A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) in 2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge

May 27, 2012 Jessica rated it it was amazing

Shelves: five-stars, favorites, fantasy

I will tell you all the truth: I do not like fantasy. Truly. I don't know if I'm still scarred by the summer I forced my way through all of Tolkien, but I do know that the barest mention of elves or knights or fair maidens will send me scurrying away. In addition, I'm not a fan of political intrigue, nor of really long books that start really long series. So why did I try this one?

I don't like the feeling of dismissing an entire genre based on a few bad apples, so I was looking for some good fan I will tell you all the truth: I do not like fantasy. Truly. I don't know if I'm still scarred by the summer I forced my way through all of Tolkien, but I do know that the barest mention of elves or knights or fair maidens will send me scurrying away. In addition, I'm not a fan of political intrigue, nor of really long books that start really long series. So why did I try this one?

I don't like the feeling of dismissing an entire genre based on a few bad apples, so I was looking for some good fantasy. I knew about Game of Thrones from the tv show (which I haven't seen) so I clicked on the page. I read the first few reviews and noted a few others like me - not fans of fantasy - who had liked the book. I took it with me out of town and gave it a try (this may or may not have led to me reading at 3 am in a hotel bathroom so I wouldn't wake my husband... I'm not saying!)

Simply put, this is a great book. It isn't without flaws, but none of those flaws bothered me in the least while I was reading. I loved all the characters, even the ones who seemed unloveable at first(Sansa!) The female characters were well drawn - not just for a fantasy, but in general. Martin chooses to tell the story POV style, with each chapter a different character. I loved that because it allowed the characters to feel real.

The plotline is interesting - political intrigue with some light fantasy (there is magic and fantastic creatures, but they aren't the focus of the story, nor do they solve all the problems/cause all the wars.) The politics did not bore me, though I confess by the end I was forgetting who belonged to which house (there are too many names that begin with T!)

My favorite character, without a doubt, was the dwarf Tyrion. He was wonderfully grey (neither evil nor good) and his dialogue felt more real than any of the other characters (they were not bad, but occasionally trended towards the overly formal language often used in these novels.)

I'm looking forward to the next in the series - and I'm thinking of trying some other fantasy novels soon! ...more

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Feb 08, 2016 Kathy rated it did not like it

Shelves: unfinished

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
I've never seen the show, so my review applies only to the first book, and I'm writing this review so that others can be aware of what they are picking up, or what their kids are picking up. This content was not up to my standards. I finished it only just, skipping over the most offensive bits, and only for closure. At some point, I thought closely about it and determined that close to all the ten commandments are broken in this book, some pretty graphically. So since it can't be a good example ...more

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Dec 19, 2013 Mirliz rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, fantasy, series-to-read, books-to-reread

This is a great book! Loved the story, loved the intrigues, loved the characters. The descriptions of everything - places and events - are written so that I could see it all in front of me. Writing each chapter from a different character's viewpoint is something that I both love and hate, because at the end of each chapter I really just wanted to know more about that specific character's story! Can't wait to read the rest of the series. ...more

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Sep 25, 2011 Valissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: house-of-flail-library

Damn. It really was as captivating as advertised.

A reread (well, rerereread). I can't get over how much fun it is to read these, and now that I have been through the entire series (to date) I am making connections I did not catch before. Of course, the first (and second . . and maybe third) time I read the book I was gobbling, and this time I actually sat back and savored. ...more

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Jan 20, 2017 Mickey added it

I am so glad I read the book before seeing the seriies. I mean I have seen bits and pieces of the series, but that's about it. I loved the book so much going on, but if your a fan of fantasy then you'll follow with no problem at all. Such a great book. ...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Phyllis Jackson rated it it was amazing

I loved this book and read the rest of the series. In this book no one gets a happy ending.

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Jul 26, 2011 Aimee rated it it was amazing

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Oct 05, 2011 Tegan added it

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Nov 15, 2011 Camille rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Jan 13, 2012 Beckey rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2014

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Jan 22, 2012 Kathy Jo rated it it was amazing

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Mar 13, 2012 Cider Morten rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-reads

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Mar 13, 2012 Nina S marked it as to-read

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Apr 25, 2012 Joe rated it really liked it

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Aug 07, 2012 ndanger rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, epic

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Jan 31, 2013 Kim DeCina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, amazing-characters, magic, dark, characters-of-color, fantastic-worldbuilding, beautiful-language, speculative-fiction, drama

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