sir_feep's Full Review: George R.R. Martin - A Game of Thrones
Several years ago, I was talking with my friend about fantasy novels. We were both fans of the genre since childhood, and he had a library of titles that easily eclipsed mine. One day, he exclaimed, “there’s something that you have to read.” With that, he handed me A Game of Thrones, a book I had never heard of, by an author, George R. R. Martin, who was equally as foreign.
It took about a page, and then I was hooked.
The Game of Thrones is unlike any fantasy you’ve ever read. In fact, it throws the entire notion of fantasy for a loop, with sharply realistic characters whose thoughts, desires, and actions are hardly different from our own. Rather than affecting his ensemble with one-dimensional notions of chivalry and duty, Martin paints his cast with the broadest range of emotions. In fact, the more one discovers about the characters, the more one wonders who is really “good” or “bad,” who can really be trusted, and what these people are truly after.
With a plot that has as many twists as a country road, this epic volume becomes a page-turner from the start. Martin has a gift for suspense, and an even greater one for surprise; his novel is full of both, and he’s always a step ahead of the reader. I’ve reread the book several times, and each passing gives me new insight into his brilliant, boundless world.
This is one of the greatest fantasy books of our time. It is not, however, for everyone. The Game of Thrones includes more than its fair share of gut-wrenching battle, coarse and unromantic sexuality, and some unapologetically foul-mothed language. On the other hand, the unromantic nature of the book is what makes it so appealing to me and many others— this is not the stuff of an idle daydream, but of a world overrun in avarice and corruption. It will repel those who desire a lighter fare, but entrance those who embrace it.
While Martin’s series plays second fiddle to that of Jordan, the level of devotion to this brilliant work is just as strong, if not stronger. I encourage any fantasy devotee— and anyone who simply appreciates a brilliant read— to find and indulge in this book as soon as humanly possible. It will go down as one of the greatest beginnings to one of the greatest fantasy series ever written.
Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords . As a whole, this ...More at HotBookSale
Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this s...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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