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

About:
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is a fantasy novel which is the base to the successful TV show. This book is number on the series known as A song of Ice and Fire.

• 694 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553103547

My rat­ing for A Game of Thrones  —4
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More Books by George R.R. Martin

Thoughts:
I am not a fan of the fantasy genre when reading. I love the movies and TV shows, but the books just don’t resonate with me. I tried to read and listen to Lord of the Rings about five times and never made it past 150 pages.

When the TV show came out, my buddy Ray gave me A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin to read. Again, I couldn’t get past 150 pages and gave it back. Sadly, a short time later, Ray passed away (he was 25 or so at the time) leaving behind a young wife.

The author took his time telling the story, which is why I believe I gave up on reading the books. If you don’t know anything about the characters, you only start to figure out who’s who after five chapters or so which could be frustrating. Each chapter is told from the point of view of a different character which is a great vehicle for such a long book and moves the narrative along quite fast.

I saw this audiobook at the library and figured I’ll give it another shot, and I’m glad I did. I don’t know why I stopped reading the first time, but I truly enjoyed this book. The writing is excellent, the characters are flushed out and the story is engaging.

As you might have guessed, there are many, many characters in the book that it could feel overwhelming. I do have to say, however, that reading the book certainly helped explain many things in season 1 of the TV show.

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More Books by George R.R. Martin

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer: I borrowed this book from the local library
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