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)

fantastic

Where does A Game of Thrones rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The man reading this audiobook, can't remember his name off the top of my head, but he dos an excellent job conveying the emotion of the dialogue, really getting into character.

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

Tyrion, definitely Tyrion. Roy Dotrice executed the constant sarcasm and humor of Tyrion's dialogue, both internal and external, perfectly. He was also able to dig into the sadness that is a result of Tyrion's growth defect and his father's lack of belief.

Amazing

Roy Dotrice is an great narrator. The story is great and well told. Sooooo many characters! !

Great narration

The narrator does a good job of changing his voice for different character.

The story seems to drag on at parts, but it is providing details that will be important in later books.

Pleasent Suprise

As a fan of Sean Bean, I got caught up in the HBO promos for this series. Knowing nothing of the genesis of the story. I understood it had something to do with a board game and was prepared to be disappointed. I was very surprised to be gobbled up whole by the characters and plots. Roy Dotrice as narrator is an excellent choice, setting the perfect tone and tempo for this novel. I try to limit my epic fantasy intake but this award winning story is worth every minute. I just hope the other books in the series doesn't start to ramble for word count like other books in this genre.

What a creative genius

I started as a fan of the HBO series and decided I should start exploring the books. While I believed the show was incredibly detailed, the books have shown me otherwise. Phenomenal book and amazing lore and back stories you can't get from the show.

Good book, bland reader

What did you love best about A Game of Thrones?

A fantasy that's, odd as this sounds, realistic. Magic exists, but it's more a backdrop to the story than critical to it.

What did you like best about this story?

The depth and descriptiveness

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Roy Dotrice?

Nic Podell or Marc Thompson

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

No; it's a bit dense for that, I think.

Any additional comments?

Roy has a great oratory voice, but lacks the vocal range and expressiveness to clearly indicate which character is being read. This makes the book less comprehensible as I spent a lot of time trying to determine which character was saying what. As well, he interjects random pauses, I assume at the end of lines in his reading script.

Wow

I'm hooked already bought the next book. if I'd had the time I would have listened without stopping.

Second time through, better than the first.

Sometimes it takes a bit to build the characters and especially as many as there are in this book. After listening to the entire series I now KNOW the characters and it made the second time easier to follow.

brilliant

it's as good as people say. loved it. you will get angry, sad, and happy throughout.

Great storytelling

i really enjoyed listening to this book. the story was well crafted, but the narrator was superb.