A Game of Thrones

George R.R. Martin

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 honor 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.

Plot:

This book is a perfect example of everything a truly great fantasy novel should be. It has an intricate, detailed and intriguing storyline full of suspense and battles and magic, and it draws you in completely. I really liked the author’s writing style, it was detailed and descriptive, yet never boring or overly detailed and almost poetic in a way.There was a bit much happening, and at times I wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, but it wasn’t hard to read and I caught up pretty easily. The world-building is incredible, you feel as if you are really there and you can see everything the writer describes.

Characters:

There are a lot of characters in this novel, yet all of them are unique, and I never got confused with who was who. That is truly a great feat for any writer to accomplish in a novel of this complexity. There were no perfect characters, and most of them aren’t always likable, there are even some you don’t know if you want to root for or not and then of course the ones you really despise. I liked that there were people of all kinds included in the story, and I’m pretty sure every reader will find one to relate to.

Who should read this:

16+, and even then I definitely advise extreme caution as there are a lot of pretty graphic violence and sexual scenes as well as language. If you are a fan of fantasy I definitely suggest this. Also the style and content reminded me of the ‘Earth’s Children’ series by Jean M. Auel. So if you enjoyed that, but want something a little more exciting and magical, you might like this. This is not a read-in-one-sitting book as there is just too much happening, so keep in mind that it might take up quite a bit of your time.

My rating:

I really enjoyed reading this book, just because it is truly great. I’m not a fan of graphic scenes at all, but except for that I truly loved this book so...4.5/5.

Quote:

‘When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die.’