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.
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Top of the book list. ONLY problem is that it is NOT FINISHED ‼ At 73 don’t think I will get a chance to. Double darn!!! I liked it sooo much, I didn’t watch the tv show. It would never live up to my expectations I found while reading.
These books were a good read – but I got tired of them by the time I got to the end. Too many characters – over a large area. HBO’s series was better than the books.
One of the best fantasy books that I’ve read to date. A gifted author who knows how to keep his readers in awe. It’s a definite page Turner, a book that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let you go until you read the very last page. Brilliant!!!!!
This is book 1 of arguably the best book series ever: A Song Of Ice Fire.
Fingers crossed for Winds!
I was intrigued by “Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.”. All the hype surrounding the series made me want to read it. Dragons, swordfights and intrigue – what’s not to love? Then I started to read the book. It’s as vivid as advertised. Yet… I draw the line at certain things in fiction. …
Takes you to a different world but full of family intrigue, war, and even dragons. Not a predictable plot which is great
Fantastic book in a fantastic series. The first season of the show follows the book pretty accurately. The book lets you glimpse inside each character’s mind for a more in depth look at the story. I only hope the author is able to finish the saga one day.
Read the whole series so far fantastic!
It doesn’t beat Lord of the Rings in thematic content and also the foreshadowing of our climate emergency given our poor stewardship of our planet .
It’s a great and exciting read though.
I am sure that there are millions of readers that would recommend this book. *Jumps on bandwagon*
I started reading this book about twenty years ago, and it still leaves an impression upon me. There are so many good things that I can tell you about this book, but maybe the most telling is that, as a new author, I strive to be more like George R. …
Terrific start to the series. It is good just like the show.
I own all of the series of these books so far and love each and every one for different reasons. You can’t help but have favorite characters and favorite villains but they all contribute to make the story wonderful to read.
Too scary for me.
I have been putting this series off. I finally caved and gave it a go and I was not disappointed. I really loved how the narrator immersed me into the story and how he gave each character a different voice. I loved the writing and the different characters plus the world. A great start to a long series. I cannot wait to start book two.
I couldn’t stop with the first book in the series and went on to read all five. Each character brought so much to the story. I became so obsessed I downloaded maps of Westeros and studied each house until I knew each character. I have never read such brilliant and imaginative books in my life.
A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin (1993)
In the Seven Kingdoms, Ned Stark executes a deserter who fled from the Wall. Meanwhile, the bastard Jon Snow joins the Night’s Watch. And Daenerys Targaryen becomes betrothed to a Dothraki warlord.
https://chadschimke.blogspot.com/2019/01/fantasy-fiction-genre.html
A Game of Thrones
It’s a great yarn. I would have rated it higher four years ago or more, but it’s not as compelling to me right now knowing that the end is still somewhat in limbo.
Fantastic for all the other things
Too much going on to enjoy it. I read this years before the tv series. I can’t even remember if I finished it, I might not.
Yuck. Just yuck. Bread and circuses.
I loved the concept and the show, I just had trouble getting through this book.