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)

Nobody is safe

First I'll start with saying that I have mixed feelings about the audiobook. I have watched the entire HBO series (well, at least through season 5 since nothing beyond that has been filmed yet) and I was looking for something to fill the void in the interim. I have been putting off obtaining the audiobooks only because I was not impressed with the samples I heard of Roy Dotrice's narration. It is so hard to find a great narrator and I have been spurned many times over in other listens. And although there is a huge fan base out there for Dotrice, the short samples I heard did not please me in the least. BUT, I thought, based on the number of high praise reviews, what would it hurt to give it a shot? So, I finally did.

I was pleasantly surprised at how close the storyline from the show and the novel remained. Sometimes directors take such drastic liberties that ruin the original writing. This is not the case in this instance which was a pro and a con for me, personally. On one hand, the novel helped me understand the characters and plot on a much deeper level. I'm not going to lie, there was a lot from the show that I didn't understand. There was so much going on that I don't know if it got lost in translation or if I'm just not as smart as I'd like to be! So being in the characters heads definitely cleared a lot of issues up for me. On the other hand, it kind of felt like it was moving very very slowly. I think, because I knew what was coming next and in some cases wanted to quickly skip all the filler. At the same time, Martin's writing style is so perfect in all aspects that you almost don't want to miss a word. From his descriptions to his dialogue to the inner workings of his characters minds, the flow is smoother than anything I've ever read (or heard) before.

Personally, I already had opinions formed from having watched the show. And it was incredibly hard for me to do anything other than picture the actors who portray the characters on TV. Luckily, they did such a good job casting that they almost go hand in hand with the actual depiction in the novels. I hate Joffrey as much in the books as I do in the show. Luckily, I already know what happens to him so that's a plus. But that brings me to another point... no one is safe. In a way that's good because characters you loathe whom have a way of bouncing back time after time could still "get theirs" in the end. However, those you fall in love with often have a higher chance of losing their lives too early. You just never know. Anything could happen at any time. I honestly don't know how Martin does it. He weaves such intricate and heartbreaking stories in a way that seems so effortless.

As far as the vocal performance, though I do believe Roy Dotrice's narration was outstanding in many ways, I couldn't get past the actual sound of his voice for two reasons. First, none of the characters, though half the cast is literally under the age of 18, sound like they are under the age of 60. Secondly, half of his voices have lisps (for lack of a better term). Especially Lord Varys - it sounds like he is missing the entirety of his front teeth. Don't get me wrong, the pacing and inflection were amazing, and I was able to listen to the entire book because of it, but I still struggled listening through certain parts. Of course, everyone is different and most loved Dotrice in every way. Even though he's not exactly my favorite, I believe it will be very hard to fill his shoes when the next novels come out.

I will be continuing to the next in the series. If you're even remotely interested, whether you've watched the show or not, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Excellent

I don't have much to add about the story line that hasn't already been said, as I am probably one of the few remaining people who have not read (or watched) this.

I put off reading this for ages because it isn't my favorite genre, the length of the series and the reputation of having a lot of characters who were hard to keep straight. I was surprised on many counts. First, the story grabbed my attention and for the most part, kept it throughout. Second, the book was easy to read due to the mostly short chapters. I found that I was able to keep the main characters in my mind, although sometimes I forgot who the various knights, servants, etc. were. The book was well written and complex, and although it was detailed, the detail was not gratuitous. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in the series, although I will probably wait a month or so before I delve into that one.

I ended up listening to this on audio during my commutes and also reading it in printed form. This combination worked well for me, as I was able to keep making progress in the book. Also, switching between formats helped keep me from being bored either reading or listening too long. The narrator was very good and did a great job with the various voices.

great story, mediocre narration

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

high fantasy classic

Who was your favorite character and why?

Arya Stark is the great character of transition, the one that becomes so much more, and easily the most interesting in the book.

What didn???t you like about Roy Dotrice???s performance?

He gives a number of the characters lisps and speech impediments. It is unnecessary, not written into the books and incredibly annoying.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

no

Any additional comments?

This is a great first book in a a great series.

Amazing!

This is the first book from R.R. Martin that I've read, but I must say the he is one of the best writers I've read all my life! Amazing plot! I am looking forward to the second book! Lots of credits to the narrator, Roy Dotrice! Perfect reading.

I love these books!

I feel that the voicing of some characters doesn't match the characters personality, but everything else is fantastic. George Martin has a wonderful way to develop characters.

Sansa... NOT SANCHA and JOFFREY not JEFFREY

I was really pleased with this book. I'm a fan of the show and decided that i needed to read the books to see if all the fuss was even worth it. I'm hooked! My biggest complaint beyond explicit sexual acts on children and unnecessary animal abuse is that this narrator can't seem to figure out how to pronounce anyone's name. It didn't bother me in the beginning but after 30hours of my life listening to him call Sansa something different every time he said her name or Joffrey who got called Jeffrey SO MUCH. Well Bran is also Brian. It's a big issue for me.

I appreciate Roy Dotrice's King Robert. He gave me the same feels that Mark Addy gave me when i watched him play King Robert. Disgusted, disdain, and creeped out. I appreciate that he adds something to each character. He does get a little repetitive, but that's almost every narrator after a while with SO MANY characters. I just need him to get the names of these main players correct form there on out. It's a disservice to George R.R. Martin and to the people who paid for this book to hear beloved characters names butchered over and over again with NO consistency.

Hopefully book 2 narration will be better, but i have little hope. However. I'm a masochist and a completion-ist when it comes to books. So I'll be continuing.

Take of this what you will. It's a great story with well though out histories and characters.

Brilliant

The first book of a truly amazing series for those that like gritty epics. Martin pulls no punches and the narrator is great.

Epic, beautiful, terrible, brutal.

A warning: this is not a novel for the faint of heart. There is rape, there is brutal violence, there is despair. Yet there is also great beauty, love, and hope.

George RR Martin is truly a master storyteller, and this is him at the peak of his craft. He had already been a full-time professional writer for 20 years before he began this magnum opus, and it shows. You will weep, you will laugh, your palms will sweat and your jaw will drop. You will find yourself being very very glad that you do not live in Westeros, yet you will not be able to stop listening. As truly great as the HBO series is (was), Martin paints each scene in such vivid detail that the show pales in comparison. In a way, he has kind of ruined most other fiction for me, because most authors are simply not this skilled. Each character is so uniquely real, and their stories so compelling, that you will find yourself either loving or hating them more than any real person.

I was debating giving Roy Dotrice’s narration 3 or 4 stars. He makes quite a lot of mistakes, and I can’t for the life of me understand what gave him the notion that “Petyr” should be pronounced “pit-ire”. He sometimes says “Jeffrey” instead of “Joffrey,” “Allister” instead of “Alliser,” and in one instance he even says “seven seas” instead of “Seven Kingdoms.” Yet despite all that, he is a skilled voice actor and his narration is pleasant to listen to, so I gave him 4 stars.

Excelent audio book, a must listen

I signed up for audible specifically to listen to this book and I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed the story and the narrator does dozens of character voices and sounds like a person that would live in Westeros.

You should listen to this book!

A Song Of Ice and Fire rating.

I love the story though the various voices did not match the age, emotion and characters of the story.