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 narrator 9.5/10

The narrator is good. This needs to be 15 words to be posted. 14, 15.

Beware

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

This is a great story. A lot better than the HBO series. Beware you won't be able to stop after the first book.

What did you like best about this story?

I like middle ages stories.

deep characters. fabulous story.

This is a wonder story. It captures my attention easily and holds it. the narrator made some interesting choices sometimes that were cringe-worthy. but overall I enjoyed it very much.

Excellent story makes up for inconsistent reader

For the most part, the reader's performance was excellent. However, there were some voices he did that were almost unbearable to listen to, specifically those that sounded, for lack of a better word, "saliva-heavy." It was like he was kicking up spit in the corners of his mouth purposefully for these voices; the "Eunuch" being the one that occurred most often. I forced myself to listen to these voices because what they had to say was often very relevant, and (b) the rest of the story was still very, VERY good, but it definitely affected my overall enjoyment of the book as I dreaded those characters having dialogue.

The story was fantastic however, and I was absolutely riveted from start to finish. In spite of the performance, I'll definitely be purchasing the rest of the series in audiobook form (I'm a cartoonist & artist professionally, and having long audiobooks to listen to while I work is far more enjoyable for me, besides not having to squeeze in reading time elsewhere.) The reader doesn't put me off that badly; it's only small minority of characters' voices I find off-putting, and while that's enough to lower my overall rating of the audiobook it's not enough to prevent me from buying future books. It is a consideration however for those of you who are either more bothered by poor reader performances, or have the free time to read the book instead.

Amazing

The title says it all it was simply an amazing story, and I absolutely love Tyrion, Jon and Danerys Targarten.

awesome book

I love this book. listened to it in the car for work
helped me get through many hours

fantastic!

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

Fantastic content! Great twisting story of betrayal and uneasy alliances.

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

nothing is like this that I've read.

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

Hodor-- not that he is a complex character, but I chuckle nearly every time he speaks Hodor's "dialog".

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The scenes leading up to a major character not faring well... it was painful to listen to knowing where it was going (I had seen the TV show first).

rely good

aas as as as as good as all the others a master peirec georege rr martin

excellent

great story and narration. can't wait to listen to the next one in the series.

Kind of hard to get used to the voices.

Dotrice is a wonderful, lively narrator. However, having seen the first 5 seasons of the TV show before having listened to this audiobook, it was hard to get used to the voices he used for some of the characters, such as Tyrion and Varys. I've decided to read (rather than listen to) the rest of the books because of this.