A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Illustrations by 18 different artists
Published in 1996; 2016 20th Anniversary Illustrated Edition
Pages: 843
Genre: Fantasy
“We should start back,” Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them.”
There are few fantasy series that have made such an impact in the 21st century as the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. Ironically, the series began in 1996 with the release of A Game of Thrones, but didn’t receive mainstream attention outside of the genre until it was adapted into the HBO show that has garnered dozens of accolades and millions of viewers. Focusing on the lives of men and women living in a fictional world, A Game of Thrones takes the first step in a long, winding epic that turned the genre on its head and has made a lasting mark in Western pop culture.
The main characters come from the Great Houses, and A Game of Thrones focuses primarily on House Stark: Lord Eddard “Ned”, his wife Catelyn, sons Robb, Bran and Rickon, daughters Sansa and Arya, and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Ned is the lord of Winterfell, a castle in the north of Westeros and is summoned by his old friend, Robert Baratheon, who is now king. Robert travels with his wife, Cersei Lannister, her twin brother Jaime, and his three children in addition to a lengthy train of servants. Ned is asked to come with to the city of King’s Landing in the south to become the Hand of the King, a lord who acts in the king’s stead and as an adviser, after the previous Hand died. Ned does this through his love of his friend and their mutual history, but heading south begins a chain of events that brings many lives and families to their end.
Though many protagonists often find themselves miraculously impervious to death in most fantasy novels, no one is safe in Westeros. A Game of Thrones was really one of the first major fantasy novels to kill main characters on a wider scale within the very first book of a series, and sets itself apart not only because it dares to do so, but because of how well it works. The book is one of subverting stereotypes and it does so on multiple levels. Moral ambiguity rules King’s Landing where there is no place for honor and the strong survive while the weak perish. Ned’s honor, nobility, and sense of justice put him at odds with the political players in the capital and, as such, he becomes imperiled.
Loss of innocence is another theme that is found throughout the story; young characters are forced into the dangerous world of adults and many of the main characters are only teenagers. This is most blatantly illustrated through Sansa, Ned’s oldest daughter. She has expectations of heroes and chivalrous knights who put honor above all else, but only comes to find the self-serving men of King’s Landing. It is Sansa who carries these old tropes from fairy tales and fantasy stories that Martin seeks to crush in his epic.
Martin is an expert at world building that has a rich history and references many past events that took place in Westeros in order to add credibility to the world. However, this can sometimes be overdone. I found myself skipping some descriptions of lords who happen to be in the same room as the main characters and their superfluous backstories. There are also a lot of names that are spelled very similarly, and many have the same names as the historical figures in the world, so it becomes confusing as to whether Brandon refers to Brandon the Builder, Ned’s brother Brandon Stark, or his son, Brandon “Bran” Stark. Martin also maintains the pace throughout the book by ending each chapter with a cliffhanger; since each chapter switches to a different character, this heightens the amount of suspense since the reader doesn’t know when they will get the next part of that character’s story.
This edition was made to celebrate the 20th anniversary of A Game of Thrones and features absolutely gorgeous illustrations. A black and white picture that has to do with something mentioned in the subsequent part of the story is present at the beginning of each chapter, and there are colored prints strewn throughout the book as well. As mentioned above, each chapter is from a different character’s perspective; however, the different narrators have their own tones, but all are told from the 3rd person in order to maintain consistency. In addition to the wonderful art and world building, Martin is a master of description and takes it upon himself to write about the most succulent smorgasbords and mouth-watering morsels during the multiple feasts that take place. Martin also writes about scents quite a bit; almost to the point that it sticks out because it is either often overlooked by authors or done without success.
I first read A Game of Thrones in anticipation of the HBO series shortly before it was released, and I wish that I were able to read it as I did then rather than replacing the mental images of the actors in my head when reading the book’s differing descriptions. That being said, I jumped at the chance to own a copy of this beautifully rendered edition due to the amount of art that brings Martin’s vivid world to life. His writing isn’t perfect, there are some stylistic terms used that are questionable, but the overall impact of the story is one of astounding talent. There is a reason that this series has been as successful as it is, regardless of the HBO adaptation, and the proof is in the (description of the) pudding.
Verdict: 5 delectable descriptions of food out of 5
Recommended for: Adults, fans of fantasy loosely inspired by historic events, those who enjoy becoming hungry while reading, fans of well-written description, those who enjoy genre tropes being subverted, and you!
Not recommended for: Children, the great houses of Westeros, those who play the game of thrones but don’t win, those who become attached to characters they read about, those who enjoy genre tropes, or those who have watched the HBO series (they are almost direct adaptations with a few aesthetic differences and the inclusion of “sexposition”…I’m not going to explain it).
Moral ambiguity and Martin’s self-proclaimed crushing of heroes and the Heroic Mold, that was most of the reasons I’ve never gotten into these books. These past 20 years of agony and anguish of waiting for each new book by fans has simply made me feel smug about skipping it from the get-go 😀
*very smug*
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Great review!, and your edition looks lovely! I unwillingly watched the series on HBO (I’m odd about fantasy), and I’m so glad that I got over myself and did. It was SO good and consuming, and I’m glad that I waited until most it was released. The cliffhangers would have killed me, and my life was completely on hold as we binged through the seasons. I do really want to go back and read the books, but there are so many I feel a bit overwhelmed. I do enjoy a lot of story and character depth, so it would probably be good to fill in the gaps.
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It’s definitely an intimidating amount to read. I had started the second book and gave up to just watch the series, though I know the two diverge a bit after the first season. Than you!
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I might have enjoyed the first book more with all these images. Damn.
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They definitely gave something for my imagination to grab onto (especially to get the HBO sets out of my mind, though they still lingered).
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I cannot stand the fact that the show’s actors are forever etched in my mind. I started reading the books in 2003 and the actors have still usurped the images I had of them. It’s incredibly annoying haha.
Even still, the series is incredible. Even better than the show, which is hard for some people to believe.
Love this edition, too! Glad you picked it up. The art from Magali Villeneuve, in particular, floors me. https://twitter.com/Cathaoir1/status/969876763080904704
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I know! The same thing happened when I re-read The Perks of Being a Wallflower after seeing its movie adaptation.
The series deserves its due if for no other reason than its rejection of the safe hero mold.
It’s definitely a favorite in my collection. That art is amazing! Thanks for the link!
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Perks is actually my 2nd favorite movie of all time, so I’m happy with those people being in my head when I read 😀
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One of the great strokes of random good fortune in my life was that I just happened to be given a promotional copy of the first edition of the first book, back when it first came out. Apparently those are worth a fair amount of money these days although I fear mine is in pretty foxed condition. Anyway, reading the book was a stunning experience. I wish Martin would finish the series but I imagine the pressure must be killing him. An example of be careful what you wish for!
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I bought all the books but have never opened them – I was put off by the fact it was made into a TV series. Maybe one day I’ll have a look because I suspect I’m missing something wonderful here
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I don’t think you’ll regret picking them up if you decide to!
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Afraid I had to give up at Book 3. Unending series are not for me.
I must say however that your new edition looks wonderful.
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I only read until about halfway into the second book, so I can’t blame you for stopping at book 3. And thank you!
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Wow these editions look gorgeous!
A friend recommended the books to me (some time before the show started) and I really enjoyed it at first. I love the set-up of ‘cliche fantasy protagonists (noble hero, tomboy, girl dreaming about princes…) dropped in a very un-cliched fantasy setting and what he does with it but…God these books are getting long. Now ‘the longer the series the longer the books’ is definitely not a problem that just Martin has (or just fantasy-authors) but he is getting somewhat extreme and I find myself not really caring for any of the POV-characters that got introduced later in the series…
I still want to know how it ends, though 😀 and unless he kills of all the remaining characters I care about in the next book (which is not completely impossible but somewhat unlikely :P) I’ll finish the series.
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Haha he really is a master at food descriptions
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Maybe Martin hasn’t finished the latest book because he’s having a hard time coming up with more descriptions of food? Haha
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Haha that very well could be!
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I love your edition of the series!! Also, I completely agree with the suspense bit- I often skip other character’s chapters and come back to them later!
For all bookworms, here is my blog! https://thevoraciousbibliophile.wordpress.com
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Amazing Review!! So good. Game of Thrones is one of all time favorites! I absolutely cannot wait for the next book. And the next season. I love your style of writing. You have captured the literal feeling of the reader when he is going through certain parts of the story, in the most realistic and beautiful way.
I recently wrote about the things Game of Thrones has taught me. I would love to know your opinion on the same.
https://themephobicwriter.blog/2018/07/21/things-i-learnt-from-game-of-thrones/
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Amazing. 🙂 I enjoy his writing as well. A dose of realistic fiction is always fitting. Personally I find myself both hating on and loving the characters, and that just points to how well written they are.
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Very well said! Thanks for reading and commenting!
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