Game of Thrones came about during an era of door-stopper fantasy series that are apparently endless. Its often tedious to consider entering the world of newbies when there are so many other attention grabbing fantasy book series hitting the shelves. After all, Robert Jordan or Terry Goodkind are already taking over the feild so why try anything else huh? Haha.. But in all honesty, each book should be judged on its own merits. For example: George R.R Martins A Song of Ice and Fire proves that there’s still room for diamonds among the rough.
The initial book in the series is the award-winning A Game of Thrones. Describing the book is not an easy task. Mainly because a short summary will miss one of the precious facets of a great piece work. But here’s an attempt to give those who’ve never read the book a feel:
Imagine a feudal kingdom on a massive continent in a world filled with many cultures and half-legendary lands, all connected together through an ancient history. Imagine a time where dragons once lived but magic is now dwindling,where the seasons can be long or short, bringing glorious summers or terrible winters that last years at a time. Imagine an iron throne from which seven kingdoms are ruled, with false knights and true all gathered about it in hopes of blood or glory or profit, and shadows behind it pushing the pieces that make up the game of thrones.
That’s the book for you, well…in a nut-shell. But if you want something more specific, try this:
The story begins with an immensely frightening prologue that announces who the truest “enemies are”, suddenly we enter the castle of winter-fell. We are then introduced to the Starks, King Robert and his Iron Throne. Yes, the beginning includes a man being executed and on the same bloody day direwolf pups are found next to the dead body of a huge direwolf, killed by a broken antler in her neck.
Later on down the line we the readers are introduced to a series of events such as a shock of fear that arrives when Stark Motto announces, “Winter is Coming”, this serves as a reminder that there’s a great danger that almost no one is paying attention to. Game of Thrones consists of Politics, murders, and conspiracies. Tournaments, love, hatred. War, battle, trials. Disaster and victory. But, thats not even the half, Game of Thrones is notably one of the best fantasies written in the last decade, and it stands proudly up there right next series such as The Lord of the Rings. In short, If you want something written in a straightforward tone without the use of political intrigues, minus bloody battles or frank language and sexual situations, without the use of a huge cast of characters, then A Game of Thrones may not be for you. But if you are looking for a fantasy book series that surprises you and leaves you yearning for more but also leaves you elated, angry and sad by the turn of the page, then give it a try! I promise you, you wont be disappointed.