A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) in A Song of Ice & Fire Fans

Jun 15, 2007 Jesse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, jesse-s-all-time-favorite-authors

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 started rereading 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 started rereading the first book I've ever reread.

Let me just say that I didn't find ANY of the characters boring. Even the characters that I would find an anoying personality type, are deeply engrosing in this tale. And those types of characters number just 2 for me in this book. There are so many characters, with such a broad range of personalities that there is someone to match everyones likes. Yet even the characters I initially found myself repulsed by, grow and change and are just as fascinating as those that I admire and empathize with.

Normally I dislike when an author has too many characters and jumps from character to character from one chapter to the next, not so in this book. Martin's ability to tell a story and hook you on it, is so great that I started to look forward to these jumps to different characters. With this many characters you really are provided with a great narrow and broad picture of the currents of this world and narrative. Its like watching individual storms all over the globe, all adding up to the global weather system.

Which leads me to my next point, his pacing. I've read my share of epic fantasy series. In particular Martin's two major contemporaries/rivals for the top spot of the epic fantasy genre: Terry Goodkind and Robert Jordan. Both these authors have good parts, and bad parts to their books. There are momments in their books where I stop and think, "That was the coolest thing (event) I've ever read". Yet there are way more parts in both author's works where I was thinking "when are we going to get to the next awsome and exciting event? Why are we still walking/riding/working/...etc(you get my drift)". I came to expect this in any book, particularly epic fantasy. I just thought that when a book/series gets as long as these tomes, you end up having to spread some borring filler in there because one imagination can only do so much exciting work. Martin broke that mold for me. I kept waiting for a momment where part of my mind would start, metaphorically, tapping its foot in bordom thinking, "are we there yet?". It never happened. Each chapter would grab me, and by the time the chapter ended I was groaning at having to leave behind this story thread because I was wrapped up in its narrative path. Then I'm instantly swept up by the events of the next chapters story thread.

Finally there is the commitment by the author to this narrative. Many stories have jeopardy but you kind of know that in the end, the main character can't die, there are more books to come. Don't ever count on that in "A Game of Thrones". Everyone of the characters is fair game, and people/characters will die in horrible and tragic ways. In this book and in subsequent ones in the series, I literally threw down the book and got up in shock. Sometimes even shouting out to no one at all, "Oh my GODS!, he killed !". It gives me confidence in Martin and his own level of commitment to telling me the best and most real story possible, complete with unfair and tragic events happening to good AND bad people (though in the case of the bad people I suppose it would be "fair and happy" when negative things happen to them..lol). Ok, thats it, I can't believe how much I wrote here. Hope this gets some folks to read this book. Cause once you read the first, you'll be hooked.

03/22/2009: I just finished re-reading this book, and have to say it was even better the second time around. I caught subtleties to the plot that I never caught before, particularly about Jon Snow, Lyanna Stark, and Eddard Stark. I also found it interesting how much more the tension in the book was increased for me because I knew certain great momments were coming in the book, and the tension that created for me was most enjoyable. This is quite possibly THE best first book in a fantasy series I've ever read. I can't wait to re-read book #2 now, if only I had more time to read! ...more

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Sep 27, 2009 Joe rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, swearing, read-multiple-times

I really went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars for my rating of this book - I could have easily gone with 5 - the book was incredible - but there was enough right toward the end that pulled it down. However, this IS a series and I'm already reading the second book, which picks up right where this one left off, and if the story picks back up, I may just revise this up to 5 because the story is great.

This series has been classified in the fantasy genre, and I suppose thats probably the closest I really went back and forth between 4 and 5 stars for my rating of this book - I could have easily gone with 5 - the book was incredible - but there was enough right toward the end that pulled it down. However, this IS a series and I'm already reading the second book, which picks up right where this one left off, and if the story picks back up, I may just revise this up to 5 because the story is great.

This series has been classified in the fantasy genre, and I suppose thats probably the closest you could name, but it's definitely not traditional fantasy - no magic/wizards, no elves/dwarves or other races sharing the land, etc., but there are references to some of those things having existed in the past. The story is really just a story of the struggles and intrigues of several noble families and their positioning for power in the changing political climate of the (fictional) realm, but there are very few of the supernatural elements present in other works of fantasy that would mark this as something other than a period political fiction.

The character development is incredible - in fact, its central to the structure of the book (and the series) as each chapter tells a different part of the story from the perspective of a different character. Each character feels very real, and while clear protagonists and antagonists eventually develop, there isn't any of the "absulute virtue vs. absolute evil" that you see all too often where the hero is the very epitome of good and right and virtue, as well as physical beauty, and the villain is ugly evil-incarnate with no shred of goodness or truth. Very seldom are things so black and white, and Martin's world and plot admirably includes a lot of gray (though it does start to separate and break down toward the end).

So, four stars but I started on the second right after finishing the first and I have a feeling that once all is said and done, this will occupy a space on my shelves next to some of my other all-time favorites - right up there with Tolkien and Herbert. ...more

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Jan 23, 2010 Nicole rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy

What a great book! I have been putting off reading this book because I assumed it would be another high fantasy series that I wouldn't be able to get into because of elves, gnomes, magic, etc. I was wrong, this book is truly about the game of thrones, the power struggles and intrigue that take place behind the scenes with a fantasy backdrop. This book is a bit confusing in the beginning but twists and turns in the differing storylines kept me reading. I hope that this can be made into a successf ...more

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Nov 12, 2010 Christy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, best-books-ever, favorites

It took me awhile to really pick this up and read it. Once I got started, I couldn't stop. What an amazing world Martin has created. It reminded me some of the Tudor novels I've read, combined with Lord of The Rings and a bit of a murder mystery thrown in. Needless to say, I loved it on many levels and can't wait to read the rest of the series!

Oh one thing I learned from this book: Martin doesn't mind killing off main characters! Man!!! I'm still sad about one of them. ...more

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Aug 10, 2007 Christine (AR) rated it it was amazing

I'm applying this review to the entire series so far. Long and layered and political and brilliant. Multi-POV, several concurrent storylines, fascinating characters, though there are some I'm more interested in than others, admittedly.

This hooked me from the very first paragraph. Best fantasy series I've ever read, period. I'm terrified that he's going to die before he finishes it. ...more

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Oct 31, 2007 Irene rated it it was amazing

Wonderfully textured political fantasy novel overflowing with fascinating, believable characters, beautiful descriptions of the land and exciting intrigue. I ran out the next day and bought the second book so I could keep going. This series is like the Wheel of Time for smart people.

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