• 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
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (144,329 ratings)

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A Game of Thrones  By  cover art

A Game of Thrones

By: George R.R. Martin
Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

A GAME OF THRONES IS A MASTERFUL START TO AN EPIC DARK FANTASY

I wasn’t properly introduced to A Song of Ice and Fire until my freshman year in college. My roommate at the time was a bona fide superfan of the series—when I told him that I hadn’t yet given it a try, he could barely contain his excitement. A week after this discovery, I had already watched the first season of the television series and was hungry for more. Instead of binging the remaining seasons, I elected to crack open the first book in order to get the "definitive" experience. Even at the time, I could already tell that this series would leave a strong impact on me.

A Game of Thrones mostly follows House Stark, a noble family controlling the northern portion of the great kingdom of Westeros. Ned, the Lord of House Stark, is asked to join his old friend King Robert Baratheon in court as his new right-hand man. Shortly after arriving in the royal capital, Ned begins to unravel a conspiracy involving Queen Cersei Lannister and her family. Far to the North, Ned’s bastard son Jon Snow joins the Night’s Watch, a group of banished soldiers tasked with defending The Wall, a massive chunk of ice that keeps the mysterious White Walkers confined. To the East, a young girl named Daenerys Targaryen, the last of her line and heir to the previous regime, begins her bid for the throne with little more than a couple of dragon eggs.

While this series becomes increasingly complex book to book, the first entry is delightfully streamlined. Rather than introducing a million characters and locations, A Game of Thrones focuses on the three major families in the series, devoting a lot of time to fleshing out the main cast. On my first read, I was struck by the subversive nature of Thrones. Despite its setting, this is not a triumphant tale of knights and dragons. Rather, George R.R. Martin has created a world of betrayals and backstabs, one that values information and subterfuge far more than swords and shining armor. Veteran voice actor Roy Dotrice brings his highly adaptable voice to the audiobook, giving even more color to Martin's writing.

Continue reading Seth's review >

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)

Featured Article: Everything You Need to Know Before You Watch House of the Dragon


Game of Thrones fans everywhere are eagerly awaited the release of House of the Dragon, the prequel series bringing viewers back to the epic fantasy world introduced in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. HBO's new show is based on Martin's Fire & Blood, a sweeping novel set 300 years before the first book in the saga. You can jump into Fire & Blood and enjoy this fantasy series without any prior knowledge of the books or television series.

What listeners say about A Game of Thrones

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Awesome

I loved this book I couldn't stop listening. I really felt like I was there.

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Great book

Loved it. Read it many years ago and enjoyed it twice as much this time around.

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Outstanding!

I have not yet viewed any of the HBO series based on this saga, and am not sure that I need to, now. The language is what I would miss the most, and I feel sure the characterizations would lose something by jumping the mediums of expression. I know that fans of the video series will probably find fault in my statement, and I look forward to finishing the audio series so I can watch the program. I have a number of friends who are addicted.

The narrator is excellent in his use of dialect and voice for breathing life into the characters. This is well worth the hours of listening required.

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Enthralling!

I loved this book. I will download the next in the series! Wonderful story telling.

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First time listening to a book

narrator was excellent,storyline fantastic,most memorable moment was the final chapter.I would highly recommend it to everyone.

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Pretty good but no light sabers

Whosh woo zoom zing. But seriously well written and is an excellently mental painting of grrm vision.

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Great books, middling preformance

If you could sum up A Game of Thrones in three words, what would they be?

All men must die

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

Roy Dotrice consistently mispronounces names. For instance, most the time he will say Bran, but every once in a while it becomes Brian. Same thing with Joffery and Jeffery. The accents for the characters are limited, and not consistent from book to book. I do like his voice for purely narrating the story though.

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

There are a lot of parts in the book and overall series that are moving, but most of those are spoilers

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Excellent

Starts kind of slow, but once it got rolling I couldn't soak it up fast enough.
I would certainly recommend it.

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Outstanding performance

Roy Dotrice's performance outshines any I've ever heard! I didn't want to stop listening !!!

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This is not my favorite narrator...

Love this series, but the narrator can't seem to pronounce anything consistently: Winterfell/Winterfall, Jeffery/Geoffrey, Petar/Peter to name a few. Pick a pronunciation and stick with it.

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