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)

watch the show on hbo

watch the show on HBO, also book follows. movie story line realy well awesome book

fantastic...only one issue

Roy Dotrice is a great VO for this, only thing that gets to me are some of the voices he gives people. A minor thing but i dont think all of the voices (Tywin) are correct

Great book, annoying narration.

I love the book and listened to it at work and enjoyed it but, Roy Dotrice's narration while not bad waa annoying and slow. I figured out how to speed up and that helped a bit but, it would have been better if it were someone else telling the story of such a grand series.

Great writing! very much like medieval Europe

The Narration is well done with a British speaker. I like hiw he says, "beautiful" butdon't like the voice the narrator gave Tyrion.

The Major Cliffhanger

I liked the narrator's voice and tone. The story ended abruptly. A great read though.

Great Starter to the Series

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

Only if I wanted to look back at how certain things happened, this first book was very depressing but it did a good job in setting up the series.

What does Roy Dotrice bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Dotrice did an amazing job in finding different voices for each character and giving a personality to each one, so even if the voices are similar in a couple characters you can tell which one it is by there pronunciation. For example Arya and Sansa who are sisters have the same accent and similar voices since Sansa is more reserved and lady like Dotrice reads Arya's voice different since she is more into being with the boys and riding horses and it shows in the way he reads. He definitely added to the experience of this book for me.

HISTORY LOVERS, DON'T MISS THIS ONE.

What did you love best about A Game of Thrones?

HISTORICAL SETTINGS

What other book might you compare A Game of Thrones to and why?

ROBIN HOOD, BUT BETTER. BOOK REALLY GIVES GREAT DETAILS OF THE TIME.

What about Roy Dotrice’s performance did you like?

SEEMS TO HAVE RIGHT VOICE FOR ALL PARTS.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

BE IN THE MIDST OF THE FIGHTING...WITHOUT THE DANGER.

Any additional comments?

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET THE OTHER BOOKS OF THE SERIES.

Loved it!

The narrator was great. He brought each character to life. It was definitely a book worth listening to.

Show watcher turned book listener

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

I love Game of Thrones on HBO and have been tempted for years to pick up the books. But I get terribly distracted reading books of any length, and novels these long would have taken me years. I wasn't sure if I could get into the novel using audio books. Now I'm hooked! I find it very easy to listen to while I drive or workout, hell even cutting the grass. I began by imagining the characters as I saw them on TV, but now they've come to life differently based on how the narrator uses different voices and how Martin describes them. I'm very happy to have taken a listen and now I can be on of those book snobs that says, "Well they did such and such in the books and changed it on TV." If you love the series, or are interested to see what the fuss is about you must listen/read these books.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Game of Thrones?

As soon as Bran is thrown from the window if feels just like what I expected from the TV. But the way Martin describes Bran freely running and his adventures previously on rooftops gives his fall more weight, and I felt even worse for the boy knowing how much climbing was part of his life.

Have you listened to any of Roy Dotrice’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No I haven't. His voices took a little to get used to, but once I was sucked into the story I liked the way he narrated the books.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

You win or you die

sucks you in

What did you love best about A Game of Thrones?

The depth of character development without overdoing it.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Stark. The lone man lving by no honor but his own that always seems to lead him the right way. He is the real hero in the storm of the game of thrones.

What about Roy Dotrice’s performance did you like?

The lives he gave to each individual character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Honor, intrigue, and blood

Any additional comments?

Love this. It haunts my days and seeps into my dreams.