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)

From book to Audiobook

The narrator pronounced names wrong at times, but overall I enjoyed his pacing and narration. I read this series when I was in high school and now, 5 years later I wanted to reread it but dont have time like i used to so I decided to try listening to the audiobooks. So far I am not disappointed with my experience, although it is different to listen to a story versus reading it. You just have to get used to it.

loved it

Loved it. took me a while to jump on the GoT wagon, but very enjoyable.

loved it

I finally gave in and I'm glad I did. This was amazing. the narrator did a wonderful job. He made the characters come alive.

Great story, loved the narration.

What made the experience of listening to A Game of Thrones the most enjoyable?

Roy Dotrice really gets into the story, changing his voices for characters, changing inflections based on the events (i.e. faster during action sequences, louder/softer when necessary, etc.). Makes it really easy to "forget" that you're listening to a narration.

Excelent Book!

What did you love best about A Game of Thrones?

The best thing about GOT is that you never know what will happen next. its not cliche or predictable.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is told from different characters point of views, and its incredible to watch these characters that you know so personally interact with each other in this much depth

Which character – as performed by Roy Dotrice – was your favorite?

Tyrion Lannister is my favorite, easy. His cunning and schemes are amazing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found myself literally laughing out loud while listening.

Any additional comments?

GOT is an incredible book to get lost in. there is so much going on, it always keeps you interested.

Great Start to an epic series

I really enjoyed this first installment of the series. The narrator did a great job with all of the different characters. I do have to say, as a person who watched the show first, I'm impressed at how little was left out in the screen adaptation. The book still offered some viewpoints lost in the show and I'm glad I took the time on this listen.

absolutely loved it. !

One of my favorite stories of all time. It's well written with so many interesting and complex characters. I look forward to the other books in the series! I would have like a better effort at voice performance though, as all the characters sounded pretty much the same.

Fantastic and superbly narrated

It was wonderful to listen to, and voices Roy made for the characters were splendid!

Well done

Like the series ? You will love the book.
I promise you will enjoy all 33 hours

I'll be reading the next book instead of listening

I have just finished this first book in the Game of Thrones and I will say sadly, that I will be reading the second one instead of listening. I normally love readers who act as much as Roy Dotrice, but I think I would enjoy some of the characters better in my own mind, then the way he portrayed them. There were times that I was actually taken from the story and thought, “That is a terrible way to depict that line…” He is a very exciting reader whose voice and acting is GREAT for some of the characters, and TERRIBLE for others, which for me equals a fail. I am giving four stars because this is a FIVE STAR STORY, with a reading that subtracted from the experience instead of adding.