A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire, George R.R. Martin (3.5)
While hiking in the wilds of Southwest Ireland, I decided to bring a book to read each evening that would fit the mood (note: Sacaric brought ‘Lord of the Rings’). ‘A Game of Thrones’ did just that. It is the first of a series (5th book due out in July) that has recently been made into a TV series by HBO. We had seen 3 episodes and thought the book might add more background lore to the fictional place and time of the series. The time is reminiscent of the King Arthur days, but this is definitely not England, Dorothy! While there are kings and knights there is also a big wall built in the northern country to keep the ‘Others’ away. Also there are not yearly seasons. Summers can last a few months or a few years. It has been summer for many years and ‘winter is coming’ is the ominous phrase of the day. The supernatural aspects are not obvious, but there are references to dragons (now extinct), giants and various bits of magic, but the current generation feels these might just be fairy talks they were told by their Nan. At first I was disappointed that the extra background was not as extensive as I had hoped, but more and more things came out and I think it ends up being the writer’s strategy. You feel like the younger generation in the book, realizing that there may be some magic waking up – it keeps you observant. I also liked that he doesn’t hold any characters sacrosanct. Major characters die, as they should with the politics and battles for thrones as the title implies, and you realize that you can’t assume anything. There are plenty of characters, both good and bad so once you get over the shock it compels you to read on that much faster to see if your favorites survive! The sharp edge of that blade is that there are already 5 books. I’ve now read two and many things remain unresolved (maybe I ought to give this a ‘4’, since I made Sacaric download the second on our trip J). The reading is fast paced and full of drama, energy and action. It is no LOTRs, but if you want a fun escapist book, it is that.
I'd love to read this, but I'm watching the series on HBO and don't want to spoil it. May read it after. When there is a book and a movie, do you prefer to see the movie/series first or read the book first?
ReplyDeleteI always prefer the book first - if I see a character first as the actor, that image is cemented! I think the HBO series is over now, right? I think next year is supposed to cover the second book. I'm hesitating before reviewing the 2nd book, don't want to give anything away. I may do a short review.
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