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

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)

Great Story, Horrible Narrator

Would you listen to A Game of Thrones again? Why?

No

What didn’t you like about Roy Dotrice’s performance?

His voices are mostly distracting and do a disservice to the text and characters. His inconsistent pronunciations of names and places is very confusing and infuriating, "who the hell looks at Petyr and thinks Pe-TIRE, wtf?" He managed to pronouce Catelyn three differnt ways in the course of four pages.
His voices for characters were what stopped me from finishing the book. They are grating, distasteful, thoughtless and inconsistent.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no

loved story, hated narration

Loved story, own a book already.
but really irritating narration.
some of them are hard to listen especially night watch part..hated it

Outstanding

Only Suggestion: repeat last sentence after reader takes break. As is, choppy & words lost.

Great!

Enjoyed the story immensely and though the read was monotone at first, he begins to grow on you with character voices.

If you like the HBO series, you'll love this

I got into Game of Thrones through HBO, like so many. But when I got to the end of season 5 I craved more. I don't have the time to read the books, but I do have a lot of windshield time in my car. So I figured I'd put it to use and listen to the books.

I can honestly say that once I started listening to this performance, I rarely stopped unless I was sleeping or with company. I listened while I drove. I listened while I did chores. I listened while I drifted off to sleep, making use of Audible's excellent sleep timer. It's not just Georege RR Martin's excellent writing that made this such a compelling listen. It's also the stellar performance given by Roy Dotrice as he gives life and personality to the characters on the page.

I got my audible account and subscription purely so I could listen to A Song of Ice and Fire. And it's a decision I don't regret in the slightest.

Absolutely One of the Best Books I Have Ever Read!

One of the greatest and most entriguing books of fiction ever written in recent years..

Well Done!!

When I started this series I wasn't sure if it would be for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. Never being interested in fantasy before, I decided to give it a try. I found the story to be well written and very captivating, but the best part of this audio-book has to be the narration. Roy Dotrice had to be the best choice for this task. His multitude of voices and story telling rhythm brings this story to life. I am halfway through the second book and am looking forward to the whole series.

Great for fans of the show

I tried to get into the aeries years ago but found it difficult to keep track of all the characters, however after watching the series this was like an in detailed accounting of everything that went on. Great performance and totally engrossing.

In love!

I’ve found my new addiction! I can’t wait to listen to and read the rest of the books in this series!

Excellent

Excellent. I couldn't put it down. The narrator's different voices made the story so intriguing.