I got this in 2008's LibraryThing secret Santa - you can probably tell from the title that it's a fantasy book. It's a pretty epic one, and the first in a fairly long series, I believe. I enjoyed the plot (with all its political drama) and most of the characters are very well-described. However, the writing is a little repetitive in places (a few minor characters are described in exactly the same way every time they appear, e.g. extravagantly shrugging guy) and (while mostly plot-relevant or realistic) the amounts of rape and incest in this book somewhat disturbed me, so I don't think I'll be carrying on with this.

Other things Martin seems particularly obsessed with: horses, prostitutes, food that contains honey. ( )

Fama totalmente justificada. Impresionante. ( )

I thought I was done with high fantasy--or really any fantasy--but, on a lark, I took the advice of several friends with good taste in books and picked this up. Glad I did! It's readable, with enough fantasy tropes to feel familiar but not so many as as to bore or annoy the reader. Some of the female characters have realistic personalities and voices, which I never really expect to find, after reading so much Jordan. It's told from the perspective of one character per chapter, which was a little bit off-putting at first but seems, upon reflection, like the very best way to tell a story with so many threads. I'll stick with the series to see whether Martin keeps his threads in hand or begins to let them fray--with a series this long, either's possible. ( )

This is one of the most compelling historical fantasy novels I've read in a long time! I sped through the available titles in the series and am eagerly awaiting the next addition. The characters are fascinating (and the author is not afraid to kill them off!); there is a perfect blend of realism and fantasy. ( )

This is the story of kings, princes and knights, a battle over thrones and the Seven Kingdoms, and the beginning of the mysteries that lie beyond the Wall. This is the first volume of the Song of Fire and Ice trilogy.

This book was probably my first "proper fantasy" book ever, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. This book is very well-written, particularly the way that the story is told from a number of different perspectives throughout, which helps the reader to empathise with the different characters. The story itself, and the tragic consequences of greed and treachery, were enough to keep me interested in what was going to happen.

Towards the end of the book, I did lose a bit of interest, as there was a lot of talk about battle strategies and logistics, whereas I was more interested in the characters and their relations with each other. However, this did not detract from the very powerful story. Will I continue to read the other books in the trilogy? Not sure yet. At the moment I'm quite committed to reading various books for various challenges etc, and I guess reading the follow-up books may lose its impact if I leave it too long... ( )

A Game of Thrones is a marvelous start to what is promising to end as one of the best adult fantasy fiction series of my generation.

Martin is relentless and wholly unforgiving in his portrayal of medieval life for royalty; the intrigue, betrayal and wholesale slaughter of friend and foe alike is utterly abysmal, and Martin shows no compunction in severing the ties to characters who at first seem integral to plot and world. the affect is a brutal, yet realistic story of the politics and power plays of lords and ladies, and how those plays drag the "smallfolk" of the lands into wars of attrition over matters that are entirely out of their world view.Along with the stark language and miserable depredations that lend this series its realism, the matter of the more "fantastic" elements in the storyline is handled beautifully; these elements are introduced so slowly, and with such derision from the surrounding characters, that they, also, are entirely believable. Superstition is rife throughout the populous but, as with modern societies, those who believe too strongly are looked upon as barbarians, simple-minded or uneducated. In this way, the surreal is brought into the story so slowly that there is no suspension of belief.

highly recommended for anyone who loves the fantasy genre, but is tired of the formulaic representation and childish delivery that is so prevalent in its constituent novels. ( )

A Game of Thrones is one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read. This may sound like high praise especially after only reading the first book of the series, but A Song of Ice and Fire series may just well be the Lord of the Rings of my generation.

I know the old saying about not judging a book by its cover, but I had put off reading A Game of Thrones for a while because the cover was so generic with its orange gradient background and silhouetted wolf on the cover. I'm sorry I waited so long. The 800-plus page book is such a page-turner that I read the whole thing in less than a week.

The beginning of the novel may put some people off and I certainly was confused, but just keep with it. The novel is laid out with each chapter coming from the perspective of a revolving set of characters. The first few chapters are hard to read through because there's not much to go on, but readers who continue will soon be rewarded.

A Song of Ice and Fire is not a fantasy novel for the weak at heart because it spares no punches. There are unexpected deaths, incest, torture, twists, and all sorts of back-stabbings. What really won me respect for this novel is that George R. R. Martin isn't afraid of killing characters that other authors would keep alive. When good characters die, it opens up a realm of possibilities of where the story can go because readers know that there are no limits.

I took a long hiatus from reading fantasy novels because I was put off from the genre from reading too many Terry Goodkind novels. This series is an awesome welcome back to the genre. Every part of the first novel is exciting, even the political back and forths that usually bore me. I'm probably late to the party on this, but even if you're on the fence about this book, at least read through the first hundred pages of A Clash of Kings to see if the series is for you. ( )

This was a great start to his series. In fact it is probably the best book in the series. It made me go back and read a book on the War of the Roses in England to see how it compared to Martin's book. ( )

The Game of Thrones is the first book in the Song of Ice and Fire, a series that as this review is being written is being filmed for a television adaptation through HBO. This is a great start to a series and while Martin's use and abuse of his main characters is no longer unique it is a genuinely exciting read. Some mystic beasts, some magic use, the book mainly relies on human achievement, sweeping battles and behind the throne politics. The characters are very real and the villains are not simple mustache twirling madmen and the heroes display very real flaws. Readers bored of Jordan, Goodkind and Salvatore will find a lot to like here. ( )

As far as epic fantasies go, this one is fair to middling. There are others much more compelling, even at the same length. I got tired of having to keep track of who was what, and the battle scenes were too drawn out for my taste. I don't need to know about every charge and swing of the sword. ( )

Loved it, fantastic book. ( )

A wonderful opening. GRRM lets you know from the start that he's not pulling any punches -- I'll warn you right now, don't pick up this book if you're a reader who gets overly attached to characters and doesn't want them to die. No one is safe.

This is epic fantasy at its best -- because it isn't *just* the usual sword-and-sorcery fare -- GRRM's political intrigues are the best part about this series. A Game of Thrones introduces you to the factions that you'll be seeing in the next few books -- either praying for their success, or cursing them endlessly and hoping for their downfall. Once you read this book, you'll be absorbed -- you'll have to go get the next one immediately. (This will cause a problem for you later down the line, though. Finish the book, George!) ( )

Phenomenal start to the genre-breaking 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series. This is *not* your typical fantasy book. Bloody, gritty, and very uncompromising. Must read. ( )

An excellent fantasy. I like the characters and the intricacy of the politics and plot. Good pacing. Low magic and supernatural which I like too. The world is a little bit cliched and lacking detail for my taste. ( )

The beginning of a true modern epic fantasy. The story may not seem ground breaking, and epic, multi-character perspective fantasy is kind of the norm these days, but there is just something that instantly hooks you and draws you into this series. Remember, no-one is safe!! ( )

I was astounded by this series of books. My initial fears after having seen the huge list of characters at the back of the book were soon quelled once I had started reading. Many of the characters listed are just background figures but Martin's skill in interweaving them all is fantastic. The violence is very bloody, there is sex and incest galore and Martin is not scared of killing off characters you thought would make it until the very end.
They are dense books and after reading three I took a break for about 12 months before going back to them. Highly recommended though - One of my top reads ever. ( )

To say that this reading experience was incredible is like saying I enjoyed my first bungee-jump last year. I was bloody breathless after reading this! Read the rest of my review here: http://davebrendon.wordpress.com/2009... ( )

This book really has a lot going for it, and it is no surprise that George Martin has so many readers following his work (despite the length of some of the books!)

I enjoyed this book enough to buy the rest of the series (as much has been written of it). The intrigue is well thought out. The character conflict is deliciously imagined, and the characters for the most part are as richly drawn as, say, Robin Hobb's. I liked the way that you cannot pigeonhole the characters into good and bad - you have to get to know them instead.

The concept of the seasons spanning multiple years is novel, and works well as a plot device. However, I was a little disappointed that much of the remainder of the world is quite derivative. Here is another faux medieval fantasy world with tournaments, jousting, mounted knights in armour, castles and all the other trappings that plant it squarely in the heart of the overtried fantasy genre.

True, Martin plays with language a little. Knights are styled as "ser" instead of "sir". Kings are "your grace" instead of "your majesty". But to be honest, that just annoyed me as it is all too close to the actual styles ("your grace" being a duke or bishop usually).

It is a pity that this book could not be made a little more distinctive - although maybe on a plus side, there are no elves!

The names seem to be heavily derived from Welsh or Welsh legend (Bran, Tyrion, Lanister, Tywin, Lancel to name but a few) but Welsh is often a source for inspiration for names in the genre. People unfamiliar with the source of the names will care not at all (whereas Welsh speakers will be a little surprised that Tyrion is male as Tirion is usually a girl's name in Wales!)

But the derivative elements aside, Martin writes well and his books will sweep you into them, despite their scope and despite all the different points of view. Indeed the multiple points of view may help as everyone will find a character they can enjoy following. ( )

Very well written and original fantasy book. This is the start of an epic saga filled with court politics, intrigues and action. I like it a lot! ( )

It's funny, the new little "will you like it?" gauge told me I wouldn't like this book, and I loved it!! I'm not generally a fantasy reader, but for some reason I was drawn to this series. I think the reason I liked this book so much is because it reads a lot like historical fiction, which I love. There aren't a lot of stereotypical fantasy elements in it; it's more like a book about medieval Europe, with interesting, complex characters. I'm very much looking forward to "A Clash of Kings." ( )

Epic in scope, but turning away from the whole “heroic fantasy” formula, and breaking the rules and traditions of the usual fantasy stuff, this book signals not only the beginning of "A Song of Ice and Fire” series, but also the beginning of a whole new direction for the fantasy genre, opening the floodgates to whole new possibilities. This might just be the most important event in fantasy since Frodo and his friends started on their journey to Mt. Doom. In A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin has given a sense of renewal to fantasy by, ironically, making it as real as it can be. (more) ( )

Read this about 5 years ago in its Portuguese version and I liked it a lot: well portrayed characters and good — long — plot. ( )

This series has a lot of fans, and at the very least, I think in most all areas this novel does seem to be above average compared to most epic fantasies.

The plot is...eventful, but not too difficult to follow (save for some problems I had remembering minor character's names that was probably at least partially due to multiple days or weeks I left between picking up the book), the prose generally flows well, though it does digress on certain details a little too long. Characters, while not always horribly original, are mostly likable (that, or intended not to be as likable).

But the political intrigue/war seems to be the main foreground of the novel. The various characters seem sometimes to simply be vessels through which we may hear the story the author is telling us, the changes in POV there so we may easily jump to whoever has the most close-up and informative information on the latest plot development. Indeed, there are so many POVs that by the end of the novel, while a considerable amount has happened in the grand scheme of the war, very little seems to have happened to each character. I have almost the feeling of having read eight different books a third of the way through.

The somewhat irritating thing was, a few of those POVs, if they had been their separate books, I may have been able to genuinely like. Arya is your good old rough-edged little lady who'd rather be out playing than inside learning embroidery. It's cliché as hell, but she's likable and the formula works. John is the bastard son, well loved enough by most of his family but still feeling as if he lacks a place to belong. Bran is rambunctious and happy, till he becomes paralyzed and has to deal with not just the huge changes that come with the sudden inability to walk, but with how to grow into a lord others will respect when he cannot even stand on his own two feet.

While not the focus of this book, and while the older characters tended to have much less interesting personal conflicts, these internal struggles were decently well set up. These characters weren't terribly complex (I've seen this novel praised for lack of black and white good and evil characters, which I suppose it deserves, but recognizing people aren't dichotomously good and evil is hardly the whole battle when it comes to character complexity), but their stories still could have passed off as very decent YA novels. Instead, I suppose they are just a little splash to add color to their POVs, used like all others to give us the best seat for the plot developments. They still helped me enjoy the novel, but were not allowed to strengthen it as much as they could have.

And overall, even concerning the plot, the entire novel has the feel of being very..inefficient. It was common after I read a scene to take note of the apparent 'purpose' of that scene (be it a particular tidbit of plot or certain characterization point) and wonder why I had to go through ALL THAT just to get there. Times when I wished the author had a bit more faith in me, enough to realize they didn't have to spell every bit of characterization out multiple times, or that they could skip the last five pages about the latest war developments and just drop a few hints in the dialogue of another scene and I'd figure things out just fine.

In the end, I did enjoy reading this novel more than a lot of more shabbily done fantasies, and my lack of desire to continue might just be the difference between the kind of story the author wants to tell (one about a war, and trying to create somewhat interesting characters to tell it through) and the kind of novel I wanted to read (about characters, using a somewhat interesting plot to stir up their internal conflicts). Still, this novel isn't THAT much above average, and I still hold that the lack of really well done characters and effort to give even one of them a complete story arc within the book weakens the novel considerably. ( )

"A Game Of Thrones" Is the first novel in a seven planned saga. Four have been released to date.

This epic fantasy focuses primarily on the House of Stark, whom' reside and lead a town called Winterfell. Winterfell exists in the cold hard north, and is generally a peaceful community. Though things for the moment are going well for Winterfell and House Stark, life for this town can be tough, especially with winter closing in. Winters in this area are often times brutal and relentless, sometimes lasting for years at a time. Though this is a great concern for the community and the Starks, it is soon diminished when huge events suddenly take place.

After the sudden death of Jon Arryn.. Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms soon arrives in Winterfell to meet with old friend Lord Eddard Stark (Husband of Catalyn Stark, father of Bran Stark, Arya Stark Sansa Stark, Robb Stark, and Jon Snow). While he does come to get back in touch with Eddard, he also comes with a surprising request. One that Eddard would rather avoid at all costs. The request? He would like him to replace Jon Arryn as Hand of the King, the monarch's closest advisor. After sudden revelations and dramatic events, Eddard reluctantly decides to accept his offer and leaves Winterfell to act as Hand of the King. This is when the real trouble begins.

Soon after his initiation as the king's hand, yet another sudden and suspicious death occurs, this time of King Robert. Amongst other equally disturbing events and discoveries, the situation for Eddard soon turns from bad to worst, as a truly dangerous and potentially deadly game begins to unfold -- the game of thrones.

Filled with creative plot twists, compelling characters, and unique writing, "A Game Of Thrones" grabs the reader and never lets go. George RR Martin's unique style and multiple point-of-view approach leaves the reader hanging with each and every chapter. It also allows the reader to really identify with the characters; to get to know them, see what makes them tick -- even the ones they may hate. From beginning to end, "A Game of Thrones" compels and captivates the reader.

All in all, If you're searching for a type of Fantasy that is a bit more realistic (and perhaps darker) than many out there, then this is one for you. For there are no elves, gnomes, or mischievous faeries -- No. The truly frightening forces behind this intense story are the people themselves. When reading this quite lengthy novel, I had so much trouble simply putting it down. Simply moving away from it. It's that good.

So check out "A Game of Thrones," you won't be disappointed. In fact, you may find yourself drawn into this grizzly and wondrous world, much like I was when reading this amazing piece of work. ( )

Fantastic read. Truth, Lies, assassination, battles, love. This book has it all, and more. The first book in a series called A Song of Ice and Fire, A Game Of Thrones have definately left me wanting to find out what happens next. This is a thick book, so make sure you have a lot of time on your hands. But the investment is well worth it. ( )