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)

Dare to start

Everything about this book is amazing! I have lingered in my car way longer than I should because I needed to continue to listen. The narrator is talented and amazing

fluency

read very well,used distinct accents and different voices for each character, great story and telling

best of the best

I've been invested into many fantasy stories
. I've saved this one for awhile. I'm glad I finally got to it

Superb storytelling

One of the best audio books I've listened to between the narration and the vivid description it feels like you are in westeros seeing the events unfold before you.

Great storyline and execution

The story is larger than life and well thought out. Excellent execution by the narrator

Not bad

This was a hard listen to start with. The story jumps around from kingdom to kingdom and character to character so often that it was difficult to follow. And some of the characters names were so similar (like Bran and Braun) that it got confusing. I'm still not sure of the Lanisters roll in the story, and who the 'king killer is'. I found myself lost in many parts of the story, but the overall theme does present itself. I will be getting the next volume as soon as my free monthly credit is renewed. I will also likely re-listen this volume in the future.

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.