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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Someday I’m hoping to get the final book! It’s been so long I’ll want to re-read the previous books…which I might do anyway!
Such a great book.
Who doesn’t love GOT?
A very fun read.
The Song of Ice and Fire series is my all time favorite. It’s outside of my normal preference of thriller / horror, but Martin is simply brilliant. The only downside is that there are too many characters to keep track of.
A Song of Ice and Fire truly is excellent political fantasy. After I read the first five books I immediately went back and read books 1-3 again because I knew all of the character names properly by that point. Deaths hit much harder and Martin’s exceptional foreshadowing was all the more evident upon a reread.
As with any ASoIaF fan, I can’t …
“And for the first time in hundreds of years the night came alive with the music of dragons”
This book is what I came looking for when I started my literary journey at the age of thirteen. The ability of looking oneself in a fantasy world, full of bastards and dragons.
Hard to be a naysayer since this has been such a big thing, but I think there a lot of better fantasy writers and I won’t waste my time on this guy. I don’t like his writing style and I couldn’t really get into this book.
It’s a good story. If only the author hadn’t tried to stretch his 3 book into 7 .
Lots of characters to keep up with, overall a very good read!
I came to A GAME OF THRONES because I read (and write) historical novels set during the Wars of the Roses, so I wanted to see what this writer of epic fantasy would do to the material. I was pleasantly surprised to find that George R. R. Martin (I’ll refer to him as GRRM) didn’t slavishly follow the historical events, making this a refreshing …
George R.R Martin’s first book of his magnum opus, A Song of Ice and Fire. Gorgeous writing. A book to read again and again.
A great fantasy book with epic world building. The descriptions are captivating and the storyline has so much depth. A lot of names to remember!
I am one of the few who have never seen the television version of these stories. I had to get every detail and read the whole series. Love it! I truly wish he would write at least one more book in the series!
I’m still reading it
Loved it, thanks
A friend lent this to me at work. I was sucked in from page one and immediately went and bought the rest of the series.
The Song of Ice and Fire series changed the genre of fantasy — for the better, IMNSHO
Way better than the HBO series!
George R.R. Martin is the modern-day Tolkien. He has created a world just as vibrant as Middle Earth, but within the framework of what I call “realistic fantasy.” The characters are real, without the veneer of mythology. They are flawed, they are vulnerable, and they rise above those limitations. They live and they die. Martin is also one of the …