Book Review: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

RATING:

(A Song of Ice and Fire #1)

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 to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

Literary Awards: 1998 Nebula Award Nominee; 1997 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel

*****

Bran thought about it. ‘Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?’
‘That is the only time a man can be brave,’ his father told him.

DISHEARTENING.

A Game of Thrones just got personal. I was warned that GRRM has a habit of killing off characters, may they be decent or not. But oh, was I enraged when he did kill one of the main leads and another one worth pitting with the lords and knights fighting for power. It doesn’t make any freakin’ sense to me for an author to build characters so strong, solid and has potential to emerge victorious and then cut off their roles JUST. LIKE. THAT. I did not even get to see how they are in action/battle to justify their stature made by Martin. Ugh.

Tyrion is my favorite character, no doubt about that. Followed by Dany, Arya and Jon. I have a love/hate relationship with Catelyn but I hate her mad sister Lissa more. How I wish Sansa was beheaded then put on an iron spike. Ned… oh, he’s such a disappointing character. Martin constantly wrote about the hardness and of Winterfell Lords, but Ned just fell short for me. Khal Drogo grew on me and I find myself really liking him. Cersei deserves to be queen – cunning, cruel, and cold. If she were on the good side, I could’ve loved her more, but I think she’s more fitting to be a villain so that’s fine with me. Robb gets very interesting, I would’ve like to read his POV. I don’t know where I stand with Varys – he’s complex. Can someone strangle Littlefingers for me? Or cut off his tongue and feed it to the ravens. Joffrey will get his due, I bet on that. I’m so itching to put his head on the spike as well. Bronn, he leapt out of the pages and made a fan out of me!

The story is incredible. There’s a new twist for each chapter end. I was endlessly shocked and left to brood on what will happen next. Martin’s writing is consistent considering the alternating POVs from an adult (ex. Ned) to a child (ex. Bran) for the book chapters. After nursing my bruises over the dead Martin left me with, I was amused and maybe sporting a little smile on how the book ended. Oh yeah, Dany is one bad-ass dragon heir!

A Game of Thrones is truly a great read. I still recommend it to fantasy readers out there, but writing off strong characters the way Martin did left me with a very, very bitter taste on my mouth. Until I’ve coped with my grief over ___ and _____, I won’t read A Clash of Kings. I may opt to just wait for it on HBO and watch it instead. That’s how pissed I was.

The man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die.

#12 Off-the-Shelf Reading Challenge 2011

.: maria :.

“giving up is the ultimate tragedy.”