A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)
Summary:
Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.
The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne. (Summary and book cover courtesy of goodreads.com)
Review:
I’ve skimmed through some of the reviews of people who hated the Song of Ice and Fire series and I admit I laughed that so many people were indignant. The majority were 1) indignant the book wasn’t the same as the show 2) indignant there was sexism/discrimination/other-isms (in a medieval time period book!) or 3) totally confused/bored/annoyed by the epic style, character swaps and length of the book. This series may be popular, but I would not recommend it if you don’t enjoy epic fantasy novels. If you’re not familiar with the genre/type, this may be a case where it's better to skip the books and watch the show! Or at least start with a shorter series, you’ll probably like them better. I’d recommend this series to people who have read or at least heard of the series below:
G.R.R. Martin is a wonderful epic fantasy novelist. He is skilled at writing from many perspectives, developing characters in an effective way and providing even the hateful characters a back-story that redeems them a little. Protagonists are not perfect and everyone is in real danger. Being the first book, there were a few slow moments for setup, but if you’re going to the bother of reading the first, I’m assuming you’re willing to read the others. Be patient, it’s worth it to have a detailed and rich universe.
Personally, I love the books and am thrilled it’s another fantasy series that’s become part of popular culture. If only it had been finished writing before I started reading…I HATE waiting for the new books to come out!
Warning: Contains graphic repeated violence and sexual content
Rating: 5 stars!
Who Should Read It? Epic fantasy fans that don’t mind a lot of violence
Want to read the whole series?
A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire #2)
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3)
A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)