Review: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #1
Rating: 4/5 Stars

807 pages
Published 2003 by Harper Voyager
Gifted

Goodreads | Author | Publisher | Amazon Paperback | Book Depository

The Song of Ice and Fire series has been around for over a decade, yet somehow it exploded in popularity a few years back. It now has a TV show, and it has gained so many fans that I won’t be surprised if we soon can buy the house flags or miniature figures to play war with.

There are tons of raving reviews for A Game of Thrones, so when my boyfriend gifted me the book I decided to give it a try.

To be very honest, I don’t get what all the fuss is about. It’s just a standard fantasy book. I have read dozens of books that are like this. It’s a decent book, it has some good world-building and a nice history and it must have taken Martin months to just figure out all those characters. But let’s be honest, as a casual reader you don’t care for 80% of the characters he created. You care for the cast of main characters.

Especially in the beginning of the book I was disappointed with how not-so-greatly written A Game of Thrones was. The children speak like fifty-year-olds and the dialogue is bland. I was expecting exceptional language and beautiful description, but I was sorely disappointed on that point.

People that say they are gripped from the first page are liars. How can the first chapters NOT be confusing? There are masses of names that you have to take track of, and confusing me is not the way to grip me. It took me half a year to get through the first half of the book. The build up is sooooooo slooooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. I really feel like adding a lot more o’s and w’s to that one, but I’ll keep those to myself.

Once the book finally gets started, it really is entertaining. There finally is some war and courtly intrigue and people die and overall the plot starts moving. Sadly, the book doesn’t get started until four hundred pages in. That’s the length of an entire book, people.

If it wasn’t for the TV series, I never would have tried to finish the book. It’s a good book, but not any different from so many other fantasy books I have read. Now I have invested so much time in the characters I will continue the series, but if you’re daunted by the length of the books, don’t start. Just watch the TV series and read a slightly less wordy fantasy book.

Also, did any of you people notice that the entire first book could be condensed to a 100-page prologue to the series?

Blurb

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 dead nemy 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, a vengeance-mad boy has gown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities beyond the sea. Heir of the mad Dragon King deposed by Robert, he claims the Iron Throne.

Other reviews you might be interested in

http://www.readinginwinter.com/ Kristilyn Robertson

I bought this one MONTHS ago and still haven’t read it. It’s really very daunting in size! And I’m not sure how I feel about straight fantasy reads — especially grown-up fantasy. I may still give it a try one of these days. Better than it just collecting dust!

Great review!
- http://www.nyxbookreviews.com/ Celine
  
  It’s huge! If you’ve never read a straight up adult fantasy book I do recommend it, because it is a good representation of the genre. And who knows, maybe you’ll love it (:
  
  Thanks a lot for stopping by!
Christajls

I feel like I had an opposite experience from you. I really liked the first book (and most of the second) but I thought the third and fourth book dragged and I didn’t care about the surviving characters any more. Guess it proves just because a book is popular doesn’t mean everyone will think it’s good/
- http://www.nyxbookreviews.com/ Celine
  
  That’s something I’m quite worried about, that he’s just going to kill of all of my favourite characters. But popularity doesn’t say anything about whether or not you’re going to like a book, I’ve noticed (:
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http://booknook.me/ Ashley Evans

I agree with a lot of what you said. I read all of book 1, all of book 2, and half of book 3 before I ragequit the series. They’re all just so incredibly boring. I don’t care about 90% of the characters and when I finally get to a chapter with a character I love, NOTHING happens. There is no progression to get me excited. There’s just no reason for these books to be as long as they are.
- http://www.nyxbookreviews.com/ Celine
  
  For such a epic-feeling fantasy book there is surprisingly little fighting or warfare. Most of the action (if any) is behind the scenes. I completely understand that you ragequitted. I wonder how far I’ll make it, hehe. Thanks for stopping by!
http://twitter.com/dailybookmark Jessie Marie

It’s so interesting to me to see somebody have a completely different opinion than I did. I just rave reviewed Book 3 of this series today. I’m obsessed with this fantasy and cannot get enough.

But I will say this, to your credit – the first book is a challenge, a major undertaking. Martin has thousands of people walking around in his head and we, as the readers, have to get to know them fast. Not to mention, an epic like this requires build-up, but if you don’t live in that world (as the author does), it’s drab and boring and monotonous. I felt like that, too. And I also got more of a medieval historical fiction with little tidbits of fantasy tossed in as salt and pepper this first book. However, when it picked up, it really picked up. And now I can’t get enough. I’m about to start the fourth book soon, but I’m wary because the sixth book won’t be out for another two years; the seventh, not until 2020. Talk about waiting!

Still, great review. If you continue the series, I hope you find yourself pleasantly surprised. These books are overlong so I can understand the apprehension.
- http://www.nyxbookreviews.com/ Celine
  
  Ha, book one is definitely a challenge! I wonder if these books might have been better if Martin wasn’t forcing ALL the characters on us. A good writer knows the entire world, but a fantastic writer knows when to show details and when to just keep them in the background (I think Rowling is a master at this).
  
  The long wait time until next books is something that does scare me off, because I don’t remember books that I have read years ago all that well. And having to reread all of them before the next one comes out… *shivers*
  
  I’m glad you could appreciate my review even though we don’t share an opinion on Game of Thrones. I will continue the series, so we’ll see how that goes. Thank you for leaving an insightful comment!
Pragya

Uh oh. 400 pages! And I’m still on page 20. I started this book way back in early January. *sigh* You’re correct about the not pulling in first few pages. I haven’t seen the show and don’t want to before reading. I hope I can get through. Bravo to you, Celine.
- http://www.nyxbookreviews.com/ Celine
  
  If I can do it, so can you! It helped that my boyfriend kept bugging me to continue reading so we could watch the series. The best of luck trying to finish it, Pragya