A Game of Thrones

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

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)

Avoid the narration and read the book

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

Listening to this book was difficult. I tried on many occasions to get in to it, but the narrator grated on me so much that I kept putting it down. I thought I must hate the story and the characters, but when someone handed me the book I read and loved the story.

What didn’t you like about Roy Dotrice’s performance?

His voices were awful and never felt like they fit any of the characters. The guard sounded like a pirate, and so did the old nursemaid, etc.

Worst narrator

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

Thrilling, addictive and immersive

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Game of Thrones?

Ned Stark's end.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Roy Dotrice?

Anyone else. I absolutely hated this narrator. He didn't know how to pronounce names. In fact, he pronounces Bran as "Brian," Winterfell as "Winterfall," Catelyn is pronounced multiple ways. And his mewling voice didn't match the tone of the book at all. Hated hated hated his narration. Game of Thrones deserves so much better than this.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Night Gathers and Now My Watch Begins!

Story: the Game of Thrones books are so large and contain so much information that they may seem overwhelming. Even though there is a lot going on, it all captures your attention and imagination which makes it easy to follow and remember. This particular book does a good job unfolding the story in the seven kingdoms and introducing characters, a ton of characters. Again, it may seem like a lot, but I'm sure you'll remember everything about Ned, Robert, Cersei, Jaime, Robb, Sansa, Arya, Jon, Bran, Rickon, Catelyn, Tywin, Tyrion, Varys, Stannis, Viserys, Daenerys, Drogo, Nymeria, Lady... it keeps going.

Performance: I went with five stars because of the insane number of characters. In addition to those mentioned above there are dozens and dozens more. Roy Dotrice does a fantastic job of giving each character a voice. You may notice that some characters sound similar to one another, but it won't make things confusing and doesn't take away from the entire performance. It's pretty incredible how some voices just match perfectly with the character.

Overall: personally, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the performance. I know there are folks that may not go for this genre, but this is a book that's hard not to enjoy.

Great Epic

If you are a regular listener of long, complex audiobooks you should have no trouble with either the narrator or character names in this series. There are many, many characters with unusual and often similar names. I listen while I run so, it has my complete attention (and is a welcome distraction). It takes some getting used to, but sticjk with it. I can't imagine a more perfect narrator for this style of book. His gruff voice lends itself well to the story.

I am a big fan of long, epic fantasy fiction, and this one is very engaging. An important note to any who may have children or teens who love Lord of the Rings and other fantasy fiction, this is not PG. It is pretty explicit in language and action.

If you like this also check out the Lords of the Otori series - the best audiobooks I have ever heard.

Needs to pick up the pace

This book at first struck me as having gratuitous sex and vulgarity. And it's a lot more graphic than is necessary. And the pacing is rather slow. But, it has an intresting plot and subplots. Layers of intrigue and deception that make it rather addictive. I just wish it would hurry up a little and reduce the sex scenes. Overall, I liked it.

Marvellous.

I never picked up the books, although I don't know why now, as I was absolutely thrilled by the audio version. Roy Dotrice is a gifted narrator, with an amazing range of voices at his disposal. Game of Thrones itself is so... alive and descriptive, that combined with Dotrice's voice, I now have entirely new world in my head with lots of fully fleshed-out characters. And some dead ones, as Martin doesn't hesitate to kill off people that I'd come to like. I love his writing, he has a great vocabulary and I am seriously considering spending $38 dollars on the sequel, rather than wait another month for my second credit.

Waiting for the next book

Loved it, longed for it, was dissapointed at the end. There was no closure!! I don't want to have to wait for the next book to be published. It's just not fair!!!

Terrific narration, fast paced book

This is an amazing story that just grabs you and drags you under. Wonderfully read by the father of the actress who played Jane Banks in the movie MARY POPPINS. The characters are more like stock fantasy or science fiction characters than what I usually like but the plotting is terrific. I recommend it for the beach or a drive or a commute...or for people who like good stories. Not much to contemplate, but sometimes a good story is enough.

Absolutely Wonderful!

This first installment of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series is one of the best listens I've had the pleasure of enjoying since I started with Audible. The characters are aptly described without going into such minute detail as to become boring. The storyline is completely unpredictable and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will transpire next! I absolutely love the narrator of the story! His change of accents and tones gives the story an added flair that only enhances the experiance.
Now starting into my 3rd volume, I am saddened and dissappointed to learn Mr. Dotrice will not narrate all of the series but rest assurred the story will be worth the listen even if the narrator changes (no offense to Mr. Dotrice!)

C'mon George R.R! I'm Waiting!

It is an unpleasant shock to come to the end of the last published novel in a series when you know the author hasn't finished writing the series. What if he has a heart attack, or someone runs him over? I mean, what about ME?

While it is getting difficult for me to keep track of all these characters and I sometimes have to go online to figure out who someone is (or was), the saga continues to fascinate me. The author has no problem with killing off major characters, which kind of adds to the suspense. (Is he going to off Aria? He wouldn't DARE! Would he?)

The narrator charms me less. He has only three or four "voices," and many of his female characters whom you would expect to have more refined voices due to their noble birth and upbringing sound like Irish fishwives (or maybe Irish fishhusbands).

Drumming my fingers. Waiting for the next installment.