To say that A Game of Thrones is daunting would be an understatement honestly. I mean, it is over eight HUNDRED pages. That is a lot of pages for one person to read in one book! But luckily for me, I found out about the Song of Ice and Fire Readathon, and quickly jumped at the opportunity. I was determined to face my fears, and finally read this series, and see what the hype was all about.
I was easily enthralled by the story of A Game of Thrones from the very beginning. The author, George R.R. Martin, is a masterful storyteller. In this book, he tells the story of war but he also tells a story of family, and friends, and even to an extent love. There are three primary families which are narrating the story: The Stark’s, The Lannister’s, and The Targaryen’s (primarily the exiled queen Daenerys). Each narration helps build the story as a whole as it brings a different perspective to a very complex story.
Oh, and when I say a complex story, I mean a COMPLEX story. There are so many unexpected turn of events. Things I would have never seen coming. It forces you to re-read the page to make sure that you had understood exactly what had just happened. There were times when I was literally gasping in disbelief. Another thing that makes the story so complex is the amount of characters. There are so many characters that at first it is hard to keep track of them and their different storylines. But once you get into it things become more distinguished and understandable. Or at least they did for me.
I actually enjoyed the multiple perspectives because it allowed you to get into everyone’s heads. You were not just forced to believe one person’s ideas regarding the war and everything involved with that. You had multiple designs to choose from, some that you could agree with, and some that you may have thought were completely crazy. Trust me; there is a lot of CRAZY in this story. Also, there are many detailed scenes which will turn your stomach, and for some people may be enough for them to be completely turned off by the book. If that is the case, that is perfectly fine, as this is not necessarily the book for everyone.
A Game of Thrones is a tangled web of plotlines and intrigue. Literally nobody is safe. You never know what exactly is going to happen to a certain character. Admittedly this made me a bit weary when it came to the ones that I became attached to. Luckily nothing truly bad has happened to them yet but I’m still fearful as there are more books to read in this series. Yet even with this fear, I’m determined to continue, and I actually do look forward to seeing what is going to happen next.
Disclosure: I own a box set of the first four books in the series.
Other reviews for A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin:
Alexa Loves Books: “A Game of Thrones is a strong start, as readers are given the most detailed of introductions to this entire saga.”
Books Take You Places: “Winter is coming, you guys, and I can’t wait for it.”
Consumed By Books: “This is not the book for everyone. It’s long and there’s a lot to remember, but it’s wholly enjoyable. ”
April’s Review: “I love gray areas and complexities AND being able to chat books with friends who have already read them. Game Of Thrones did all of this for me.“
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It took me an entire summer to read this book and that was with my roommate yelling at me through the walls every day to make sure I was reading. In the end I was glad I did specifically because of all the crazy. For me the best part of reading this was being able to freak out with everybody else I know who had already read it. I haven’t read the rest of the series yet though (I get way too attached to characters to make it through this series quickly).
I’m so glad you decided to jump in and join us for SOIFRA! This series is made up of such chunky books, so I totally think doing the read-along was the way to go. We share many similar thoughts about this first book! While I didn’t love it, I did appreciate the fact that it introduces me to this crazy world, large cast of characters and twisted story. I did think it’s was a solid start!
(Thanks for linking to my review!)
I have lots of feelings and thoughts on this!
1. YES, this is a SERIOUS undertaking but so worth it. I recently finished A STORM OF SWORDS and oh my gosh, it was so good!
2. I love the multiple POVs as well – it really does bring this complexity to the story – Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Can bad people do good things? Can good people do bad things? You see it all!! And in all of this masterful tale-weaving, isn’t it crazy to think that George R.R. Martin DOESN’T OUTLINE?! He just writes as he goes. INSANITY.
I’m so so glad that you enjoyed it and happy to hear that you’re already on A CLASH OF KINGS. While you’re reading, make sure to ask yourself this: Who do you want to see sitting on the Iron Throne? It’s a hard question to answer!
I’ve been wanting to read A Game of Thrones for a while, but I’m worried it’ll be one of those that I never actually get to. The series sounds like a huge undertaking! Maybe I’ll make that a summer project, while I have the extra time on my hands 🙂 It is a little scary to think that any character could die at any time…but kind of exciting too!
I actually read A Game of Thrones twice – back in high school when the first few had released, and then again after watching the first season of HBO’s Game of Thrones. I’ve never actually viewed this book as daunting, but then I’ve always loved my chunky books. It hasn’t been until recently, after I’ve been blogging for a little while, that thicker books have started to look a tad more daunting to me. But with books as well-written as this, I just love the fact that their stories have the ability to go on and on. The complex politics are crazy and awesome and only get better as the series goes on!
I LOVE the whole series and KEEP GOING — STORM OF SWORDS is by far my favorite (that’s book 3/season 3 of the show) and book 5 is waiting for me this summer. They are so intimidating, aren’t they? HUGE books…monster plotlines & characters — at least he kills them off quickly. (How in the world does he keep them all straight?!?)
I AM SO EXCITED! That’s why I started this comment in all caps, but seriously, yay. Also, I think that you are farther along in Clash of Kings than I am. <3
Hi, I have read the 5 books of the A song of Ice and Fire Chronicles and I have enjoyed all of them (The last one I found a bit heavy with **** words). My favorite character is with no doubt the Imp(Tyrion Lanister) because he is very witty. I have written a review of the first book, if you would like to read it please visit my website. I wil be looking for more reviews of your. Keep up the good job.