Review: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R.R. Martin

 Title: A Game of Thrones

Author: George R. R. Martin

Published: August 26th 2005 by Spectra
Book Description:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. To the south, the king’s powers are failing—his most trusted adviser dead under mysterious circumstances and his enemies emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the king’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but the kingdom itself.

Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

Unparalleled in scope and execution, A Game of Thrones is one of those rare reading experiences that catch you up from the opening pages, won’t let you go until the end, and leave you yearning for more

My Thoughts:

And I finally started my journey to the land of Westeros where everything you can imagine existing in the time of Kings exists. (Wow that ryhmed). Kings, Castles, Walls, Magic, Dragons and very well established and interesting characters. Those are the things that you will expect when reading Game of Thrones.

Basically, I first heard this , or rather watched it as the famous HBO TV Series with the same name. During my sloth vacation in 2011, I decided to watch it since everybody was talking about it. And it did not fail me that time. I was so enamored by this world and its characters that I vowed to myself that I should probably read this and see the origin. But something held me back. Due to my bad experience of trying to read The Lord of the Rings (it was so boring because of all the details e.g. JP son of blank son of blank.......) So I expected it to be the same with Game of Thrones. But thankfully, I browsed over it one day and it was actually an easy read.

So here I am one day on Costco here in Montreal and there was a box set whose price was cheaper compared to the bookstore here. So I bought it and started reading it.

First thing is that it was an easy read. Even though it is lengthy and full of details, those details are easy to understand and very important. When you read them you are transported to the book itself. That is how rich this book is. Really really loved it when I was reading it.

Second, this books is told alternately by different POV mainly by the Stark Family. What I love about the way George wrote this characters is that their personality leaps from the book into your mind. He established his characters so well that you will be able to remember them amidst of the numerous people in this kingdom.

Third is that this book there's not much physical fight but they fought with their wits and minds. I like that. That is something that is hard to write and if you succeed the fruits will be delicious and George did that.

All in all this  was really a good start in A Song of Fire and Ice Series. And I can indulge myself I will tell to you my top 5 characters and probably you can compare it to yours :D

1. Daenerys
2. Tyrion

3. Arya
4. Jon
5. Catelyn

I give this book a grand 5 whales