A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Mar 06, 2010 Cari rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is long, so a commitment must be made in advance. In addition, there are a LOT of characters, so I found myself only slightly invested for the first 100 pages or so, because although the story was interesting, I didn't feel like I really knew anyone. However, I got sucked in, as Jason - who lent me the book (thanks!) - promised I would. The book was solid entertainment with lots of intrigue woven together with strong characters (even with so many of them) and it rather irritatingly, bu ...more

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Feb 22, 2018 Crystal rated it liked it

Shelves: z-2018-popsugar-reading-challenge

After hearing about this series and seeing its popularity soar with the TV show for many years, I went into this novel with a bit of trepidation. Lots of reviewers have torn this series down but lots of people seem to love it. And, after finishing GoT, I have to say... eh, I see both sides.

While I don't usually shy away from reading about hard/difficult/terrible topics, I have little patience for lengthy displays of gruesome or terrible scenes written purely for shock value. Thankfully, to me th After hearing about this series and seeing its popularity soar with the TV show for many years, I went into this novel with a bit of trepidation. Lots of reviewers have torn this series down but lots of people seem to love it. And, after finishing GoT, I have to say... eh, I see both sides.

While I don't usually shy away from reading about hard/difficult/terrible topics, I have little patience for lengthy displays of gruesome or terrible scenes written purely for shock value. Thankfully, to me that seemed less the case here as the writing style was actually pretty good with multi-faceted characters (for the most part) and emotional high and low points. I've heard it said that Martin was going for 'realistic' fantasy - that is, fantasy based in how our real world's medieval times were - with no pure good or evil and, honestly, that sentiment seems to come through in this novel. There was misogyny, rape, abuse, discrimination, etc. but it felt like those things were there to support the setting/story so it didn't quite come across as shock value to me. Were they ever treated with the abhorrence they deserved within the novel's narrative? Not in the least - and it could be argued that that makes this novel irresponsible. And maybe it is. But would it have been a better novel if time was taken out of the setting/story/narrative to decry these vile acts? I'm not sure. A more responsible novel, perhaps, but one that broke its own setting/story/narrative. So, good and bad there.

The writing could be a bit simple at times but for the most part I found it reasonably good for a fantasy series. The description was never lacking for me and there were some great character moments and some really iconic lines. More good and bad there.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I actually liked a lot of the characters. Some reviewers have called them flat (and some characters are) but I found the POV characters fleshed out with complex emotions and motivations. At times their motivations seemed a little strange to me but it felt like they made sense within the story. Unfortunately, my personal connection with the characters was hampered by Martin's outspoken determination that there be no real good guy and that all characters had at least grey morality. And with Martin's own statements that he kills off characters purely because they've become the expected hero... Well, it definitely made for a more distant reading experience for me. Again, good and bad.

The plot genuinely surprised me at a number of points (hard to do for a hardcore fantasy reader!) while also making enough sense that made it an enjoyable read for me. The first novel is definitely setting things up for the rest of the series but I would have liked more of a climax in the end of the novel itself. The last chapter finally gave us the climax of one character's GoT plot but other than that, plot threads were left in a muddle for the next book to sort out. It could be argued that Martin was going for 'realistic' pacing or that the world series needs so much setup that it doesn't have time for any climaxes here but regardless, I feel like the plot/pacing in the last fourth of GoT itself noticeably suffered for this. As always, good and bad!

Even so, I found A Game of Thrones entertaining enough that I do plan on reading the rest of the series, even if it's done with more of a detached air of literary interest rather than a passionate love for the series. ...more

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Apr 23, 2015 Krissy marked it as to-read

Shelves: cover-color-orange, pgs-600-or-more, ovrdr-libby, audiobook-tbr

2018 Popsugar Challenge Prompt #17: A book you borrowed or that was given to you as a gift

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Nov 06, 2011 Joanna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, audiobooks, 2012-read, rws-2012-fall

The reader for the 30+ hour audiobook did an excellent job reading for all the different characters and helping me keep them straight while listening to this book. I have found that I much prefer these sorts of battle-rich fantasy novels in audio format (see also Eragon et seq., which is way worse than this one in terms of overwritten language). Generally, I didn't find the plot of this book particularly original, but at least a few of the characters were interesting enough for me to care what h ...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Beth rated it did not like it

Shelves: abandoned

Although it seems well-written with interesting characters, I just didn't want to live in this world. The storyline includes numerous random acts of cruelty and death and after a while I just didn't care how it turned out. I gave up less than halfway through. I even peeked ahead thinking that I might stick it out if there was some kind of worthwhile resolution coming. But nothing I saw convinced me to stick with it. ...more

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