A Game of Thrones Audiobook By George R. R. Martin cover art

A Game of Thrones

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1

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A Game of Thrones

By: George R. R. Martin
Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
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NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES—THE MASTERPIECE THAT BECAME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON

Here is the first book in the landmark series that has redefined imaginative fiction and become a modern masterpiece.

A GAME OF THRONES

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

A GAME OF THRONES • A CLASH OF KINGS • A STORM OF SWORDS • A FEAST FOR CROWS • A DANCE WITH DRAGONS©1996 George R.R. Martin, (P)2003 Books On Tape, Inc., published in arrangement with Random House Audio Group,a division of Random House, Inc. Action & Adventure Adventure Dragons & Mythical Creatures Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fantasy Essentials Fiction Genre Fiction Locus Award Movie, TV & Video Game Tie-Ins Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Political Royalty Science Fiction Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Mythology Scary Witty

Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

A GAME OF THRONES IS A MASTERFUL START TO AN EPIC DARK FANTASY

I wasn’t properly introduced to A Song of Ice and Fire until my freshman year in college. My roommate at the time was a bona fide superfan of the series—when I told him that I hadn’t yet given it a try, he could barely contain his excitement. A week after this discovery, I had already watched the first season of the television series and was hungry for more. Instead of binging the remaining seasons, I elected to crack open the first book in order to get the "definitive" experience. Even at the time, I could already tell that this series would leave a strong impact on me.

A Game of Thrones mostly follows House Stark, a noble family controlling the northern portion of the great kingdom of Westeros. Ned, the Lord of House Stark, is asked to join his old friend King Robert Baratheon in court as his new right-hand man. Shortly after arriving in the royal capital, Ned begins to unravel a conspiracy involving Queen Cersei Lannister and her family. Far to the North, Ned’s bastard son Jon Snow joins the Night’s Watch, a group of banished soldiers tasked with defending The Wall, a massive chunk of ice that keeps the mysterious White Walkers confined. To the East, a young girl named Daenerys Targaryen, the last of her line and heir to the previous regime, begins her bid for the throne with little more than a couple of dragon eggs.

While this series becomes increasingly complex book to book, the first entry is delightfully streamlined. Rather than introducing a million characters and locations, A Game of Thrones focuses on the three major families in the series, devoting a lot of time to fleshing out the main cast. On my first read, I was struck by the subversive nature of Thrones. Despite its setting, this is not a triumphant tale of knights and dragons. Rather, George R.R. Martin has created a world of betrayals and backstabs, one that values information and subterfuge far more than swords and shining armor. Veteran voice actor Roy Dotrice brings his highly adaptable voice to the audiobook, giving even more color to Martin's writing.

Continue reading Seth's review >

Critic reviews

“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers.”—Robert Jordan

“Reminiscent of T. H. White’s The Once and Future King, this novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“A vast, rich saga, with splendid characters and an intricate plot flawlessly articulated against a backdrop of real depth and texture.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Martin makes a triumphant return to high fantasy . . . [with] superbly developed characters, accomplished prose, and sheer bloodymindedness.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A splendid saga . . . . Inventive and intricately plotted.”—BookPage

“Such a splendid tale and such a fantasticorical! I read my eyes out and couldn't stop ‘til I finished and it was dawn.”—Anne McCaffrey

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I read a lot of fantasy and sci-fi, and I can promise you that this series of books is among the best.

This tale takes place in a land known as the "Seven Kingdoms." However, these kingdoms are actually ruled by a single King with various Lords under him. The history of these kingdoms is expertly blended into the plot, so that you effortlessly become emersed into the world. I can't overstate the skill with which the author draws the reader into his world. It feels as if this land, with its people, traditions and history is as real as our own.

Magic does exist in this world, but it is rare. It is used to color the plot, not to dominate it. There are hints of other races, but varieties of humans are all we encounter. There is some profanity, but it's fairly rare and in context. There is some sexual content. I wouldn't recommend this book for children.

Large sections of the plot revolve around the "palace intrigue" of the King, his family and the Lords. This is a book about the nobles of this realm and, as the title suggests, the high stake games they play for power. The characters in the book are deep, colorful and simply splendid. Their lives have a depth to them that few authors accomplish. I confess that, when not reading the book, I actually thought about them during the day and laid awake wondering about them at night. In the audio version, the narrator does a wonderful job of giving voice to these vivid characters.

The plot has numerous twists and turns. Sometimes I think the author intentionally speculates about what the reader would expect in the plot of a fantasy novel, and then does something completely different. I gave up trying to predict what would happen, and decided to just enjoy the ride. However, there is an overall "master" plot that is slowly unveiled in this and subsequent books.

If you enjoy fantasy, this is a must read. Even if you usually don't like fantasy, you may very enjoy this one.

A fantastic tale!

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Very much enjoying the whole story. Even tho i have seen GoT on HBO its more interesting to hear the whole story.

Would you be willing to try another one of Roy Dotrice’s performances?

Probably not. Roy is a good narrator to some extent but he is no Jim Dale. His character voices all sound like 3 Pack a day Camel Unfiltered smokers.

Everybody is apparently a chain smoking old man.

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I had to cut this book short some months ago when listening with my 12 year old. The sex scenes (including multiple war-related rapes and a long-standing affair between a twin brother and sister) are way too explicit for a child, in my opinion. Having run out of audiobooks, though, I decided to give this one a try again and really enjoyed it. It's long, and stops just as things are really building up, so be warned. Still, it's a very compelling book with a myriad of well-developed characters that make it hard to hit the "stop" button.

Excellent book; not suitable for children

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Listening to audiobook and can't easily pull myself away. The narrator enhances the story. He is fantastic - it's amazing how he brings out the emotions, the snideness and innocence, etc. of characters through his tone and accents. He is a true actor. The author is a gifted storyteller. Unless someone tells me otherwise, I believe this story contains kernels of historical reality - familial love and hatred and hidden loyalties that underlie the winning and losing of royal and lordly power in previous ages. I feel that I'm looking through a window into the past that is more magical and interesting than any other.

Great Storytelling

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Dear George R.R. Martin,

Your Song of Ice and Fire books have stolen just about every waking hour of mine for the last month. I started with the first book - A Game of Thrones - and didn't stop until I had listened to the entirety of A Dance With Dragons. I am equal parts thrilled to have my life back and heart-broken that it's going to be years before I know how this story ends! Also, Roy Dotrice is an awesome narrator and really brings your characters to life. XOXO!!

Ridiculously awesome

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If you imagine a hybrid of Tolkienesque fantasy mixed with the political intrigues of England's War of the Roses then you should have a pretty fair idea of what you are in for with this novel. Martin has taken the historical clash between York and Lancashire as a framework to produce a magnificent fantasy epic. I found the reader to be excellent but this may be because I had already read the book in paperback before and thus knew what names were being said. If you are able to follow readings of other epic sci-fi or fantasy novels with complex structure and unusual names (e.g. Dune, LOTR, etc.) then you should enjoy this novel.

Great epic fantasy with a historical twist

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Yes, I listened/read the book before watching the series, but wasn't too horribly impressed. There is a lot better books in the fantasy genre, despite this, it's still good. Was very unimpressed with the narration, just sounds like a rambling british man from somewhere in a London slum. He was hard to understand at times, and very sloppy. Sometimes, though, admittedly, it did add to the darkness of the book.

As for the story, it was a little boring throughout the entire book. I feel a lot of it could have been cut out. Some of the character development was great (esp Tyrion and Arya), but a lot of it lacked as well.

Decent book, but would rather watch the series.

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I was looking for a new series and a long one at that. I like fantasy-type books well enough, but only high-quality ones... there are endless mediocre books and series to be sure. This series was just what I was looking for though!

It starts out quite slowly; as other reviews mentioned, there is a tremendous host of characters and there are so many simultaneous plots going on! It took me a good 3-4 hours to warm up to the narrator and familiarize myself with the characters and what was going on.

It is definitely worth it though. By the time the momentum finally builds up, you're hooked for the duration. And what a duration! I listened to this for weeks and finally finished it up on a return 20-hour road trip. I can't wait for the next installment.

Great writing, great plot, very good narrator. I wish there was more variation in the voices, but honestly with so many characters I can't fault the narrator for running out of accents and voices. The many varied voices he *does* do are superb and he's dead-on emoting a vast array of character types, moods & emotions. The only way they could have possibly handled it better would be to have another narrator or two just for side characters and/or females or something.

This one will keep you entertained and riveted for quite a long time; and this is just book 1!

I highly recommend it.

Epic and compelling, once you get into it!

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This is a very graphic and intricate story line -very long, but worth the investment. As a warning there is more more sexual inuendo than in most stories.

A Game of Thrones

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Just wow. Yes, there are lots of characters and yes if you don't pay attention for even a minute you may get lost but what a great tail. It took me a few minutes to get used to the narration but I think that is true anytime you listen to a new story with an unfamilar narrator. The story is full of detail and the author has created a complex and vivid world to unfold his story in. It is certainly a fantasy story, there are undead warriors and dragons but don't expect it every other page. The main story revolves around several powerful families ultimately struggling for control of the throne. If you like character developement and deep complex plots that weave together then you definately want to give this one a try.

Great Story, can't wait for more!

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