do this because they spend no time developing Roose Bolton's character so they can show love scenes with Renly and Loras and Robb and his wife (who's character they completely F'd up). Anyway, Bolton volunteer's his bastard son for the task, and since the spend no time on Bolton, it stands to reason that they ignored his bastard son completely too. It also helps explain why you're asking WTF happened to Winterfell....

Frankly it's almost mindboggling to see George Martin cooperating with these assclowns at HBO. The first season was pretty damn good, but the second season has been absolute joke. Then again maybe there is a method to Martin's madness... I suspect that he loves the disconnect between books and series, because it creates controvesy, and thus interest in selling more of his books.

Bottom line: If you want to understand what's going on, read the books. If you just want to be entertained and can suffer through HBO's social engineering, watch the series.

I am mid-way through the first book. I am actually surprised how much HBO cut out of the first book, and from I here they cut out a lot more in the second.

This series is incredible. I have read all 5 books, and you are right Fasces, they cut out way too much. Each season would have to been 25+ episodes if they really wanted to keep all the elaborate detail and intricate plot-lines intact.

There are plenty of scenes that would just be very difficult to film, like Catelyn's ascent into the Eyrie in book 1.

My wife hasn't read the books yet, and is constantly asking me questions about what is actually going on in HBO's series.

So +1 RUFFHAUS :
''Bottom line: If you want to understand what's going on, read the books. If you just want to be entertained and can suffer through HBO's social engineering, watch the series.""

I've read the books and just finished the first season of the series, but I've heard mostly good things about the second season, except that as Ruffhaus pointed, there are far too many characters introduce.

I was disappointed that they haven't shown the "Blackfish" at all, and of course Bolton, who I had forgotten about. Are there any other interesting characters that are missing? Cause I know I'm going to forget. The crazy part is that every book introduces tons of characters.

As for Bolton's Bastard son; he's an interesting character, but I found a lot of his and Theon's chapters unnecessary, for their minimal purpose in the plot, and for other obvious reasons (both my opinion of course).

I've actually been wondering if they would end up keeping to the main storyline of the books or diverge at some point like Full Metal Alchemist did, and The Walking Dead sometimes does.

Full Metal Alchemist and The Walking Dead are also two amazing manga/graphic novels that have become tv shows.

The start of the Walking Dead was very accurate to the graphic novels, but season 2 just pissed me off how badly it started to misrepresent the original storyline, imho. But again:
''Bottom line: If you want to understand what's going on, read the books. If you just want to be entertained... watch the series.""

if you want a good manga, Elphen Leid was one of the best things I have read.

Theres a lot of gore and nudity, but if you can get past that its got a good emotional (For the reader) story.

Never heard of it, but I will now look it up. I thoroughly recommend both Preacher and Transmetropolitan as good examples in the genre though.

Compton Mackenzie. SEVERAL BOOKS:
Water on the Brain [ WfBuckley jr wrote this was all that the OSS had when it was formed, in the way of a manual. C.M. was in Brit HumInt in Crete and Greece & his nonfiction was banned for Official Secrets. WotBrain - a comic novel - was his rejoinder. ]
APRIL FOOLS [ anticlerical novel by C.M. ]
MACKENZIE's biography - Eight volumes; C.M. takes Elgar the composer to a classical music concert and the box office ninnie doesn't recognize the man or the name.
There are others, a Britcom spinoff utilized his comic novel about Scottish nationalism and Highlands aristocracy

Elfen Lied is what I have for the spelling of it, but yeah, crazy anime, haven't read the book. Most of all I love the theme song. Lilium

The Reason Why by Cecil Woodham-Smith. (WHY Great Britain sent its best cavalry under the guns and into the arms of the Russians. Mass slaughter history)

I can't spell, so yes, it is Elfen Lied.

The manga is way better then anime its also 3 times as long (in terms of story line). If you like manga's/comic books I highly recomend it.

Smallbone Deceased
After the Fine Weather.
Both by Michael Gilbert. British mystery written by the solicitor, Michael Gilbert, not the "Michael Gilbert" of the USA or such.

The Brit. Michael Gilbert was captured by the Germans in WWII and wrote a non-fiction book on the German camp, with escape tries, etc.
He wrote the fictional mysteries on the commuter train to central London.

Stendahl. The Red and the Black.
Arthur Koestler. Darkness at Noon [President Bill Clinton said he felt like one of the characters after his impeachment by the Tom DeLay & Newt Gingrich-led House of Representatives.]

Fernand Braudel. Mediterranean. A magisterial geographic, economic and social history.