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)

Just amazing

I rarely consider 2 credit audiobooks but I saw the promo for the HBO series and was curious. After reading the reviews here I knew I would either love it or hate it. Well, love it is. After several restarts at the beginning (to keep the many characters straight) I was hooked. There are several threads working that could all be interesing by themselves, but taken as a whole they are impossible to put down.

I not only plan to listen to the rest of the series, I will also buy and read the books. BTW, if you get the Kindle sample for the book there are maps of the North and the South to help with the geography.

Great book

Pleased to discover the HBO series closely follows the books after reading this and am anxious to get the other books.

Excellent book

I love this book. It's very well written, very deep, and very involving. Just the way that it's written draws you into the world, and the story and characters keep you there. George R. R. Martin is a master of giving huge amounts of back story and exposition without feeling like he's infodumping it all on you.

At first I was a bit annoyed by the narration, as Roy Dotrice is rather inconsistent in his pronunciations, and in keeping his character voices and accents straight, but he did grow on me after a while. And, well, the cast is so incredibly huge, that it's easy to see how anyone would be a little inconsistent keeping them all straight.

Awesome and easier to follow than the TV show

The TV show is AWESOME... and this book is expectedly EVEN BETTER. I have a hard time figuring out what the characters on the show say sometimes.... but this narrator was excellent. I was able to follow him with no issues. Now I want to watch the show again, because it'll likely make more sense and be even more AWESOME. The book includes some things that were not on the show. Definitely recommend this read!

Coming over from the TV show? Great choice!

The short version is: it’s amazing!

I guess most of you reading this at this point have watched the TV show and are thinking about reading the books. There are some things that work really well on TV and some that don’t.

The key word is MORE, the books give the story a lot more depth and width. Personally I would recommend reading it now, before it is completed or the TV show gives away the ending because I find that trying to puzzle out what comes next is half the joy of reading these books.

I have read the five books twice, and was surprised to find that I enjoyed it just as much if not more the second time thanks to the attention that GRRM has paid to detail. Part of the depth comes from that the characters are “real”: no one is perfect, and good or bad is all about your perspective. I believe this is a classic in the making; if you have enjoyed a fantasy book before there should be no doubt that this is well worth your time.

Excellent. Hooked from the beginning.

Excellent writing, character development, and story. The language and graphic situations are shocking, and Martin does not hold back, which took some getting used to. The the thing that strikes me about Martin's writing is the fact that it doesn't matter how much you love a character, whom you may count among the "main" characters, they are not safe from being taken from his (Martin's) twisted world. I won't spoil the story, but I kept thinking, "How can he kill this person off?" The good guys don't always win; the bad guys don't always lose...but occasionally things might work out. Warning: Prepare to commit to the series. I'm in for the duration.

Well read

The overall reading was good. I disagree with some of his voices of characters. He makes them too "nazzely" like they are all weasels. Sometimes he cuts out of character and back into it in the same chapter.
But overall good

Better than the HBO show

Great for long trips and exercise as it is so engrossing. The only issue I have is distinguishing all the characters by the change in voice

So Good that I'm Shocked!!!

I don't know what it is about this book. It is a little hard to understand what's going on in the begining. Like all fantasy, it's a little confusing if you don't know the lay of the land or have a map handy. I thought it took through the whole first part to really get going, but once it does, you just can't stop! Sometimes the story seems to move slow, but it's really not. It's very hard to explain. At first, I thought this was going to be just a rehash of Lord of the Rings... It sort of starts out that way with the token cookie cutter characters, but they are soooo human. Everyone is not what they seem. This really is a book and a world about men and the weakness of men. The women in this book are incredibly strong people able to take care of themselves and are natural born leaders. I like that this book has sex in it. Literature is supposed to be about the human condition and sex is part of that. Something about the way men write the act that is raw yet sensual. Martin captures the mindset, the culture, the erotisism of barbarianism in a believable way. The Drogo, Dani story line is wonderful, slowly evolving. Every one is flawed, all have strengths and weaknesses, there's not good guys and no bad guys, everything seems to float somewhere in that gray murky area. All have a legitimate claim to the iron throne.

Terrific!

I loved it! Dramatic, intriguing, captivating. Deep backgrounds, rich characters, beautiful descriptions all converge for a very satisfying experience.