Winter is Coming
I started on this series years ago, but never ever got half way through the book because I got distracted by other books. I finally did it though, even though by the time I was 2/3rds through I was bored as hack by the book.
Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Rating:
Title & Author: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Release Date: August 6 1996
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Synopsis
Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.
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 a dead enemy 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, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.
I give A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin three out of five stars, I was bored because it was such a long book and it did not keep me hocked at all. I did like the end very much.
The book was so long, I have hard time remembering all the things I wanted to say about the book. I was, years ago, hyped to go and read such a big book. But kept getting snagged by other books mid way through this one. Which might already have been a sign. This time I did stay focused though and got through it.
There are so many characters, so I am not going to talk about them all.
Arya Stark growns up during this first book. I enjoyed reading about her very much. She is willing to do whatever she needs to to survive. Her dad grows into understanding her a bit better and gets her a ‘dancing teacher’ to guide her into learning how to defend herself. She is wise for her age and very witty.
Sansa Stark has become one of my favourite characters, I think. I found she was snobby, privileged and to much into getting married to the prince. But she grows into this fine young woman which knows she has to do everything she can to survive.
Tyrion Lannister is also interesting, because he feels he is only half a man (most people also see him that way), but he still is a person of high rank. He does not feel he is privileged and that makes it interesting. I am very curious how his character develops over the series.
Daenerys Targaryen is an interesting girl. In the beginning she is being held back by her brother, he marries her off so he can get his kingdom back and later she finds her own power through Drogo and her handmaids. And as her brother Viserys falls away, she grows into a great woman. Even growing above herself to know she did not want her Khal to suffer and kills him. I am curious of the image the tv series displays is the same one as in the books.
I am certainly going to read the other books in the series too, but it will just take me a while before I am going to be done with the series. For now I will move on to other reads and when I have the time I will read A Clash of Kings. To me the series will be worth reading, I am just going to have to push through the moments that are boring or very long.
The TV-series
I really liked the tv-series when it came out. I did understand why they named it Game of Thrones, but it also made me hesitant to watch it.
The series has amazing actors, from Peter Dinklage to Emilia Clark and newcomers like Kit Harrington, Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. I enjoyed the first few season a lot, but lost interest over time. I am not watching it since season 5 anymore and I am hoping I can go back to watching it, but right now I am way to busy to spend time on it.
The locations are amazing, most aren’t even CGI, but real. I loved it.
Let me know what you thought of this book and/or tv-series!
If you have any requests for which book I should talk about next, please let me know in the comments down below.
For now, let books enrich your life!