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B. Wilfong

"We all do our duty when there is no cost to it."

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2017

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So I finally caved and read “A Game of Thrones”, despite the fact that I insist that I am not a fantasy guy. I will admit it. I really enjoyed this book. It kept my attention and I found myself wanting to go back and read it!
It is a big book, many people, have said many things about it. Here are some of mine:
• The characterization is really good. There are defined personalities and traits and Mr. Martin usually conveys them without a superfluous amount of words.
• The alternating points of view chapter by chapter. This device allows the reader to take in the massive scope of the story that is being told here in manageable chunks. I hope this style continues thru the series.
• The large arc of the story. Mr. Martin has created world here, with a complete and rich history.
• The novel is unapologetic. By that, I mean there is rampant sexism, violence, etc. Not pretty elements, but the author is not casting a modern eye on them apologizing for every undesirable trait. This is an ancient world, not like our own. He allows that story to happen without foisting modern sensibilities on it. I appreciate someone just telling a story and letting the actions speak for themselves. You are disgusted or titillated by what the characters are doing based on how you view the world.
That is a quick overview, but some of the highlights. I will say, the overlong descriptions of clothing and food I could do with a little less of, but it is a small quibble, and I have friends who love that aspect of the book, so there ya go.
I will be continuing this journey through the Seven Kingdoms, but I am not sure when. My “to read” pile is massive enough as it is.

Highly recommended whether you are watching the series or not. Awesomely brilliant.

Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2016

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I was sitting next to a young woman reading on a plane who was reading this. She told me that she liked it much better than the series. That it was well-written and hard to put down. She specifically mentioned that it had very little of the gratuitous sex that seems to pervade the TV show. On her recommendation, I bought the book and completely agree with everything she said.
Even though it is difficult not to imagine the faces of the actors when reading the book, it is still an awesome read. Much more detailed than the series, but also enhanced by it to a certain extent.
Brilliant writing.

Missy S.

Poor quality materials

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2019

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The story is amazing, but my 1 star is in regards to the quality of the book itself. My hands are black every time I read it, the cover does that. The letters change font sizes occasionally for no reason, the line looks squished - it’s a printing problem. There have been letters cut off or extra bold like the ink was a problem. Buy elsewhere if you want the book to last more than 1 reading.

Amazon Customer

I finally see why everybody is soooo crazy about it!

Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2019

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For years, people have rambled on and on about GAME OF THRONES, and all the while I was not interested. But after many cast interviews, and observations of the political goings-on, I thought, "Alright! ALRIGHT! Let's see how they did." But before I could watch the first few episodes of the first season, I had to read the first book. And that's exactly what I did! And you know? It was most rewarding. Personally, for me, reading about Arya Stark turned out to be more fun than watching her on the show. Same goes for Jon Snow and Lord Eddard Stark. But the one that I was really hooked on, next to Snow, was Tyrion Lannister. An educated soul among a very masculine, not-so-educated family. I really can't understand how I did not hear of A Song of Ice and Fire when it was out in the 90s. I CANNOT!! Anyway, after reading far enough into the book, I started the series. And the rest is history. It is way beyond The Wizard of Oz. No disrespect intended.

Mama With Coffee ☕️

Lame.

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2018

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If you like reading stories about rape, mean people, and awkward sex affairs (or have a raging need to like something because it's famous), you'll love this book.

As for me, I was unimpressed and quit halfway through the story.

The characters are undeveloped, and it's only by throwing in blood and plot twists that feel forced that the story moves at all.

Soooo... have at her, if that's your thing.

Seane797

This book is for anyone who loves a gripping story -- no exceptions.

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2015

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What could be said about Game of Thrones, the first of George R.R. Martin's epic series, that hasn't been said a million times? It's absolutely brilliant. Going into these books (I read them after the show began but before I'd seen the show...), I enjoyed my share of sci-fi/fantasy along the lines of Harry Potter, Buffy the Vampire Slayer... fairly light-hearted stuff (in comparison, at least) that always felt grounded in the same world I live in. The one genre I really disliked was "Middle Ages Fantasy" as I called it. Lord of the Rings, for instance, while the films were visually appealing, was not my cup of tea... too detached from reality. So when I first saw articles and clips from the HBO Game of Thrones series, I thought it looked like the one type of fantasy series that I would never enjoy. I held out for a looong time, until 3 different friends of mine with similar tastes in books/shows/films promised me that, while they too disliked this sub-genre of fantasty, this series was different, and I HAD to read the books or start the show. Grudgingly, I picked up the first book, figuring that I'd push myself half-way through it and let me friends know I tried and they were totally wrong.

Of course they weren't wrong.

What George R.R. Martin has done here defies genre, period. It doesn't matter if you're like me and don't care for this sub-genre of fantasy... it doesn't matter if your like my spouse, and don't like fantasy at all. If you enjoy brilliant, incredibly-developed, thought-provoking stories... those with a strongly developed cast of characters who blissfully lack being "good vs. evil" and instead all display their shades of grey, good traits, evil traits, unique traits, all sorts of traits... then this book is for you. Buy it. Open it up. Start reading. You won't regret it.

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Kindle Customer

It was a love hate relationship to be honest.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2018

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Don't get me wrong. I love the series, I really do and there is no doubt that George R.R. Martin is a great mind and writer, but my feelings on this book are mixed. I wanted to love it, I really really did, (i didn't hate it, just found it...dragging) but I'm going to break down what I thought in parts.
For me there wasn't much character development at all. I get there's A LOT of characters, but if I hadn't seen the series, then I would feel literally nothing for these people. Same goes for description of characters. There was too many names and important people to keep track off. I didn't feel any emotion from the characters. Especially when Drogo and Ned died. It was just like... Okay it's over now. Next chapter bye. There were times where I couldn't wait to read it, and times where I wasn't 100 percent sure I was going to finish it.
I made a promise to myself that if I was to write a book review id be honest. But I'm not denouncing this series. I'm actually going on to read the second book in the hopes that I do find I love it and hope that fans of the show (and people looking for an interesting read set in an incredible world) pick this up and give it a go. But it took me 3 attempts to finish this one. I
I gave it a three as for me, while I love the story and the world he had created, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that without the tv show, I wouldn't be able to put a face to a name or feel how the characters felt, which is something I've never had trouble with before.

Charlotte

Like a good chunk of people

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2016

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Like a good chunk of people, I started reading the ASoIaF series because of the TV show based on the books. When I started watching it, s3 was just released on DVD and yeah, I fell in love with it so much I needed to buy the books. They sat on my bookshelf for so damn long (the sheer length scaring me into not picking them up) before I decided to start the series.

I started this, then put it down and just didn't pick it back up. It remained like that for, what?, six-seven months before I picked it up again… and finished it in a week.

I loved this book so much. I think the reason it took me so long the first time 'round was because it was so freaking like the TV series (Gods, do I miss those days) but I pushed on and so glad I did, because there's just little things in the book that they didn't include in the show.

The characters in this series are just so… amazing. I love how well they are fleshed out, how pure their emotions come through the page until you're feeling it with them. I love that whilst reading a Stark chapter, you hate the Lannisters and everyone that sides with them, but then you read a Lannister chapter and you're like… wow, those Starks aren't exactly the best, are they?

You route for whoever you are reading. Sure, you attach yourselves to certain ones because it's still a piece of fiction and that's what you do with fiction - you mark your favourites. But there's no-one in here that's truly hate worthy… except Joffrey. He's just a little s***.

The magical elements are unlike most fantasy books I've read in the sense they're hidden deep down and haven't started stirring yet. I've already read the 2nd book and know that as the series goes on, the more magic comes out. And it's amazing that way.

There's not just one plot going on, there's a million different little ones, that somehow all steer towards the End Goal which I have no idea what it'll be because GRRM hasn't finished. But still! You can see plainly that whilst these little plots seem interesting in their own right, you reach a point in the book where you realise that because of that little plot, the entire story is blown open.

It's incredible. Simple incredible.

Ryan

Great start to the story, and fascinating characters. Highly addictive from about halfway onwards

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 30, 2016

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Wow! What a book. This was a bit of a gamble for me, as I don't tend to read fantasy-based books. Generally speaking, I like a good crime novel or thriller, but with all the hype surrounding the Game of Thrones TV show, I wanted to dip into the first book in the series and see if it was worth reading. It really took some time for me to adjust to the idea that the plot wouldn't be wrapped up within 300 pages like many novels. In fact, after 300 pages of this book, the plot was only just beginning to take shape. Another 500 pages later and I was ready for Book 2!

Although this is indeed a gripping story, it took a long time for me to gain momentum. In fact, twice I left the book alone for a couple of months and then started again, or backtracked through a few chapters. It was probably just past the halfway point in the book that I felt the pace developed and I was hooked.

The book's chapters are named after each of the key characters in the story, which I find adds an unusual sense of anticipation when you see which character's story is about to unfold. The curse of me coming to this book so long after it was written (would you believe the book is 20 years old already?!) is that all of the key plot-lines have been spilled through the TV show. I love the TV show, but I can't help but feel a sense of lost excitement, as I see the name of a character at the beginning of a chapter and think "I wonder if this is the part where he dies". Grrrr! Regardless of the self-inflicted spoilers, I've enjoyed this so much, I've already bought the rest of the books and look forward to ploughing through them as time allows.

The enhanced features in this version of the book are a pleasant addition but I wouldn't say they have been essential. There are audio narration clips scattered throughout the book, but after a while the novelty wore off, and I skipped many of them. The most useful feature, was the ability to click on a character name and to be taken to a summary in the book's appendix. This is particularly useful for this book, as it hosts a huge number of characters that are hard to keep track of. However, a more advanced version of this feature appears to be built into the Kindle's X-Ray feature, making the book's hyperlinks less essential.

J. A. C

Coffee and grime included with book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2019

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This product was listed as Used - Very Good and described as:

The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far.

When l got the book it was filthy. It had coffee stains and general grime spilled on the cover. The bottom of the book had a wedge torn out of about 50 pages, going the full length of the pages.

Delivery was slow to boot. First time lve used this seller, awful experience

BobH

‘When you play the Game of Throne you win or you die’

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2016

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I must confess to being surprised how much I enjoyed ‘Game of Thrones’ (on Kindle) by R.R. Martin. My sole contact with the TV series was, in error, viewing half an episode without knowing who was doing what and why – but recognising the quality of production, By some freak inclination I bought the Kindle version – as usual after reading several 5 stars & 1 star reviews.
After 30 minutes reading I wondered if some 1 star reviewers had been reading the same book as myself as it was galloping along at a great pace. To be fair I wasn’t put off by strange names (I’ve used enough in my own writing) or ‘nasty goings-on’ (again mea culpa). Furthermore, I’m very experienced in the study of Medieval History so well at home with the period. Indeed, the Lannisters are clearly based on the family of Elizabeth Woodville (c. 1440-92), the queen of Edward IV (1461-83); in King Robert (‘..Six and a half feet tall, he towered over lesser men..... ) the reader has Edward IV (as in the last 5 years of his life); surely in Joffrey (‘pouty lips... disdainful walk...’) there is Thomas Grey, Elizabeth’s son, who shocked the Court by marrying the dowager Duchess of Dorset (old enough to be his grandmother) in 1478. Perhaps I stray too far in linking the ‘mad king’ (killed by Jaime Lannister) with Henry VI (1422-61 – died 1471) or Ned Stark and family with that of Richard Neville, Earl of York. As for identifying Tyrion Lannester ‘The Imp’ with the SHAKESPEARIAN image of Richard III (1483-5) I’m at a loss.
For the critics of the ‘seamier’ episodes, may I point out History records murders on the battlefield, rushed beheadings, witchcraft and wholesale cruelty and spite as making up much of life in 15th century ‘Merry England’. The major HISTORICAL criticism I’d make is the absence of organised religion in the events: I’d excuse direwolves, Others and other supernatural features as but the imagination of a good writer at work.
There is no doubt R.R. Martin is a gifted writer. He’s far less elaborate than Tolkein but then he’s far less ambitious – no aim of providing a multiplicity of languages in a world of differently formed creatures (including talking tees) just aiming to produce a dramatic tale of human ambitions, rivalries and treacheries with an added spice of ‘wyrd’ (as the Anglo-Saxons would have understood it) and ‘weird’ as enjoyed by lovers of Gothic novels and ‘colourful’ films. The writing canters along through speech, thoughts, pen-portraits and dramatic encounters. It’s not so ‘down to earth’ as that of Terry Pratchett and yet surprisingly simpler than that of J.K. Rowling. Martin matches the pleasure given me by the other three authors over decades.
As always I’d read a selection of both 5 star & 1 star reviews. Here are some of the latter with my comments. ‘I don't think it helped that it jumps about from person to person/scene to scene.’- a standard way by thriller writers of maintaining tension. ‘So many pointless characters with so many stupid names’ – such may add atmosphere and also remove the reader into a different world; those that count will be repeated as so become familiar. ‘Why no resolution?’ - because it’s part of a SERIES; I must confess I dislike villains ‘surviving’ to reappear in an entirely separate work for another dose, but such is not true here. ‘A story that doesn't make sense and characters about whom I couldn't care less’ – I recommend reading a DETAILD history of English history 1455-85 (or even 1399-1499) to get the same effect.
In the book there are several engaging episodes such as the journey by Catelyn up to the Eyrie, the escape of Arya from the Lannister coup, the battle featuring Tyrion and the struggle of Jon with the ‘undead’ . Such are frequently described from the viewpoint of participants with some success.
My favourite character in the book is Tyrion Lannester (‘The Imp’) – much smarter than any of the other characters and with a macabre, self-deprecating sense of humour (perhaps based on the Shakespearian Richard III) - Petyr Baelish is a similar, if paler, character. Arya Stark, Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are close behind, possibly because they make more of themselves than either the reader or the other characters expect. A couple of characters I found almost ‘nauseating’ - Joffrey Baratheon and Robyn Arryn, both spoilt and given power when grossly unfitted. Enigmatic characters, such as Sandor Clegane (‘The Hound’) and POTENTIALLY Sansa Stark intrigue me. Disappointing for me, because of plot potential, are Jaime Lannester (apart from ‘the things I do for love’ incident). My title is voiced by Queen Cersei to Eddard Stark in a scene when I was wondering if any man could be so stupid – he’s so disappointing that perhaps his termination proves welcome. I should stress here that I know nothing of what happens in the saga in subsequent books so my opinion may drastically change.
Any criticisms? The chapters are simply titled according to the key personality therein. Especially using a Kindle, this makes it more difficult to access the previous scene; adding numbers would help – e.g. Jon1, Jon2, Jon3 & the use of ‘Search’- deal with the confusion felt by some readers. AT THE MOMENT the episodes involving Daenerys Targaryen among the Dothraki are very detached but clearly there for future developments . Even so I must admit the appearance of a pair of dragons doesn’t offer an ‘attractive ‘ story line – direwolves are the limit for me.
Anyway I award the book 5 stars and look forward to reading the sequel.

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