NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES—THE MASTERPIECE THAT BECAME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King’s Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert’s name. There his family dwells in peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons … wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse—unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season.
Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen’s brothers Jaime and Tyrion of the powerful and wealthy House Lannister—the first a swordsman without equal, the second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind. All are heading for Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms.
Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an army of barbarian Dothraki—whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys.
more
Novel sequence Interesting, but long-winded. GoT is easier to watch than reads, and I prefer the opposite! I have read all available volumes. When the next one appears, the only author knows. Maybe he forgot what he wrote at the beginning and does not know how to finish this cycle?
Still waiting for the next volume
Read all the Game of Thrones books and can’t wait for the next.
I have to admit I did struggle to get into this book and only really started enjoying it at about three quarters of the way through! And then, my favourite character got killed off so I was seriously tempted to give up on the whole series. However, I also really enjoyed Daenerys story with the dragon eggs so I am going to read the rest of the …
What you need a review?
This was a great book, but it is hard to recommend because George Martin may never finish the series. I got up to book 4. Took 5 years for him to write book 5 and I was hoping he would finish the series so I could read it again, all at once. But he got into the tv show and doesn’t seem to care about writing this any more. Too bad.
This series is unbelievable. This man catches a lot of flack for not finishing the books or for his perceived work ethic. Take a step back and look at this world he created; languages, lore, songs, religions. All beautiful. All believable. The most successful TV series has spawned through his work. There is no other way to describe him, the man is …
I like his first three books the best.
Don’t read this book at the same time of watching tv series. Separately both are excellent but tv series does condense some sections and it could be confusing.
After watching the series to date and loving every minute of it, I figured Id jump right into the books. Im not going to lie….it took me a WHILE to get through this one. A long book with equally long chapters. I think watching the series first actually benefitted me greatly in this situation since I was able to visualize the characters …
Keeping up with the characters and geography was a challenge. That said, Martin is a genius.
I read the entire series not knowing the final book had not been published. It still has not after a decade. The TV series changes a lot of the plot lines that were crucial to the original. I guess getting all that money from HBO made the author forget about who bought all his books in the first place. He has written several books in the last …
A Song of Ice and Fire is complex and deep read. George R. R. Martin is a true master of epic fantasy and it shows. Strong characters and fast pacing keep the reader moving along and looking for more. Anyone who loves fantasy will enjoy this book and the rest of the series.
Author killed the main character; totally disillusioned me.
It felt more like a historical fiction a fantasy.
Hard to keep up with. Too many character changes ! Would have to go back and reread previous books to find the character. Premise great. Execution confusing
Keeps you interested until the end.
I thoroughly enjoyed Game of Thrones, a complex fantasy book series, written by George R. R. Martin.
It is a great fantasy story with several memorable characters, a fascinating storyline with twists and turns, and the return of dragons, set in Medieval times.
If you’ve enjoyed watching the HBO series, Game of Thrones, you’ll love the book …
Definitely grabs your attention from the start. Well written and complex characters. The series doesnt start to get tedious until about book 4.
I had no idea what to really expect from this book. Even seeing the first couple episodes of the show did not prepare me. It started a little slowly, but it gained footing quickly as the characters became familiar. Even with so many of them, it was not difficult to become immersed in their stories, to determine which I loved and which I loathed, …