A Game of Thrones
(A Song Of Ice And Fire #1)
by
George R. R. Martin
Synopsis:
Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.
The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.
As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must … and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.
The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.
Review:
So I finally broke down and started the free trial of Audible, and now I'm like six months into the subscription. A Game of Thrones is the first book I downloaded because I've been curious about the book version of my favorite show for years now. I won't get too deep into this review, since so many people have read this book or at least watched this show. Instead I'll compare the first book to the first season of the show.
What was fun for me was watching the corresponding episode after I finished the equivalent of that episode in the book. After doing that, I realized the first season of the show pretty much follows the book. Besides a lot more insight into the character's thoughts and motives, there really weren't many changes or surprises that the show hadn't prepared me for. The book is long, and also a bit slow, and honestly I'm not sure if I could have tolerated that if I wasn't already in love with these characters from the start. By the end of the book though, I'm positive I would have been hooked even if I hadn't already watched the show.
Throughout this experience, I've really come to appreciate Martin's voice. He writes splendidly in both male and female, young and old characters. He has that gift of revealing information as if you are there experiencing it yourself. And not to mention the world building and plot line. But if you watch the show, you know that already!
If you're already a show fan and looking for a casual book to listen to while you're driving or cleaning the kitchen, you should definitely give it a try. I appreciated that I could be a little distracted by my kid but totally understand what they were talking about once I got back to it. The side by side experience of watching the show and reading the books is incredible, not to mention revisiting your favorite characters that were sent to the chopping block. I'm definitely going to listen to book 2 after the new year.
