• A Game of Thrones

  • A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1
  • By: George R.R. Martin
  • Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
  • Length: 33 hrs and 46 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (144,006 ratings)

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A Game of Thrones  By  cover art

A Game of Thrones

By: George R.R. Martin
Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
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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 >

Publisher's summary

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 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.

©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.

Critic reviews

  • Locus Award, 1997

"Martin's trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes...He's probably going to have to add another shelf, at least." (Publishers Weekly)

"The first volume in Martin's first fantasy saga combines intrigue, action, romance, and mystery in a family saga." (Booklist)

"Grabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant." (Robert Jordan)

"This novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Featured Article: The Best Audiobook Series of All Time by Genre


What makes a good audiobook series? There are as many answers to this question as there are listeners. For some, it might be epic battles. For others, it might be ongoing romantic twists and tensions. For still others, it might be elongated character studies or an in-depth analysis of a particular time and place. But the universal element of a truly great series is that it sticks with you long after the last word. These are our favorites from every major genre.

What listeners say about A Game of Thrones

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BORING!

I purchased this while I was home sick and thought it would be a good listen. Wrong. I was so bored with this book I fell asleep listening. I tried to return it to get my credit back, but unfortunately I can't return it due to the amount of time I spent listening. Well, if you need a good sleep aid, this is the book for you. I am sorry; I am typically a fantasy fan but this one just didn't do it for me.

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Why did I worry???

Game of Thrones has been on my reading list for two years…some of the comments and admittedly the sample had me quite concerned as to whether I could weather 200 hrs or more of awful narration. I just completed book one, and I just have to shake my head…because I thought the narration was as strong as the text - fitting hand in glove. I am not sure what peoples objections are - I know that personally there are some narrators (like Dick Hill) that I cannot stand yet I there love and maybe that is it, but there seems like way more people have problems with this narration than any book I have seen.

I will also say that this book breaks another rule…read the book before you watch the movie (in this case a TV show). If it was not for me having seen the TV show, I would have spent a great deal more time re winding or discerning characters early on. Moreover, the book has caused me to have the GOT trivia of the day with my sons, because it adds such deep understanding and detail that the TV show just avoided. Imagine having a commentary parallel with the text. That is how it feels sometimes. Everything is explained, every question or curiosity answered. What are the faces, why “mole’s town,l is the tunnel under the wall really straight and wide?, who are the nasals, the first men, etc. Further the TV show is different enough that there is no boring or repetitive passages.

If I have a single disappointment, it may be the voice of Tyrion…but I also don’t think that if peter Dinklage had narrated the book that Tyrion may have been the voice reserved for his character.

Carpe Diem, don’t wait. Winter is coming and the series awaits. Will you take up the game?

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great book

loved it, the voices the narrator did were a bit weird sometimes but overall great.

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Narrator isn't suited for this series

The voices given to many leave much to be desired. There were multiple times where I felt the voices would be better suited for Harry Potter. Eddard sounds less gruff than Viserys at some points.

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game of thrones what is there to say

This started it all. A great beginning. It sucks you in. Don't fall in love with any character. You might be disappointed.

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Please remake these with a new narrator

This book series is among my favorites. But for now I have to stick to reading the actual books. I've tried over and over to listen to this series but the narration is so terrible I can only make it halfway through the first book without giving up. Please. Please re-record this series with one of the many great narrators out there.

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Hart broken

stroy awesome just wish the voices that was chosen for some of the characters where done different. But am still grateful for the narrator . thanks for all yal do.


I have to take some of that back as I listen more the better he gets. Again. thanks

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The narrator made the story come alive.

I love the story and the narrator did a fantastic job at bringing the story to life.

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Inconsistent

Great story but I had a hard time with the narrator using a different voice for the same character, over and over. Sometimes he would even pronounce the same character’s names differently. Pick a voice, pick a way to pronounce the name, and stick with it. Then again, the narrator isn’t a professional voice actor. I might be a bit too harsh.

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yes!

Awesome. All around perfect. It was told wonderfully, written wonderfully. definitely would recommend to listen! I'm off to get the rest of the books now!

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