Sunday 16 December 2012

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

My husband has been nagging me to read this, the first volume in George R.R. Martin's epic series A Song of Ice and Fire for over a year now.  I kept on resisting because I'm not generally a fan of fantasy and because the existing books are numerous and massive with no sign of the series being finished yet.  I tend to only read series once they have all been published (with the obvious exception of Harry Potter) so I had plans to wait a couple of years before trying these books.

But now I've given in and read the first book, I'm annoyed that I waited so long!  Yes, the book is long and it does contain a lot of characters, but it completely sucks you in.  It's a "just one more chapter book" and I whizzed through it in under a week.  The story centers around Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell, who has just been appointed as Hand (first advisor) to King Robert Baratheon.  The King's power is waning and his wife's family, the Lannisters, are attempting to seize the throne for themselves.  The heir to the throne, Prince Joffrey, isn't all that he seems and there are no depths the Lannisters will not plunge to in order to gain power.  As a backdrop to this main clash, we also have the story of Ned's bastard son, Jon Snow, who becomes part of a defensive group of men in the North that struggle to contain the wildness that exists beyond the fringe of civilisation.  Daenerys Targaryen, the last remaining descendent of former Kings, is in exile in the East and gaining strength of her own.

These are the main storylines but the plot is panoramic; Martin has created a complete, fully functioning world and I get the impression that we only skimmed the surface in this, the first book.  His world feels so real that I had no trouble keeping the different Houses and relations between them distinct in my mind, something I normally struggle with in books containing many characters.  I could picture the ice of Northern wall, the endless plains of the Dothraki sea and the mountain climb of Eyrie.  In short, every time I loaded up this book in my kindle, I left the real world completely behind me for Martin's world and it was a wonderful feeling.  In addition to this, the story never felt cluttered with too many fantasy elements, with the main focus being on the intrigue and political drama.

A Game of Thrones is all about the plot.  It's not the most fantastically well written book I've ever read, but the plot and world building are so impressive that it's a very engrossing read.  I continued to read past my bedtime each night, purely because I really wanted to know what would happen next.  Martin doesn't shy away from using cliffhangers and none of his characters are safe.  Although I predicted some of the events, I got nowhere near guessing them all and it's always lovely to be surprised by events in a book.

On the whole, I was completely and utterly hooked and will be a) watching the HBO series as soon as possible and b) reading A Clash of Kings soon.  Don't let the length of this book or the fact that it is fantasy put you off, this is honestly one of the most engaging plot-driven novels I've read all year.

Source: Personal copy (kindle)
First Published: 1996
Score: 5 out of 5

19 comments:

  1. Well now THAT is one the most resounding endorsements I've ever read about a book I've up until now written off as too fantasy-ish. I'm going to have to take a closer look at this. Thanks for adding to my already groaning TBR shelf! ;)

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    1. Trish, there are fantasy elements (dragons, strange names etc) but it's mainly a story about different groups of people plotting for power. Glad to be of assistance with the TBR shelf :P

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  2. One element that got me hooked was that each chapter focused on a different character and didn't go on for too long - which made me want to read more! I have to agree that this never felt too 'fantasy-ish' either! Glad you liked it - but definitely a series for the kindle! :-)

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    1. I liked this too Mel, although this was also the reason that I kept on staying up past bedtime in order to get to certain characters again!

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  3. I've been wondering about reading the books. I have seen the series and LOVED them (even though I'm not a big fantasy lover either), but have been put off by the size of the books. However, if you can read them that quickly, maybe I'll give it a go!

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    1. I've not seen the series yet (although of course my husband has) so I'm really excited to start. They are long, but easy reads so the pages turn quickly.

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  4. Such a great series! I'm glad you liked the first book...and yes, it only scratches the surface. It's amazing how deep Martin's world building goes. He's apparently created genealogy charts several generations long for each and every family/character. That's impressive. A Clash of Kings is a bit slower, but A Storm of Swords will take your breath away!

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    1. I had a feeling it did, I skimmed the appendix after finishing and realised just how detailed Martin's planning is! I don't mind if A Clash of Kings is a bit slower, there's a lot for the characters to digest from this volume.

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  5. YAY!! I'm so glad you liked it!! I'm in love with this series even though I take forever between reading them because the size still intimidates me. You're in for a LOT of surprises in the next two books, I'm still reeling from some of them!
    I love the worldbuilding and the amazing characters, Tyrion kinda annoyed me at first, but now he's one of my favourites :)
    The HBO series sticks pretty close to the books which I appreciate.

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    1. I wanted to go straight on to the next book but I'm forcing myself not too as I want to appreciate them properly and not just rush through!
      I love Tyrion (but then I'm quite sarcastic) but so far Daenerys is my favourite. I have a feeling that Bran could be annoying in the next few books.

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  6. Just this weekend my brother-in-law tossed the first four books in my lap and said, "Read these!" I hadn't even thought about reading them to be honest but his endorsement (and yours!) has me rethinking my position :)

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    1. Listen to your brother in law. My husband has been nagging me for a year and is now insufferably smug as I have had to admit he was right all along! :P

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  7. I'm fantasy resistant too but after reading your review I think I will have to take the plunge too and give this series a try.

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    1. I hope you like them, Cat. They are a bit different from your typical fantasy book.

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  8. I read this a few years ago and it was completely engrossing. I have a block against series, though, so I haven't read any of the others! I've watched the HBO series and that will have to suffice since I just can't commit to reading the entire epic.

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  9. Another one hooked, welcome to the club! This is one of those series I'm snobbishly proud about because I was reading them over 10 years ago, when it was know only be word-of-mouth among fantasy geeks :) A Clash of Kings is my favorite.

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  10. I resisted reading this for a while too, and then got hooked over the summer, reading the first three books despite my intentions of devoting my summer to other fare. Now that I'm on winter break, I'll be picking up the fourth book soon...

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  11. My husband got me into reading this too - and I loved it! I so agree with you that at first it's a lot of characters to get used to, but ooh it was worth it! I suggest waiting a while before watching the tv series because it's so similar to the book.

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

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  12. I've been trying to wait until the series is done, but keep hearing only good things about this series, so might have to succumb to the temptation and then just wait for the final installments. Decisions, decisions...

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