Search - A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Bk 1)

I have read more epic, huge fantasy series than I can remember and, this is by far the best I have every read. My definition of a good book is that I forget I am turning pages. And this book meets that definition. Not only did I forget that I was turning pages, I forgot to sleep, eat and interact with others. The characters are dense, interesting, complicated, and engaging. Their relationships are deep, complicated, joyous and tragic. My only complaint is the George R R Martin is an extremely slow writer. It takes him a huge amount of time between releases. I had to reread the series just to be able to know what was going on. I enjoyed rereading them almost as much as the first time

The words that best describe this novel are “sprawling” and “epic.” This story is HUGE. When I got to the end of its 700+ pages I realized that this was just a scratch in the surface of the world that the author had created. The story is broken up into multiple points of view, something I usually do not like, but for this story it is impossible to tell it any other way. I was often reminded of a huge centipede, legs moving in all different directions, but moving the body of the narrative forward. Mr. Martin has done an excellent job of creating a compelling story and dynamic characters. This story is addicting, and a definite read for any fan of the genera.

This may be a fantasy, but the book presents a realistic world, where characters are often cold, dirty, hungry and in distress, and the violence and language are often graphic and disturbing. But don't be put off, because these are compelling and complex characters, and Martin is adept in involving the reader in the sweep of events.

I found that reading this book was a lot like watching a television show and then I realized why once I read the author's history. It's a really interesting story, but I think that this author really loves do things to shock the reader and leave cliff-hangers that will just make you wonder what will happen next. He's not the type you want to pick up and read and bond with a character because you never know what he intends to do with them. ;P

Possibly the best fantasy series I've ever read. A Game of Thrones is definitely up there with The Lord of the Rings. I think these book are absolutely amazing -- the characters are nuanced and engaging and the plot pulled me right in. I imagine someone has probably said this already, but the first thing that came to mind when I started reading this series was that it's like The Lord of the Rings meets the Sopranos. I'm on book five of the series now and can hardly stand to put it down.

I have started A Song of Ice and Fire book series since watching the fantasitc HBO series based upon this book. They are planning to continue the HBO series in the Spring Based upon the Clash of Kings. I can't wait! That said, I was underwhelmed by the first book - A Game of Thrones. It was difficult for me in that each chapter in the book was titled with a character name and told of their experiences. It was just hard to get used to since it jumped around a lot. I did love the depth of the character development and the medieval feel of the setting. Lot's of people have compared this series to the Lord of the Rings but I did not find them very similar. In comparision Game of Thrones felt more like historical fiction than fantasy. There was not a lot of magical, mystical, monster type things going on. Just normal people going about their lives in an extraordinary place and time. It's worth the read if you are a fan of this genre or if you follow the HBO series. You will get a lot of the background and detail that the TV series left out. I am reading the second book now and it is starting out much more compelling than the first.