One of the most intriguing aspects of George R. R. Martin’s epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice may also be its most annoying. The first novel in the series, A Game of Thrones, often gets bogged down in the very description needed to create the vaguely medieval setting. Needless to say, the fantasy genre requires patience, and luckily this book delivers to those willing to overlook (or perhaps skim) some of the more overblown parts to be rewarded by the author’s knack for spinning an unparalleled plot.
The heart of the story boils down to the struggle for political domination as well as the more intimate struggles between families, friends, and lovers. The chapters alternate limited third-person viewpoints of a cast of approximately 20 different characters and the author doesn’t play favorites. At any given moment George R. R. Martin may kill off an important character because that is how the cutthroat world of the novel works; fan favorites be damned.
Surprisingly, the novel contains a wealth of strong female characters whose presence creates a fuller picture of the factors that contribute to a struggle for world domination on a planet where the Stark family motto, “Winter is coming,” adds a layer of complexity to the prospect of a cold spell that could last years and with it bring even darker times for humanity as well.
The thematic element most integral to the foundation of the Fire and Ice series comes toward the end of A Game of Thrones when Sansa, Ned Stark’s daughter thinks, “In life, the monsters win.” What George R. R. Martin’s fantasy series makes clear is that within everyone there is a monster and the reader will be continually torn by which character to side with. Luckily, the saga continues, and each reader will see a bit of themselves in the strengths and weaknesses of each character.
The temptation to read A Game of Thrones arose only after a marathon session of watching all of the first season via HBO on Demand before the premiere of this April’s season two premiere. It will be interesting to see how my perception of the series changes if I am able to read the third book BEFORE the premiere of the series’ third season (which is said to only cover half of book three). In the meantime, I’ll find some great fan sites and devote some time to studying character descriptions and plot summaries!
You can connect with George R. R. Martin via his blog.
What’s your take on either the book or the HBO miniseries?
For more insight, read my Book Review Criteria. Please share responsibly. Jeri Walker, 2012.
I love the Game of Thrones TV show. I cannot commit to the books, though. He hasn’t even finished writing the series and there are already so many books!
Last year I got hooked on A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, I take heart in the fact that there will only be three massive tomes in that series, with one releasing each year. So, there’ll be none of that waiting for five or six years for the next book to come out, which seems to be quite common in fantasy/sci-fi literature.
i have been reading the books for years, I LOVE them. The TV show is great too and does a very good job of hitting the high points of the books, but honestly, I don’t know how anyone can follow the story without having read the books. As a matter of fact, I’ve reread books 1-4 so that I would remember where everyone was at before I read the latest book, A Dance with Dragons.
I am a big fantasy fan, but this series is my absolute favorite!!
My husband got me hooked on the first season, but I think I must have asked him the same questions a million times as I got all of the characters straight as he’d read the books a couple of years ago. Then Entertainment Weekly came out with an issue that mapped out all the characters, and that was a HUGE help. Otherwise, I never could have followed all the sub-plots and who’s who.
You know the timing on this couldn’t be better. I think I caught the last 2 episodes of the last season and thought it was a great show. I dislike watching something before reading the book because it affects the way I imagine the characters, which I think is one of the most special qualities of reading. Nevertheless I’m going to pick this up, very interesting story!
Yes, definitely read the books before season 3 starts next April! I wish I would have, but once I got hooked on watching the series, there was no turning back. The characters are considerably younger in the book, but I guess today’s audiences would cringe at 13 and 14 years olds getting married and going off to fight bloody battles. However, the show did go with a fairly young prince Joffrey which is in keeping with the book, and what a horrible little monster of a young man he is!
Yes, that young prince is a monster alright! Gotta get the books!
This is one of my son’s absolute favorite books. So, due to his recommendation, I took the book out of the library. I finally figured out some of the characters, but I can’t say I enjoyed it at all. I returned it to the library, skimmed but not properly read. My son the enthusiast has read all the George Martin books.
I don’t read much fantasy either. I did skim some parts too since the HBO series so closely follows the book’s plot.
Ok, you have my attention. I have been so busy with everything that I have run out of something worthwhile to read. This may be just what I need to pick up and the best part is, it is a series. I do like this kind of venue so there you go. Thanks for the review. You saved me time searching for a good read.
I have not read the books, but I am hooked on the show. 🙂
I never heard of the show or the book. Too bad, right?
After reading your review, I want to read the book. You surely created an interest in me.
Great review! I had been toying with reading the books, but I don’t have much time in the day and it get frustrating when descriptions and plots are long winded. The last one I read like that was Steig Larson’s ” The Girl…” trilogy and the second book is still bookmarked half way through… 4 months later. Shorter ones have been read and done! 🙂
I’m the same way! I can easily manage a 200 page book in a week, and maybe 300 pages if it’s a really fast read. Then when faced with a huge book like GOT I find that I average nowhere near 200 or even 100 pages a week. It must be a psychological thing.
I’m a big fan of the Games of Thrones the series. I love Tyrion Lancaster and Danaerys Targarean. The plot is complex perhaps, it would be good to read the book, however, I’ve read from reviews that the TV series differ a little bit more from the book itself.
I am hitting this late in the game but I wondered what your take on the series might be. I read most of the way through the first book, the first time in many years that I gave up on a book especially fantasy. It usually amazes people that I really didn’t like the book at all. To me it felt like I was reading a screenplay instead of an epic fantasy. He really failed to draw me into his world at all. It may have to do with the feeling of the characters being too over the top melodramatic, (dare I say) almost a Jersey Shore of fantasy writing…
I have a feeling I would much rather watch the show than ever try and read the rest of the books.
Jon, I don’t read a lot of fantasy, and since I started the first book after seeing Season One on HBO, I probably skimmed more of the book than I would have otherwise. At times, it was hard to get into, but I still think the author tells a good story, albeit one that is all over the place. While I would like to read the entire series, I think I’ll take the lazy route on this one and let the TV show do the work for me.
Jeri,
Keep in mind that I am probably the only person who really was disappointed by the book out of the huge following he has garnered. I sometimes feel so very alone…
I really liked it too. You are totally right about both the bogging down with descriptions and characters and how worth it the effort is. Still working in the most recent tome.
I’ve read all of the completed books in the series and seen all the TV versions, and while I do like it I’d like it a lot better if I didn’t know that Martin basically stopped writing with 2 books to go nearly a decade ago and is unlikely to complete his work here.
Scott, it is distressing that Martin may or may not bring the series to a proper close. Hopefully, the HBO series will provide a bit of resolution on that front 😉