A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) in The Alternative Worlds

Oct 23, 2010 mark monday rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: alpha-team, fantasy-modern

there are about a billion reviews of this one so i doubt i have anything to add. the only thing i feel truly compelled to say is TYRION THE DWARF IS AWESOME! my God, i haven't read a character who is so different and so enjoyable in years. many-layered and consistently surprising, hero & antihero, generous & spiteful in equal amounts, as capable of high-handed miscalculation as he is of clever deduction, brave & loyal & vindictive... just overall a superb creation. Tyrion, you are the tops! and ...more

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Jun 12, 2011 Brad rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, sword-and-sorcery-opera

I am finished. My real review will be coming soon (and here it is), but here's the last installment of my reading journal for those who are still interested. This star rating reflects my feelings about the last quarter of the book and may not be my final rating for the book in its entirety. Since I am writing about the book as I go, there will necessarily be spoilers, so don't continue if you want to avoid them.

My Game of Thrones Journal: volume iv

Arya -- I sure hope Syrio’s not dead yet. That ...more

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Feb 05, 2013 The Crimson Fucker rated it did not like it · review of another edition

by the power invested in me by years of fantasy reading... i shall read this piece of shit! in anger! and pain! i shall unravel mah warren to tell the world what a piece of crap this is!!!! been reading it for 2 months now! and im up to page 55! and it sucks as much as i remember! shit loads of tell dont show (x), abusing "adult" subjects like rape and sexuality to make it look "adult" (x), more outdated fantasies cliches than that dungeons and dragons movie (x), wishing i was reading some malaz ...more

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Nov 30, 2009 Brad rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sword-and-sorcery-opera, to-read-again, exceeded-my-expectations, cutting-vegetables, in-the-shower, kept-me-up-at-night, television-tie-in, doing-the-dishes, taking-a-poop

I finally get it. I get the love for George RR Martin’s A Game of Thrones. I didn’t think I’d get it, but I find it hard to remember now why I thought that way. I know that one thing holding me back was some random comment from a random, now forgotten person, that led me to believe I would hate Martin’s politics, and that they’d play themselves out in a distracting way, but that never manifested for me. Beyond that I can’t recall why I thought I would hate the book.

Perhaps it was because many o ...more

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May 24, 2009 Kara Babcock rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own, 2011-read, nebula-nominee

I know I keep telling this story over and over, and I feel like I've been talking about those books I consider "formative" to my interest in fantasy and science fiction rather a lot lately—probably because I've been re-reading some of them. So apologies if the anecdotes have become tiresome. Nevertheless, it is necessary in this case for the wavey lines of flashback to cascade down your computer screen, for A Song of Ice and Fire played such a big role in kindling my love for fantasy that it wou ...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Brad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sword-and-sorcery-opera

I am nearly half way through now, so I thought it was time to put up the second installment of my reading journal. My star rating is always where I at in the book at the time of writing. It's going to fluctuate. Since I am writing about the book as I go, there will necessarily be spoilers, so don't continue if you want to avoid them.

My Game of Thrones Journal: volume ii

Tyrion--I really enjoyed his discussion with the Lord Commander, and Mormont’s request for more troops. The others are coming, ...more

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Apr 08, 2008 Sandi rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2008

This book is everything I hate about fantasy. It's really, really long. It has a gazillion characters. It ends in a very dramatic cliffhanger. If you want to know what happens next, you have to devote 800+ pages to the next book. Yet...

I found myself hooked within a few chapters. The characters are strong and interesting. Although there are several plots running, it's pretty easy to follow them. The female characters are as complex, if not more complex, than the men. And, the children were very ...more

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Apr 13, 2009 Rob rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Martin makes Stephen R. Donaldson look absolutely cheerful. I've read them all the Song except the most recent just because I'm a morbid person. I find nothing of merit in them beyond "Life sucks and then you die." I got that, already. ...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Brad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I am a quarter of the way through the book; this is the furthest I've reached in four tries. I've been keeping a reading journal, and I feel compelled to share my feelings despite my lack of knowledge of what's to come. My star rating is where I am at now. This may change in subsequent installments. I don't know why any of you would want to read this, but then I would probably love to read this from some of my friends on here, so you never know. Enjoy ,,, or not.

My Game of Thrones Journal: volum ...more

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May 15, 2011 Brad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sword-and-sorcery-opera, fantasy

I am closing in on the end, so here's my third installment of my reading journal. My star rating is always where I am at in the book at the time of writing. It's going to fluctuate. Since I am writing about the book as I go, there will necessarily be spoilers, so don't continue if you want to avoid them.

My Game of Thrones Journal: volume iii

Eddard-- Now that was an ass whooping! Nicely done, Jaime. Already Catelyn’s rash decision is paying dividends for her family, as is Ned’s mouth costing hi ...more

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Jan 04, 2010 bsc rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy, fiction, signed, read-2010

This book completely surprised me as I normally despise this crap. Jordan started good but bored me after a few books and Goodkind is just an utter failure at life. However, Martin drew me in with great characters and great story telling. I love that he was able to surprise me and keep me guessing until the last page. I'm hooked. ...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Tatjana rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-fantasy

What a refreshing surprise!
I bought this book for my husband who needed something to read. He is devouring the series. He suggested I might like the books. I was dubious, as I thought it would be mostly what I call a "dude book". Dude books involve a lot of hot chicks, fighting and castles/cars/spaceships. It doesn't mean women don't read them, *I* simply choose other things.
Wow. I was wrong!
I am not a military/intrigue person, but this book might be a kiss too cinematic to be categorized there. ...more

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Jan 25, 2008 This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, high-fantasy, own, fiction, locus-award

Just finished rereading this. Really a tremendous start to a series. My memory is that the books get very confusing with so many characters and names and places, but this one seemed reasonably clear. I'm not sure how much of that is due to the HBO series solidifying faces and key characters in my mind and how much is that the confusion doesn't really kick in until later books. ...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Carolyn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, own, 2015-read

OK, all these years and I've never read this series. No problem, except now that I've seen the HBO series I'm hooked! I hope that the books are half as good, so I'm committed to at least starting the first one.
Bought the book several years ago, just started it last week, and I'm really enjoying it. So far, the series is very true to the book (p267/807).
...more

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