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Title: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R.R. Martin ISBN: 0-553-57340-3 Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 04 August, 1997 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 (1031 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Great start to a great series
Comment: George Martin doesn't just tell his readers a story, he grabs them by the back of the neck and yanks them into his world. The characters are so real, you'll think you've known them for years. At least until they completely shock you, which happens throughout. The plot is intricate and it MOVES! The intrigue begins on page one, then twists and builds all the way to the end.
A word of warning to avid fantasy readers. This book (and the series in general) is not loaded with magic swords, powerful rings, or hidden spellbooks. Magic provides some of the back story and does cast a shadow on present events, but not much more than that in this first book. The role of magic does expand somewhat in the sequels, however.
If you want to read a gripping story featuring complex, three-dimensional characters in a fascinating, well-conceived world, check this book out. I've read fantasy from Tolkien, Donaldson, and Jordan to Wolfe, Willaims, and Goodkind, and "A Game of Thrones" more than holds its own. You WON'T be disappointed!
Rating: 5
Summary: Martin has taken the epic fantasy genre to a new level
Comment: I am a huge fan of epic fantasy, but sometimes find myself wondering why so many authors make their stories so predictable. I was pleasantly surprised by a "A Game of Thrones", since not only Martin's writing style is superior to most, the characters are complex and engaging, there is political intrigue, alliances and treason, but also because the author surprises the reader several times throughout the novel. There are plenty of twists and turns that add a great deal to the interest of the book, and the reader is kept on his toes by the death of characters that in other series would "never die".
There is a considerable portion of the book in which the fantastic elements are very limited, with the story introducing more and more of these as it progresses. The "world" in which the epic unravels is composed by the Seven Kingdoms, protected on the north by The Wall, which is defended by the Night Watch to prevent "mysterious creatures" from invading. Winter is coming, and this is the time in which the Night Watch should be more alert. The length of the winter varies and is said to be proportional to that of the summer that preceded it; so this one is expected to be a very long one.
This first book focuses on two families, the Starks and the Lannisters. The former rule Winterfell, which is located in the North, and the later are related to King Robert through the marriage of their sister to the monarch. Eddard Stark is selected as Hand of the King by his friend Robert and has to go to court, leaving Winterfell under the control and supervision of his wife, Catelyn, and his eldest son, Robb. Eddard has two other sons; one of these is named Bran, who loves to climb and suffers an "accident" shortly before his father leaves. He also has two daughters, who are going to the court with him, and an illegitimate son, Jon, who has decided to join the Night Watch. The Lannisters are known for being conniving and for addressing their favors to whoever suits their purposes best. We are also introduced to the Tangaryen, which was the reigning house until King Robert won the throne. Viserys and his sister Daenerys, a maid of thirteen years, dream of recovering their previous grandeur and recover their throne.
George R. R. Martin uses the different characters' perspectives to tell the story, and succeeds in conveying the differences among them to the reader. He also combines with surgical precision all the different elements that make an outstanding epic fantasy. This book has political intrigue, conspiracies, unusual "rules", magic, odd creatures and much more! In terms of the creatures, each house has its corresponding animal, and these become more and more important throughout the book.
It is clear to me that Martin has created something extraordinary, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Especially since in the end of this one there is a huge surprise that leaves the reader with his mouth open and wondering what will come next.
Rating: 5
Summary: Great series!
Comment: I was surprised by this series, a friend of mine who knew I loved Robin Hobb, lended me the first one in the series (this one) and I started reading. He just laughed when I called him two days later and said "give me the next one NOOOOW!" and told him that I had stayed up all night reading. Yes, they are That good.
The characters are wonderful, with depth and different reasons. No one's pure evil, they all have good and bad sides. Many of them also grow and make fantastic and realistic changes throughout the series. I like that.
There are only two bad thing about these books
1. It feels that it is a man who wrote it, some of the war-explainations are a little bit manly and just a slight bit boring. But I still like it and wouldn't want it any other way.
2. The rape scenes. I hate, and I mean HATE, reading rape-scenes. The reason I read fantasy is to get away from this horrible world we live in, not to read things like that, blood and war and death I can handle, but not this. I still like the series and I still think they're worth it, but I'm thinking about cutting out those pages... It feels like a cheap way of making you hate someone or feel something... I don't like it. But the series is still worth it, unless you hate them more than I do...
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Title: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Fire and Ice, Book 2) by George R. R. Martin ISBN: 0553579908 Publisher: Spectra Books Pub. Date: 05 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) by GEORGE R.R. MARTIN ISBN: 055357342X Publisher: Spectra Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4) by George R. R. Martin ISBN: 0553801503 Publisher: Spectra Pub. Date: 01 August, 2004 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1) by ROBIN HOBB ISBN: 055357339X Publisher: Bantam Pub. Date: 01 March, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: New Spring (A Wheel of Time Prequel Novel) by Robert Jordan ISBN: 0765306298 Publisher: Tor Fantasy Pub. Date: 06 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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