A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE:
A GAME OF THRONES
“A Game of Thrones” is the first chapter of the fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire” written by George R. R. Martin and first published in 1996 and winner of the Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel in 1997.
SYNOPSIS: 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.
REVIEW:
CONTAINS SPOILER!
I cannot lie that at first I didn’t want neither to read the books or watch the Tv series. I thought it wasn’t the type of book that usually traps me, but I was certainly wrong! I started the tv series at first and I regret it as many details are not well described or are not even mentioned sometimes (I think it’s actually impossible to be that faithful to books).
“A Game of Thrones” transports you in this world of kings and queens, families, betrays and interests. A soon as you start reading you will blown out by the large amount of details that the author gaves to the reader.The backstory and connections are all over the pages. If you pay attention to those details they will give you hints about the backstory and what will happen, maybe even after hundred pages. For example when Robb and Jon found their dire wolves, they find the mother with deer’s horns in her mouth, a hint to one character’s death. Then when Cersei and Ned talk about the game of the Thrones, in which or you win or you die, gosh there’re so many examples that I will spoil all the book!
Plots and tricks at court or the incest between brothers is in front of readers’ eyes all the time. The story is narrated from different points of view that both permit to knew the characters, but also leave unclear the situation, this can be perceived as a positive thing as it allows the reader to line up with one side or the other. From the first chapter you will learn that love is not a fairy tale, death is always around, fate of characters is always in peril and least but not less important is that at court all the tricks can change as wind. Martin has no mercy for his characters not only in “A Game of Thrones”, but in all the series. However as in life, there’s no mercy, not even in war.
In “A Game of Thrones” characters are well described and even talking about what they usually say, how they behave and what they wear you can most certainly see the differences of the families they belong to or their social class. I always appreciate strong women and you will find hints of many of them in this book but mostly in the second one. I love how some of them want to overstep what they’re supposed to be, women power!
I want to leave a piece of advice, maybe it want save anyone from tears and anger, NEVER NEVER grow found of any characters! Enjoy! However the book is well written and will most certainly hooks you from the first chapters.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
George R. R. Martin is a well known fantasy writer and screenwriter. He was in 1948 and grew up in New Jersey. His debut novel “Dying of the Light” was published in 1977. In 1996 he published his first instalment of the famous series “A Song of Ice and Fire” that in 2005 made him a best selling author. Her you can find the author personal site