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Title: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R. R. Martin, Jeffrey Jones ISBN: 1-892065-29-0 Publisher: Meisha Merlin Pub Pub. Date: June, 2002 Format: Hardcover List Price(USD): $250.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.54 (1039 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Perfection of Imperfection
Comment: This book is not a happy one. Actually, I can't really remember whether this particular book is happy because I read the other two as soon as I finished the first, and if you read "A Game of Thrones", you'll jump for the sequels ("A Clash of Kings", "A Storm of Swords") as well.
Back to the title of this review: "Perfection of Imperfection". How many books have you read that left characters truely unhappy? Eddings lost the seer's bodyguard, McCaffrey lost the guy on the blue dragon. I figure I should have been touched around then, but, quite simply, in most fantasy series, the people who die or have horrible things happen to them simply aren't important enough. The last author to come close to what Martin does was Tolkien in the Shire (for risk of spoiling things for those who have had an interest in the books sparked by the movie, I'm not going to be specific).
Martin is perfectly willing to do more than sacrifice characters. In this book, as I was waiting for a character to be beheaded, I kept wondering, how are they going to save him from this? It seemed impossible. And I guess it was. Tough luck.
"A Game of Thrones" is just the beginning to about 2500+ pages of betrayal, war, and dirty tactics, with incest thrown in just for fun (ok, not for fun, it sets off the whole revolution thing). There are a large handful of self-proclaimed kings of the land (named the Seven Kingdoms, but nobody will even think about just splitting them up). Each has their own devious little webs to spin, each has a likable character and despicable character on their side, so you never feel quite secure in rooting for a particular group. Good and bad are not so clearly defined in Martin's works.
Then there are the characters themselves. Cersei and Jaime Lannister remind one of Cesare and Lucrezia Borgia (although their old man, the strict Lord Tywin, would never take Rodrigo's place in the rumors). But the two are balanced by their deformed, dwarf brother, Tyrion (I think that's his name, anyway), who tries to do things for the good of the people. Sansa and Arya Stark seem to be two opposites: gentle lady versus wild woodsey fighter girl. Dany, exiled daughter of an ousted king who plans to take back her family's kingdom, seems to be the median between the two: gentle but also firm and dedicated to her cause. Robb Stark, firmly raised by his noble father, Ned, is the antithema to Prince Joffrey, Queen Cersei's spoiled, willful brat. And Jon Snow, ... half-brother of Robb, has this calm within sort of personality that explodes when convenient to the story.
The sad part of all this is that so many of theses characters and more die in this book and the next two.
While there is no gratuitous violence, Cersei and Jaime make this book frankly inappropriate. In other words, it would make a great movie, but it would be R if they didn't cut certain scenes.
If you're looking for a fantasy series where the good guys aren't clear, every side takes violent hits, and the world is not perfect, I suggest you pick up this book.
Rating: 5
Summary: THE BEST FANTASY SERIES EVER ALL MY FRIENDS ARE HOOKED!
Comment: Martin writes an engrossing tale by devoting each chapter to a hero or villian so you can see the world from that character's viewpoint. Each character is emotionally real and detailed and the events are realistic and gritty. Be forewarned, don't get too engrossed in any one character because he has no qualms about killing them off! The heroes and villians in this story are both capable of goodness and violence they seem so real that they make your imagination jump to new bounds. I've never read someone who can captivate me with writing like Martin and keep me wanting to read on until I'm so tired I have no choice but to put it down. Some of the best characters are the villians, like Sandor Clegane also called "The Hound". A former noble abused by his brothers violent temper and maimed for life with horrible burn scars on his face. Although he seems evil there is a deep sense of sadness and lack of love in this characters life. His frustration is evident and his good side although buried beneath so many years of abuse and ridicule, strives to reach the surface. You can see the tension and trauma this man has sustained, and through it all he still has a need to defend the weak and helpless. It's well worth the money for the book. I've read all three about four times already and I can't wait for the new one to arrive. All of my friends got hooked on the series after I told them about it. Probably the best books I've ever read. Nuff Said. Mike Ceranko
Rating: 5
Summary: Simply amazing
Comment: I don't know why it took me so long to find this book (and series). I've been a huge fan of fantasy such as Wheel of Time , but now that I've read the first 3 books of A Song of Ice and Fire, I can honestly say it puts WoT to shame.
The characters are dynamic in a way I've never read before. The plot is intricate and complex without being obscure and indecipherable. The story progresses rapidly enough to make it impossible to put the book down before you've turned the last page -- and even then difficult.
I must also add that if the Wheel of Time is 'rated G', this series is at least 'rated R', if not 'NC-17'. George R R Martin pulls no punches and portrays this medival fantasy setting in a harsh and sometimes savage light. I think this makes for a much more realistic and intriguing story, but I can imagine some may ... dislike some scenes.
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Title: A Clash of Kings (A Song of Fire and Ice, Book 2) by George R. R. Martin ISBN: 0553579908 Publisher: Spectra Books Pub. Date: 05 September, 2000 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) by George R. R. Martin ISBN: 055357342X Publisher: Spectra Books Pub. Date: 04 March, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4) by George R. R. Martin ISBN: 0553801503 Publisher: Spectra Books Pub. Date: 24 June, 2004 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
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Title: New Spring (A Wheel of Time Prequel Novel) by Robert Jordan ISBN: 0765306298 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 06 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
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Title: Assassin's Apprentice (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1) by Robin Hobb ISBN: 055357339X Publisher: Spectra Books Pub. Date: 01 April, 1996 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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