A Song of Fire and Ice: A Game of Thrones Book. My Thoughts.

This is my review and thoughts on my take of George Martin’s first book of the A Song of Fire and Ice saga.

George Martin is one of the well-known authors in the literary community due to his contributions towards the fantasy genre, most notably his infamous saga of A Song of Fire and Ice. As with many of his written works focused primarily with a mix between medieval and fantasy, A Song of Fire and Ice consist of seven fantasy/medieval books, if Martin plans to finish the last two, that take place during the timeline of the War of the Five Kings, which we’ll get into soon. All of these books have a complex storyline that delves deep into the politics and volatility that Westeros experiences. Other than that, George Martin showcases a high level of writing that can overwhelm readers. Sure, A Song of Fire and Ice does seem to have everything to be one of the best fantasy sagas out there… However, for me, it is not the case. Here is a small review on why I think A Game of Thrones isn’t worth reading.

A few reasons I wrote on why I don’t think I’ll ever finish A Song of Fire and Ice

Overview Of A Song of Fire and Ice: A Game of Thrones

A small overview of what Book 1 is about…

Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, or the second in command of Westeros, is mysteriously murdered, which sets the course of the main story and question that is dominant throughout the plot of the story: Who killed Jon Arryn? Robert Baratheon, the King of Westeros, sets out to Winterfell in the North region of the realm in order to convince one of his fiercest allies, Ned Stark, the leader of House Stark, to come with him to King’s Landing, the capital of Westeros, to help him rule the realm and assume the responsibilities (FYI: In reality, King Robert wants Ned Stark to assume the Hand of the King position so that he (Robert) will not have to do the duties that are expected of him as King. To simply put it, he just wants to enjoy the privileges of being King without having to do the work of governing. Ned Stark agrees to help him, only to find out that governing Westeros from King’s Landing isn’t an easy task. In the capital, House Lannister, one of the Great Houses in Westeros in which the members are the antagonists of Book 1, are eyeing to hold power on the Iron Throne. Throughout the story, the Lannisters act in secrecy and fool most of the characters all for the pursuit of power and authority. They succeed at every scheme they’ve planned, executing Ned in the process, along with putting the other members of House Stark at risk of execution. Their seize of power in Westeros commences the timeline that takes place in Book 2, The War of the Five Kings… which I’m not too sure I’ll read.

Writing Style of A Game of Thrones

I consider George Martin’s style of writing to be one that is advanced. For anyone who is planning on reading his works, I highly encourage to read an excerpt of anyone of his stories in order to get a feel on how he writes. While I read A Game of Thrones, or Book 1, I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, and disillusioned. No, I don’t have anything against the author; however, Martin’s writing style was difficult to absorb. The main reason of that is because the writing style that is ominously present in A Song of Fire and Ice is highly descriptive, rich in detail, and… DENSE!… Yes, Martin’s writing is highly dense making it difficult for mostly any reader on wanting to tackle this fantasy saga. Personally, I struggled to get through the first half of the book, reaching the beginning of the second half, since there was so many descriptive details of what was happening, thus the density of it. Since I felt that the density of the writing was making me overwhelmed, I finally decided to put the saga behind me and read other books in which I’ll be able to enjoy.

Game of Thrones is DENSE

Chapters in A Game of Thrones

The characters aren’t just memorable. There are a total of sixty chapters in the book, all being dedicated to each of the main cast of characters: Ned Stark, Catelyn Stark, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen. Each of them, obviously, has a unique storyline with their own sets of challenges, objectives, and wants. Martin does make a well-thought out choice of separating the chapters for each character, but it also lends itself to a weakness for the reader. Having a big cast, along with dedicated chapters, offers a complex challenge: staying in touch of what’s happening with each character and where they are.

The Realm of Westeros

The world in which A Song of Fire and Ice is set, the Kingdom of Westeros, is where the saga and Book 1, at least for me, truly shine. I did my own research of Westeros and I have to say that I give a huge amount of credit for George Martin on creating such a diverse and detailed world that can easily be fractured and brought to its knees on the brink of war. To understand the realm of Westeros, one has to know the history behind it. Long ago, before the events of Book 1, Westeros was home to seven independent kingdoms. Almost all of these kingdoms were at war until Aegon the Conqueror, the founding father of a unified Westeros, arrived on the shores where King’s Landing is situated. He conquered all of these independent kingdoms with his army of dragons and unified each of them under a single throne, the Iron Throne. Aegon the Conqueror’s family, House Targaryen, ruled Westeros for centuries until Robert Baratheon, the current king in Book 1, initiated a rebellion against Aegon’s family dynasty, which was successful, and gained control of the Iron Throne, setting the events of Book 1.

My Verdict

Rate: 3.8/5

A Game of Thrones does shine as the catalyst for the other well- awarded fantasy books that make up the A Song of Fire and Ice saga, but in my case it doesn’t blow me away. This book, though having a descriptive, rich, and detailed world, is not a book that is one to easily pick up since it has its flaws on the technical side. It has a writing style that is highly descriptive and with it comes its density. I felt that this book is overwhelming for any reader to fully immerse themselves into because of the many complex themes, characters, and storylines that one has to carry while making their way to the end of the book. I highly advise anyone to read the excerpts of Martin’s work before fully committing to this dense story of his.

This is my review on Book 1 (A Game of Thrones) of the A Song of Fire and Ice saga.

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