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)

So worth time, money

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

Violent, twisty, realistic

What did you like best about this story?

The setting and the true to life themes - it's not just a typical fantasy fairy tale; bad things happen too.

Have you listened to any of Roy Dotrice’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not, but this is great.

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

Whenever major characters die, it's definitely disappointing.

Any additional comments?

I love this book - 33 hours seems like nothing for this story.

The narration wasn't for me. Loved the story.

Is there a version with a different narrator? This is such a great story. I enjoyed it.

Great story, terrible narrator!

I love this story but the narrator's terrible reading made it so annoying I almost quit listening. A good reading needs more than just the ability to perform multible voices. I will read the rest of the series.

Great Story

Most will already know the story, either from watching the show or word of mouth. But what really makes the book (which came first for those of you who are curious), is the level of detail and more intricate character development. You learn a lot more about the motivations for character actions and their inner turmoils.

The only frustrating thing about the audio book version is pronunciations; I read this in paperback form originally and then watched the show before listening to the audio and all three have different pronunciations for names. The narrator does an ok job distinguishing male and female voices but there are a few duplicate voices which makes it difficult to tell who is talking some times (I do applaud the narrator for trying though: there are quite a few voices).

Ultimately, I recommend this audio book! You’ll enjoy the story and the characters.

All-around Excellent

After watching the series on HBO, I was unsure if I would enjoy listening to the book since the show was so fantastic.

I’m glad I decided to give the audiobook a try - I loved it!!

The narrator, in my opinion, is perfect.

Incredible

Just an incredible book series and world and deep characters and character development. Absolutely love this series.

Excellent performance by the narrator!!

Great story, but that was expected. Pleasantly surprised that this book was also exceptionally narrated!

The voices are absolutely terrible

The header says it all. He read it well as a narrator, but putting his own interpretations on characters voices sounds horrible. Varys in particular

Remarkable

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

Classic Epic Story

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tyrion Lanister. He is intelligent and sly.

What about Roy Dotrice’s performance did you like?

Amazing!

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Its not always good to be King!

Any additional comments?

I really like this book. It is a little slow to get started. I think that is because they are setting the stage for the inclusions of a ton of characters. Probably most like the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series in style.

Great one

I can not wait to see how the show fills in all the visuals together. The reader in this book is amazing. He created such vivid descriptions with all the different voices.