A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) in Pick-a-Shelf

Apr 29, 2013 Kammie rated it it was amazing

鈥淎 mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.鈥�- C鈥檓on, how can any reader not love a quote like that?

I鈥檒l start with a couple disclaimers:

1) I鈥檒l admit to being one of those people who did not read the book until I got sucked into the tv show. (It was actually my husband who wanted to watch the show, while I was fairly certain I wouldn鈥檛 like it since I don鈥檛 care for the fantasy genre. Flash forward to the present, where I have a slight obsession with GOT.) Ha 鈥淎 mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.鈥�- C鈥檓on, how can any reader not love a quote like that?

I鈥檒l start with a couple disclaimers:

1) I鈥檒l admit to being one of those people who did not read the book until I got sucked into the tv show. (It was actually my husband who wanted to watch the show, while I was fairly certain I wouldn鈥檛 like it since I don鈥檛 care for the fantasy genre. Flash forward to the present, where I have a slight obsession with GOT.) Having seen all three seasons of the show, I already knew the major plots in the story. It鈥檚 a little hard to rate a book based on this. I still thoroughly enjoyed reading the book, but there鈥檚 not a whole lot of suspense when you know most of the storyline ahead of time. I imagine I鈥檒l have the same issue with the second book and 2/3 of the third book. However, I suppose it鈥檚 telling that I鈥檓 really excited to finally get to the new material the show hasn鈥檛 reached yet, and I鈥檓 sure I鈥檒l pick up the pace quite a bit then.

2) I was hesitant to start this because I do not enjoy fantasy novels. Fortunately for me, A Game of Thrones seems far more like historical fiction, complete with political intrigue. Sure, there are some supernatural elements. (Not a spoiler. I鈥檓 sure anyone who has read anything about GOT knows this.) However, the people and their history seem to be the largest component here.

Like I said, it鈥檚 hard to decide what to rate this. Based on creativity, it probably sits near five stars. Martin not only creates an entire world, but he creates the history of that world. The detail involved is fairly amazing. I remember reading some review or article that claimed that Martin not only wanted the reader to keep track of a hundred characters, but you were also supposed to know all about characters that weren鈥檛 even alive during the story. How Martin keeps all these characters and their connections straight in his mind, I鈥檒l never know. In the appendix of my copy of the book, Martin lists the entire Targaryen dynasty, tracing back through approximately 17 rulers. Is something like that really necessary to the story? Possibly not. Is it awesome? Definitely.

I may be giving the book credit for the amount and variety of nerdiness it has produced. Because Martin has created an entire other world, there鈥檚 no limit to the subject matter that can be dissected, debated, and discussed. For example, Slate has a series of articles called the Economics of Ice & Fire, discussing such topics as the Lannisters鈥� subprime lending and the connection between weather and economic equality.

I started out giving this 4 stars, mostly because I enjoyed it even though some of the excitement was missing after I鈥檇 watched the show. I鈥檓 realizing now that that is not the book鈥檚 fault. The more I think about it as I write this review, the more I want to bump it up to 5 stars.

Bottom line: Martin is a fantastic storyteller who can weave an extremely entertaining tale.
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Nov 11, 2012 Susan rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, fantasy

I'm not a great fan of long sagas, whether in imagined worlds or in our own. But so many people have recommended this that I thought I had to give it a try, and I'm glad I did. I wish it could've been shorter, but its length is what gave the author the chance to incorporate so many fascinating characters. I can't even begin to choose a favorite: Jon, Arya, Tyrion, Dany, ... they're all so complex,

The book jumps along in short sections, each headed by the name of the character we're watching for ...more

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