The book “A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire” is the fantasy filled first installment in an uncompleted series of larger-than-life novels. The author, George R. R. Martin, is a renowned storyteller who has contributed to works both on paper and on screen. This story has been successfully adapted into a television series that is currently taking the popular culture world captive.

The book “A Game of Thrones” is truly an epic. The tale follows different perspectives through time, moving between chapters to reflect the point of view of each character. The account is centred on the interactions between warring houses in a medieval time when the throne of the realm is being challenged.

The story begins by intriguing the reader with the description of a magical creature attack on a ranging party scouting past the borders of the realm of men. Out of this world beings such as the living dead, direwolves and dragons live between the pages of this epic. The chapters delve deeper and deeper into the complex plot with details painfully hidden just beyond reach. Precious morsels of information are fished out after each character account of events over the course of the tale. Time flows tirelessly though the book and keeps the reader in rapture, moving forward, often lost as to how long time has passed within the story and even in the world outside of the book. The reader finds himself favouring certain characters, hungrily searching through the different accounts to uncover details of their fates.

There are many players in “A Game of Thrones”. The author successfully blurs the lines between characters that are supposedly protagonists and those who are antagonists. The main family being followed is the House Stark, headed by Lord Eddard, who is reluctantly appointed the King’s Hand after the previous title holder’s death. As the story unfolds we understand that the current king gained the throne by besting the previous king, who was the mad commander of the dragons. Deeper within the plot we uncover the motives, the mistakes and the macabre truths behind the battle for the throne. This story has many strong female characters such as Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, who begins as a frightened girl but comes into her own as the story progresses. There are relationships tested and forged, comrades betrayed and exploration of the intricacies of bigotry, birth and bloodlines.

It is sometimes tedious to jump through the different viewpoints. The reader has difficulty following some of the more subtle tones of the otherworldly aspects of the story. There seems to be a great secret lurking in between the lines, always hinting at something supernatural existing that may throw off the balance that has been achieved by the advance of men through the region.

It is a story of conquest and the greed of humankind. It can be translated to our real-life position where man has traversed over most of the world, conquering the wilderness, but not taking the time to understand that the balance must always be restored when it is disturbed.

Book fans that enjoy a complex storyline will truly become entangled in this enchanting tale. The web of characters, the relationships they share and the mysteries that lie within the words of the book truly make the reader want more. The final chapter leaves the audience hanging over a precipice.

If you enjoy the show, you will find that the book holds your imagination just the same. This book sets the stage for a saga full of mind games, romance, bitter battles and power struggles around the throne of the realm of men. 

Katrina’s Rating:

    4.5/5

    16+

    Some Sexual Themes, Profanity