Summary from GoodReads:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective wall. To the south, the King’s powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens. The first volume in George Martin’s series.

My Review:

George R.R. Martin is one of the giants in the fantasy world today, and rightly so. He is a master of storytelling, world building and his characters command so much attention it’s difficult to put them aside in favor of doing things like, you know, eating, sleeping and working.

There’s been a lot of talk lately (most recently in a NYT review of GRRM’s latest book) of George “replacing” Tolkien, which is complete hogwash. While both are fantasy authors (and one a recognized forefather of the genre), their styles are completely different.

George R.R. Martin focuses on such a big picture with A Game of Thrones. There’s no necessary “good” or “evil”, there’s politics, wars, slights, rights and wrongs – which each character can be guilty of. Rather than focusing on a particular quest, which is something Tolkien loved to do, instead George R.R. Martin writes the saga of a land and the movement of power between huge factions of families.

There are characters I love in A Game of Thrones – little Anya and Bran, Ned Stark for his quiet strength, Catelyn Stark for her backbone, Jon Snow, the bastard, and the Imp for his sheer comedic value. There are characters that are evil, but even some of those have a side that is revealed at times hinting at more then isn’t there.

The writing in A Game of Thrones is gritty, tough, engrossing and engaging. Tolkien never used some of the drama that Martin does, be it in the private of the bedroom/tent between man and woman or on the battlefield, because it wouldn’t fit the story. Martin does it because it fits his story, and that is why I find any sort of comparison to be ridiculous.

I’m glad I’m finding the time to reacquaint myself with this series, because it is a powerful story and they are books worth reading if you are a fantasy lover – but it is powerful enough on its own and is weakened by the need to compare it with other authors.

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