A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)

by George R.R. Martin

Book Overview

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born...

Customer Reviews

Book was delivered in very poor condition

I will not a buy any slightly used book ever again very disappointed they would ship a book in such poor condition

Can’t wait to read

My oldest son decided he wanted to read this first. He said it’s great! It came in perfect shape.

I did not get this part of my order I am still waiting.

Can't read if I don't have it.

Fantastic book!

This book is great, my brother introduced it to me. I don’t really read books this big, but reading this book felt so satisfying and I was immersed all the way through!

Amazing read but arrived damaged

If you are a fan of the show you’ll love the books! I recommend buying the whole series and be ready for when George R.R. Martin finally releases the next installment. You’ll want to go back and read these again and again. With that said, my book did arrive damaged. It was missing pages 12-44 which are the first 3 and a half chapters of the book so I had to read those online. It did not deserve the “very good” condition rating that was promised.

Well Written and Enjoyable

Fantasy is a genre with a lot of world building and boy does this story come with a lot of world building. It is such a good and engaging story and you become really attached to the characters. The characters feel so real and you begin to feel for them no matter what they're doing. What makes this unique then other fantasy stories is that GRRM does not make it clear who is evil, these characters all commit atrocities but the logic behind makes you understand their actions. Oh, and once you have a favorite character you tend to follow their house and hope for the best there. I find it most interesting how GRRM world builds because some of the most important events that shaped the current conditions of the world are new explicitly talked about. Sure they are mentioned here and there, but the most important characters that shaped the world are already dead and gone so we have to rely on the other characters interpretations of them. This is a fascinating and great read for veterans of the genre. If you and just getting introduced then I would recommend having a thesaurus/dictionary handy and getting used to the slightly old fashioned language that GRRM will use to really get you into the feel of the story.

Was Not Expecting

I have some base knowledge of the TV show but didn't know anything about the book, so why not read it? MASSIVE HIT. I was blown away. Warning, it's not an easy read. But if you're considering it, you should do it.

A Tiny Little Book

No, I haven't read it yet. I got the mass-market paperback... and it is very tiny. I'm sure it's gonna be a great read but I'm just letting other people know, it's a tiny book. lol... I guess I expected it to be a little bit bigger than what it is.

I had never read from Sci-fi/Fantasy genre before. This book was an AMAZING start to the genre. I plan on continuing to read at least this whole series. It has a unique style of writing, which I found very enjoyable and also mentally engaging. I also became quickly involved in the characters' and the plights of their stories.

truely excellent

this is a truely excellent work, however, it isn't for everyone.#1) there are a lot of people running around, and while I found it pretty easy to keep everyone straight, it could be a problem for some. Along the same lines, GRRM writes each "chapter" from the perspective of a single character, then switches to the perspective of another character for the next chapter. In a way, it can make the tale seem like a set of short stories, and like all good cliffhangers, it will frequently move away from a character just when he is at the brink of something important#2)Magic is pretty muted. The items that couldn't be found on earth are few and far between. In its stead is political intruge and the cruel roughness of life where wounds fester and people die from a minor wound, people starve, people die in childbirth, etc. Modern fantasy writers seem to forget that the middle ages were a rotten dirty rat infested flea hole in the mud type of place. GRRM does not. If you want dragons and spells and flying carpets and hospital sanitary conditions, these aren't the books for you3#) similar to above, GRRM's books would DEFINATELY get an R rating for violence and for sex. I wouldn't say it is gratuitious, nor is sex all that often seen, but it is present, and when it is bieng written about, it is direct and forceful, and graphic. GRRM also realizes that sex is sometimes just about one person and their victim, especially in the connection between war and rape that we seem to forget went hand in hand 500 years ago.So, if you've got what it takes, this series will give you something special. A cast of hundreds, earth shattering events, intrigue and political manipulation, the good guys don't always win, the bad guys have motives that we can understand, and the vast majority of people are grey and just trying to get by. Fast action, great dialog, and plenty of humerous moments to go along with those cliffhanges.

Well plotted and paced; excellent, fresh fantasy tale

First off, I'm a heavy duty fan of GRRM. I've read over a 100 different fantasy authors in my time (started at 12; I'm now 32). Took about 5 years off from the genre b/c I felt it was all getting too formulaic and cliched. So, when I came back to fantasy at the end of 1999, I read the usual: Goodkind, Jordan, etc. and then someone told me about GRRM and man, that was the kicker! Here are the reasons to choose GRRM. I've also listed the reasons not to choose him to make it fair b/c I know their are certain personalities who won't like this series: WHY TO READ GRRM (1) YOU ARE TIRED OF FORMULAIC FANTASY: good lad beats the dark lord against impossible odds; boy is the epitome of good; he and all his friends never die even though they go through great dangers . . . the good and noble king; the beautiful princess who falls in love with the commoner boy even though their stations are drastically different . . . you get the idea. After reading this over and over, it gets old. (2) YOU ARE TIRED OF ALL THE HEROES STAYING ALIVE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE UNDER CONSTANT DANGER: this gets even worse where the author kills a main hero off but that person comes back later in the story. Or, a hero does die but magic brings him back. This sometimes carries to minor characters where even they may not die, but most fantasy authors like to kill them off to show that some risked the adventure and perished. (3) YOU ARE A MEDIEVAL HISTORY BUFF: this story was influenced by the WARS OF THE ROSES and THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR. (4) YOU LOVE SERIOUS INTRIGUE WITHOUT STUPID OPPONENTS: lots of layering; lots of intrigue; lots of clever players in the game of thrones. Unlike other fantasy novels, one side, usually the villain, is stupid or not too bright. (5) YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BIASED OPINIONS AND DIFFERENT TRUTHS: GRRM has set this up where each chapter has the title of one character and the whole chapter is through thei

It doesn't get any better than this!

George R.R. Martin makes a huge breakthrough with this well written, immediately engrossing, and incredibly intricate tale that keeps you hooked all the way through. Martin steps out on a limb as he writes a fantasy novel whose "good" characters are not invincible and sometimes bad things can and do happen. Most fantasy I've read involves the main characters in impossible situations that resolve themselves by dumb luck or the characters own super-human abilities. Martin goes above and beyond and writes a story that allows for inexperience in a characters fighting ability, both on the battle field and in the political arena. The protagonist does not always make the right decisions, and the good guy doesn't always win. The lines between good and evil are blurred as Martin uses his impressive command of characters to present situations from different points of view. "Good" isn't always good, and "Evil" isn't always evil. Characters are given diverse personalities and therefore open up the possibility of role-reversal. It's like these are real people making real decisions, and as in life, anything is possible.If your looking for a story that follows a one-dimensional track and is easily predictable, this is not the story for you. On the other hand, if you want a mature story that is filled with intricate characters and engrossing story lines that leave you guessing and begging for more, you've come to the right place. Hats off to this incredible author and the story that he has created.

One of the best

Looking for that elusive book that grabs you from start to finish only to leave you begging for more? Are you tired of the same old fantasy cliches such as elves, dwarves, and evil wizards? A Game of Thrones is the kind of rich literature that any fan of character driven fiction should read. Martin's writing is very tight, fluid, and has a smart, professional quality. The setting sets itself apart from other fantasy settings by being quite realistic when compared to other fantasy novels. The world is populated by humans. There are no elves or orcs roaming the wilderness. There are no would-be adventurers slaying fanciful beasts for glory and treasure. Instead you have what reads like earth medieval history. You have Kingdoms, and Lordships; cutthroats and brigands. Characters that you love to hate and characters that you'd love to meet. Plots, intrigue, deception, and betrayal that all combine to create one of the most compelling novels I have ever read. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It will most likely jump-start your love of books. Enjoy.