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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)

List Price: $7.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Amazing for what it does...
Review: 3.5 Stars... Perhaps 4. He writes relatively well and has the potential for great characterisation. His intrigue is amazing, but... I dislike the VIVID rape scenes - I don't need details of what is happening. Nor do I need a detailed description of the incestuous relationships... I'm not against these scenes in general, just the level of detail. Do I REALLY need to know about the precise moment he enters her? His sex-scenes are cheap. Perhaps he wanted to excite a teen audience?

I dislike the fact that characters get no more than a chapter at a time - it doesn't allow the reader to get fully engrossed in that particular thread. It puts me in mind of a soap-opera, where many people's lives are flashed into and out of. In fact, I'd classify the book as a fantasy/mystery/thriller soap. A waste of good writing.

There's plenty of intrigue, but no ADVENTURE. One aspect of Fantasy that I enjoy is discovering new things, the sense of adventure that one shares with a character when that character explores the hitherto unknown. Although GRRM has painted a wonderful and rich Fantasy world, he doesn't do much with it. I'm afraid that I haven't fallen in love with his world, as I might with Osten Ard, Middle Earth or (I hate to say it) one of Weiss & Hickmann's (who did, if nothing else, know how to create a vivid world).

I'd give him: 5 Stars for intrigue & suspense 2.5 Stars for world building 3 Stars for characterisation 4 Stars for plot 3.5 Stars for "emotiveness"...

Perhaps I was jaded by the critical acclaim?

Lastly... Many writers are accused of being "blithely happy". GRRM has gone to the other extreme, he's self-consctiously attempted NOT to be accused of this. It shows too vividly and he tries a little TOO hard.

But, nevertheless, I shall wade through books two and three. It's more enjoyable than most slop that's dished up out there...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Maddening, wonderful, heartbreaking and exciting
Review: A Game of Thrones is a large, sprawling, engaging story about a group of people and how their lives are shaped by power, ambition, treachery, deceit, and murder. In a land where seasons can last years, Eddard Stark is asked by his good friend King Robert to take a job at that has recently been vacated by Eddard's brother-in-law. Reluctant because he does not like to become involved in royal politics, Eddard nevertheless agrees and moves his family to court. Eddard quickly learns that his doubts were well founded. There is more than meets the eye in this job and Eddard soon realizes that his predecessor was investigating areas that could prove very dangerous. Court life is rife with plots, counter plots and power plays and the Stark family becomes ensnared in situations for which they are woefully unprepared.

Meanwhile half way around the world, Viserys and Daenerys, children of the previous king, are plotting a triumphant return. They view King Robert as nothing but a usurper and vow to raise an army to smash his kingdom. Travelling through far-away sun-baked lands, Daenerys finds herself surrounded by strangers who may not have her best interests in mind; a brother whose ambitions may lead her into danger; and a series of events that leave her changed forever.

And, while the mere mortals are playing the game of thrones, up in the north, a legend has come to life. Will they see the danger before it is too late?

I invite you to meet Ned, Catelyn, Tyrion, Arya, Sansa, Daenerys, Jon and all the rest of the incredibly wonderful characters in this most excellent beginning to what promises to be a most excellent series.

Back in 1997, I had just finished reading the most recent installment of Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series. Since that series was far from finished and I was still in an "epic fantasy book" mode, I was desperately casting around for something similar. I happened across an on-line bboard that was discussing 'A Game of Thrones.' The praise was universal and it seemed to fit the bill of what I was looking for. So I found a copy and began to read. It is only like "Wheel of Time" up to a point. The similarities with WOT lie in the fact that 1) it is a multi-volume series and 2) it has lots of characters. The two series are very, very different. However, I think Jordan fans will really enjoy this book

I was immediately taken in by the atmosphere of the book. It is chock full of symbolism and foreshadowing. But it is also very grounded and down to earth. This book has quite a large cast of characters. It is a fully realized world with a history, customs, landscapes, legends and a wide range of people. Yet, the story is told through the viewpoints of a very small, select number of characters. Through their eyes you get to see events unfold. This has the wonderful effect of not only allowing you to get to know the character whose viewpoint you're reading at the time in a very intimate way, but also allows the author to reserve the right to revisit an event through the eyes of another character and thereby give the same event an entire new meaning for the reader.

Characters in this book are noble, evil, good, cynical, naïve and really, endearingly flawed. I have to applaud the author's willingness to sacrifice sympathetic characters as well as non-sympathetic ones. He doesn't take the easy route and I think the book is all the richer for it. I went back to reread this book after having read the 2nd and 3rd book of the series and I am pleased that it has held up beautifully to a reread. If anything, going back to read it after reading the third book of the series has made for a richer experience. This is a maddening, wonderful, heartbreaking, exciting book and I cannot recommend it enough.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best book I read in 2000.
Review: I work in a bookstore, and am in charge of the sci-fi section. Believe me, I see a lot of books come and go. usually I pay them no mind, (the only other series I had read was "Dune", LOVED IT!)Anyway, the cover of this book piqued my interest and I decided to check it out. Lo and behold, I was completely hooked. The characterizations and details attributed to each person made them very real for me. I liked the fact that magic was not the center of the story, and that at the heart of the story was a simple tale of one family, the Starks of Winterfell. I recommend it to every customer and recommend it to anyone who is tired of Robert "beating a dead horse" Jordan.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I owe this one to Robert Jordan
Review: If Robert Jordan had not written "Winter's Heart", I most likely would not have read this book just yet. I had had it lying around the house for several years, but had not been motivated to pick it up and read it. Then, many of the slams of "Winter's Heart" suggested that we read George R. R. Martin to see some good writing. I figured that that many readers can't be wrong, and I was right! "A Game of Thrones" is the best fantasy of intrigue that I have read since Raymond Feist and Janny Wurts' "Empire" trilogy, if not ever.

The fact that the book is somewhat patterned on the War of the Roses does not detract from the richness of the world Mr. Martin has created. And this world is not defined by drawn-out, detailed descriptions and charts, but by the clarity of the prose. In fact, the genealogies and characteristics of the great houses are spelled out so well in the story that the appendix at the end is almost superfluous.

The characters are terrific. Although some are "better" than others, no one is truly "good" or "evil". Instead, we are presented with a cast of normal individuals in extraordinary times. How they interact, react, grow, and/or regress comprises the bulk of the action.

Having said that, I must also say that this is a novel of ideas and personalities. It is not "slash and burn" fantasy, but its use of magical arts is mostly insinuated and any actual acts or situations are limited to what is necessary to advance Mr. Martin's ideas. Some previous reviewers have complained about the scarcity of magic. I beg to differ, as the rarity of magic adds to its power in those instances that it appears. All is in context; there are no gratuitous displays of grandiose "swords and sorcery" to attempt to revive a plot gone stale or just for their own sake.

This is a tale of people. They fight, they grow, they plot, they scheme, they are noble, they are despicable, they struggle, they triumph over long odds, they fail, they die, but they always entertain. In other words, they are like people that we all know, wish we knew, or wish we didn't know. It's tempting to say that the "villains" are too evil until we remember that history is full of people like the Borgias, Rasputin, and Machiavelli.

In closing, I feel obligated to add a slight disclaimer - parts of the story evoke intense emotion, there are "adult" situations and behavior, and people you grow to like will die, and will die far to early. But those are the things that make this book soar above most of the others in the genre. I have already begun reading the second book, "A Clash of Kings", will follow that with "A Storm of Swords", and will anxiously await book 4!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Finally...a well written, finely crafted epic fantasy!
Review: Are you bored with the fantasy novels that clog the shelves lately - poorly written, wooden characters, dry dialog, unoriginal plot lines? I had begun to wonder if I would ever have the joy of getting wrapped up in a good, complicated, unpredictable GRIPPING world where my heart truly thumped in fright that a character was going to get killed when they faced danger. Well, Martin has rescued me from a string of galling dissapointments. This book is the first installment of what so far (3 books) is one of the best fantasy epics I have ever read. There are no useless characters or wandering sub-plots that seem to be just page fodder to pad book installments - just good story telling. Please, if you are hesitating because your intelligence has been insulted by the last few fantasy novels you have read - try this one. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: This book is just that. . . excellent. This is realistic fantasy, and boldly done. The writing is terrific, and the plot is never lacking. The characters are very compelling as well. What more could one ask for?!

The only real complaint I can extend toward this series is the sometimes graphic sexuality (far more graphic in A Clash of Kings). I don't feel that it is necessary or appropriate to include OVERLY graphic depictations of sex in fantasy novels - but, still, it does seem to match the darker tone of the book. Besides, the violence is also graphic, and it seems odd to complain about one and not the other.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The beginning of an amazing epic...
Review: I found A Game of Thrones to be a refreshing addition to modern fantasy. It doesn't have any of the typical powerful mages and dangerous creatures roaming the lands, and it has very little in the way of magic. Instead, the world's depth lies in the various cultures and attitudes of the many human groups that inhabit it. Many of these are barely mentioned and left mostly undescribed, but Martin leaves much food for the imagination. I found his characters very believable because they act more on human impulses than preset stereotypes. The main characters span a number of diverse personalities so I think most readers will find one they can empathize with. The plot is mostly driven by court intrigues and hidden dangers, but it doesn't suffer from a lack of action. And to top it off, I really enjoyed Martin's use of vivid color in his descriptions. Even without magic (or precious little of it), Martin can paint a purely fantastic scene just by his imagery and sensory appeal. While the political struggles in A Game of Thrones could almost take place in medieval Europe, that imagery places the book well within the realm of high fantasy.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: fantastic appetite whetting
Review: stunning. can't wait to read the next one.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Interesting book hard to read at first
Review: I enjoyed A game of Thrones it was different and interesting from what I'm usally used to reading in a fantasy book like DragonLance and Forgotten Realms. I had to re-read certin pages over to make sure I understood what was happening. From what I got out of it the main Familes are the Lannister's and the Stark's while there are a total of about 7 familes all together the main focus was on the Lannister's an Stark's. What really cought my attention is the Lannister's marrying with in the familes brother to sister and so forth to keep the Royal blood pure and strong. That was different plus it has become the survival of the fittest and who benifets from whos death. Reminds me of Drizzt's fellow people the Dark elves who fight to see which Royal House moves up the Ranks or dies from the Forgotten Realms books. all in all a good book that I highly recommened.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Like formulaic fantasy? This book's not for you.
Review: If you require an easy read with a quick resolution, forget the Fire and Ice series. The books are loaded with detail, characters and subplots. This is good storytelling- if you take on reading the series with the intention of sinking your teeth into a well written, imaginative, substantive tale you won't be disappointed.


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