Best epic fantasy
133 books |
94 voters
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Vol. 1)
by George R.R. Martin
|
|
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of A Game of Thrones.
discuss this book
friend reviews (0)
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
lists with this book
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 6548)
bookshelves:
2008,
fantasy
Read in May, 2008
I really feel the necessity of a bit of personal backstory here, before I start the review. Back in 1996 when this book first came out, and I was 16/17 years old, I saw the hardcover on a sale table for about $5 and couldn't resist a bargain (still can't, though I'm more cautious these days). So I started reading this book with the vague idea that it was a flop, and that may not have helped, but I got through 100 pages of it before feeling so crapped off with it that I shoved it in my cupboard a...more
Like this review?
yes
(8 people liked it)
30 comments
Read in April, 2008
recommended to John by:
Nick Sabin, Cassie Nicholsrecommends it for: Fantasy readers, folklore readers, political fiction readers
This may be the best Fantasy I've read since J.R.R. Tolkien. I highly recommend it to any fans of the Lord of the Rings series who have been disappointed by the other supposed epics that have shown up since. Martin has created a sprawling world, full of intrigue and potential, and sowed it with characters who can carry out interesting conflicts within it. His prose is far more readable than the average Fantasy writer, capable of beautiful phrases and sweeping passages, but also excellent at carr...more
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
add a comment
bookshelves:
read-and-liked-it
recommends it for: fantasy readers, men & women
Read in June, 2004
recommended to Tracy by:
no onerecommends it for: fantasy readers, men & women
Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Fantasy readers will find a rewarding experience when they delve into Martin's epic fantasy series. Find out how this leading fantasy genre author captivates readers with diverse characters and thrilling plot twists.
Career author and television writer George R.R. Martin is well on his way to becoming a legend in his own time with his grandest of epics A Song of Ice and Fire that begins with A Game of Thrones. Published by Bantam Books...more
Fantasy readers will find a rewarding experience when they delve into Martin's epic fantasy series. Find out how this leading fantasy genre author captivates readers with diverse characters and thrilling plot twists.
Career author and television writer George R.R. Martin is well on his way to becoming a legend in his own time with his grandest of epics A Song of Ice and Fire that begins with A Game of Thrones. Published by Bantam Books...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
bookshelves:
fantasy
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone who likes anything epic
I know no one reading this knows me much (well some of you may) but I DON'T reread books. I usually read a book once and its quite well locked into my brain. As much as I've enjoyed many books I've read, they just don't require a second read for me. I read them, now its time to move on. "A Game of Thrones" is different. I loved this book and its characters so much, and crave the world and narrative so much that I couldn't wait for Martin to get the newest installment out. So I st...more
Like this review?
yes
(7 people liked it)
4 comments
bookshelves:
fantasy,
fiction,
own
Read in December, 2006
The book is the first in a series -- A Song of Ice and Fire. It is hard fantasy, and follows characters who are all members of several noble houses, as they vie for the Iron Throne. The story takes place in a fantastical world (think: dragons and zombies) after the overthrow of the Targaryen family. The two surviving children live in exile, while in the homeland they never knew, the remaining houses use intrigue, appointments, marriages, and murders to control the throne.
People who are well-ve...more
People who are well-ve...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
2 comments
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
Anyone who likes fantasy
"Winter is coming."
The Good: The Starks are lords of the north in the Seven Kingdoms and are unaware of the danger threatening their family. The current monarch, bloated and inept, is blind to the treachery and corruption surrounding the court and the Lannisters, his wife's family. Across the sea the heirs of the ousted monarch plan their revenge. Beyond the Wall, a defence against dark creatures from the north, something is stirring. Winter is coming.
Mar...more
The Good: The Starks are lords of the north in the Seven Kingdoms and are unaware of the danger threatening their family. The current monarch, bloated and inept, is blind to the treachery and corruption surrounding the court and the Lannisters, his wife's family. Across the sea the heirs of the ousted monarch plan their revenge. Beyond the Wall, a defence against dark creatures from the north, something is stirring. Winter is coming.
Mar...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in February, 2008
recommended to Melissa by:
Steve
George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is addictive. Steve pestered me for months to read the first book of his A Song of Fire and Ice series, but I resisted. The books each range between 800 and 1000 pages. It seemed like quite a commitment, I thought. I had no idea. The commitment, however, does not come from the page count; it comes from the reader's total immersion and investment in Martin's world. Not only are these books real page turners, but they are artfully written...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
if you don't hate fantasy
This book is actually quite good. Despite it's ranking, I can't quite bring myself to put it in the same category as my very favorite of fantasy series: LOTR, Dark is Rising, Wizard of Earthsea, etc. But it's still remarkably good, and what you could justly call enthralling.
When I started reading A Game of Thrones, I was a bit put off, first by the people who recommended to me (the same type who raved about the Da Vinci Code), and then by a bunch of the names. Some of the naming is quite bad...more
When I started reading A Game of Thrones, I was a bit put off, first by the people who recommended to me (the same type who raved about the Da Vinci Code), and then by a bunch of the names. Some of the naming is quite bad...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
bookshelves:
fantasy
Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
not everyone
So I wasn't sure I liked this series at first. It's kind of depressing. Many main characters die, sometimes right about the time you are getting to like them. And I'll be frank here, the book is very explicit in sex and violence--it is not for everyone.
The book is very loosely based on the War of the Roses, but set on a continent instead of an island like Britain. Seasons span years instead of months. Magic exists but only in rare persons and on rare occasions.
The good points of the seri...more
The book is very loosely based on the War of the Roses, but set on a continent instead of an island like Britain. Seasons span years instead of months. Magic exists but only in rare persons and on rare occasions.
The good points of the seri...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
bookshelves:
20th-century,
american-fiction,
fantasy
I've not read any high fantasy in a long, long time, but I decided to pick this up purely because so many people on my flist were raving about the series. I can definitely see why it's a best-seller. It's long, with solid prose and a plot which is complex, but not overly so; the pacing is good, and the action is mostly organic, not engineered. Martin's characterisation is probably his best point. He has a vast array of characters, and switches POV between seven or eight different characters thro...more
Like this review?
yes
(4 people liked it)
2 comments
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
those who have low standard for fantasy
okay, here's my thing. when an author writes a book, i read the book to believe that their ideas are real. whether it comes from great dialogue, intriguing plot twists, an emotional story, gritty characters, or gripping intrigue, i want to believe that what is written is real. sadly, there were so many holes in Martin's game that i just didn't believe him.
i read this because, a) i hadn't read a good genre fantasy book in a while, and b) a good friend highly recommended it. actually, ...more
i read this because, a) i hadn't read a good genre fantasy book in a while, and b) a good friend highly recommended it. actually, ...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
1 comments
bookshelves:
fantasy,
favorites,
fiction,
worth-rereading
Read in October, 1999
recommends it for:
people who love the sadistic meanness of Joss Whedon and also well written epic fantasy


































