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 book. Horrible narration.

Roy Dotrice is awful. The book was excellent but it was hard getting through it with Mr. Dotrice reading it. He’s my only dislike.

Long epic, but a good read

I have wanted to read this book/series for a while. I don't get HBO, so know nothing about it other than the buzz surrounding that TV series. I had some credits at a used bookstore that I needed to use up, and saw this at a reasonable price.

Once I started to read it, it was apparent that I would not finish it quickly (without losing sleep). I used a credit on Audible to pick up the audio book and do my own manual "whispersync" as I went back and forth between the print and audio versions. Each has its own allure for me, but the narration adds quite a bit to the experience. Someday I might even see the HBO production.

As for the story and plot, it is a space opera set in Arthurian times. I read somewhere that it was "Lord of the Rings meets The Sopranos". This is an apt description. It is a long story, and it doesn't seem to have a real ending. The characters, many as there are, are deep enough to care about (or hate), and the descriptions are not short. There are some sections where you want to skip over the tedium, but are afraid you will miss something important to the plot. I was never so bored as to wanting to stop, but it did feel tiresome at times (but then so did LOTR).

I am now invested enough that I have picked up the next book (also at a bargain price) and downloaded the audio. I don't know how many I will read before wanting a break from the storyline, but I am enjoying it nonetheless, especially with the excellent narration.

could not stop listening.

loved it!! I can't wait to hear the next book. I can see it is so popular!

Detailed multi-threaded tale.

Any additional comments?

I can understand why this would be made into a series...there is to much story for a movie. Quite a long read with multiple story lines. And after 34 hours of audio you are left with a cliffhanger. The intricate stories are intertwined for the most part but the biggest cliffhanger is from a fairly independent storyline.

The narration its top rate on the audible version which is a good thing considering the length.

Wow. Just wow!

this was absolutely captivating. it got me on edge for weeks. this is the first book I read after watching the movie or television series and it was mind-blowing.

Amazing!

Well written and very well read. Truly impressive! Could not stop listening as I was captivated.

Stop hating on the narrator

If you guys expect him to have a different voice range for every character then you need to pay every actor on the show adaptation to narrate it. The story is addictive and I enjoyed the narrator's voice. The only thing I had a hard time keeping up with was the change of point of view sometimes, and the characters that share the same names threw me off a little.

loved the book

I loved the book although found it hard to understand when the narrator was speaking at times. the accent combined with the old lady voice was just too much. otherwise it was great

Favorite book series

The narrator does a wonderful job bringing George RR Martin's words to life. This audiobook makes car rides an adventure to look forward to... Sounds corny but it's true m.

Amazing

No matter how many time I read or listen to this book it never gets old. GRRM writes with so much detail that I always find something that I’ve missed the last time.