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)

Excellent

This is truly a story for the ages. Excellent book and well written use of vocabulary.

First audible

This was my first audible book. The way the author sets every chapter to one of the characters helped for me to follow the storyline. Roy Dotrice did an excellent job with the naration.

wonderful

Enjoyed completely. I can't wait to hear the rest of the story. love the details.

Brilliant!

This title was masterfully read. I enjoyed the different voices, intonation, emotions were all portrayed extremely well. I will be looking for the rest of the series now.

Engaging, masterful performance

Roy Dotrice has a gift for storytelling and reads with such clarity and depth, and brings life to the characters he is narrating. Probably the best audiobook I've read. Highly highly recommend.

definatly worth it

this book is worth it, very long and full of every detail the tv series lacks

Love it!

This book is obviously amazing. I listened to this after watching the shows and the two are actually very similar (for the first book....they're doing some weird stuff on the show now). because I watched the show first I have an image of what the characters look like and the only reason I gave the performance a 4 star review is because some of the voices he takes on for different characters are odd to me. like...tywinn sounded old fat and Irish lol but that's being really picky. it's very easy to listen too and keeps you engaged throughout.

Great book

Great story. The voice actor keeps calling Joffery, Jeffrey. It's a bit annoying, but doesn't deter from the story that much.

Why do 3/4 of the men sound like pirates?

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

The narrative of the book itself and the voices used for some of the characters, e.g., Tyrion.

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

Lord of the Rings if it was filled with relentless violence toward and disrespect for women, along with a lot of very ignorant people.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

It is admirable that he attempted so many voices but in the end many of the men end up sounding like pirates. Arg! Multiple male and female readers should have been used for variety.

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

Occasional laugh, never a cry, quite a few cringes.

Any additional comments?

I put off reading this for a very long time but I eventually felt I was missing out on an important part of modern culture. I'm glad I am well into the books. Note that the books are canonical and the HBO series often deviates SIGNIFICANTLY from the original text.

First Rate Tale!

I had my doubts about the book when I first started, but found that the narrator quickly drew me into the story, do that by the end, I had a hard time turning the car off to go to work. I can't say enough good things about the book...excellent story, very well told. Time spent listening to it is time well spent!