The series, A Song of Ice and Fire, has recently seen a renewal in popularity due to its adaptation into a HBO series. A Game of Thrones, the first novel in the series, takes place in a vast world reminiscent of medieval society. The book tells the tale of a kingdom several years after a bloody civil war that saw a mad tyrant dead. The novel tells the tale of the House Stark, Warden of the North, of the Seven Kingdoms and that of Danaerys Stormborn the exiled and hunted princess of the Kingdoms. Magic also exists in this world, however unlike other fantasy novels most references indicate it has been long lost to the world, with most characters considering it no more than myth.
The book opens with a savage killing involving some of the lost magic and mystery of the world. This is one of the book’s many instances of foreshadowing, and many of these obvious scenes are not resolved in A Game of Thrones. The foreshadowing could be improved as seemingly critical events are ignored shortly after. I am currently reading the third book and can say that reading the whole series is a must for resolving any except the simplest mysteries presented in A Game of Thrones.
Martin uses the technique of telling his story by having several main characters as his narrators, and each chapter gives their experience of events. We found that this was excellent at some points but often there was a break in the flow of the novel to revisit a character whose plot is not critical to the novel at the time.
The other plot device that Martin relies heavily on is dramatic irony. He can barely go more than a chapter without presenting information to the reader that is unknown to the other characters. While interesting at first, it becomes tiresome due to the frequency; significantly reducing the level of drama and making it more of an annoyance. Some readers may enjoy the suspense of speculating how other characters will react to new developments when they learn of them.
In terms of a comparison to other fantasy series there is nothing that comes to mind. J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert Jordan both produced worlds on the same scale as Martin has, but that is where the similarities end. There is a brutality in Martin’s work that is rarely seen in other novels, fantasy or otherwise. There are many depictions of violence which can be occasionally difficult to stomach depending on your tolerance, as those who’ve seen the HBO series can attest.
One of the best points in the novel is the realism of the characters as there are no clear “good” characters in this novel, every character has a dark secret or commits acts that can be viewed as evil. While making the characters less likable, it does avoid the good vs. evil cliché that exists in many other series. This is a major feat and redeems some of the excessive foreshadowing and dramatic irony.
We commend this book for its originality, and complicated character development and interactions. However, running at a hefty 694 pages and with three more books currently in-store and three more planned for in the series, this is a major reading commitment.
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