REVIEW: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

It’s been a long time coming but it’s finally here! My review of A Game of Thrones. I have just one word to describe my feelings on this book – epic. Epic. EPIC! This book is genuinely amazing. Just shy of 700 pages, it took me a long time to get through because, due to life getting in the way, I didn’t have a ton of time to devote to reading. Regardless of the fact that it took me almost 2 months to get through, A Game of Thrones moves incredibly fast. Action. Romance. Honor. Chivalry. Betrayal. Mythology and Legend. Even comedy. It has everything!!!
Obviously, I have to make mention of the show. As most of you (assuming some people have been living under a rock) know, HBO took the series of books and created the show Game of Thrones. I was one that started out watching the show. I was blown away by the show and had a serious fear that if I started reading the books, they would make the show look like a dud. So not the case. I can honestly say that the folks at HBO did a phenomenal job at bringing the page to life. There are a very few minor details that are different but as I said, they are minor. The younger characters are a little older on the show but I believe that was done to make the show more easily accepted by the public due to some of the situations the characters were put in. Its very small things like that. Otherwise, HBO stayed very true to the book and I couldn’t possibly be more impressed.
George R.R. Martin has created this world that you are able to get lost in. There is so much detail built into this world and its written in such a way that it is easily understood even if you have never read anything of the genre before. The characters are all very distinct personalities and their individual story lines are told on a level that I have only read in one other book. Each chapter is named after individual charaters. The Starks – Eddard (Ned), Catelyn, Robb, Bran, Sansa and Arya – Ned Stark’s bastard son Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister and Daenerys Targaryan. Rather than stringing together too many story lines in one with a mess of conversations that never really give you the character’s true feelings, Mr. Martin has written each chapter coming from that individual character’s point of view. It gives the reader the ability to experience the chapter through that particular character’s eyes. The story lines still tie together but you feel each person’s emotions and understand why they feel the way they do. You hear their thoughts on situations rather than one character or a narrator dictating an entire cast. On top of a great line up of main characters, you also meet a fantastic array of support characters. Some you will love and adore. Some you will hate and want to ruin.
As I stated above, A Game of Thrones has been created in a whole world with it’s own myths and landscapes. You can see the countryside in your minds eye because George R.R. Martin leaves no stone unturned, so to speak, when describing the environment. The Wall. Winterfell. Riverrun. The Red Keep. King’s Landing. The Eyrie. The Free Cities. All of it I can still see in my own mind. I, for one, am glad that Mr. Martin had the courage to publish A Game of Thrones and invited the masses to experience The Seven Kingdoms and all it beauties and tragedies.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK! A Game of Thrones is an experience that no reader should pass up. 5 Stars!!! Hands down!! I am so excited to read the next book in the series. It’s not going to be for a couple of weeks because I have two shorter novels that I have committed to reviewing but I will most definitely be coming back to this series and VERY SOON!!!

On a personal opinion note – Daenerys Targaryan rocks, Tyrion Lannister is one of the funniest and most insightful characters I have ever read, and I badly want a pet direwolf. 😉

5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!! 5 Stars!!!