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4.35 AVERAGE
4.35 AVERAGE
Not sure what to think. Will definitely be continuing the series though
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
I was skeptical going in since I'm not a big fan of the fantasy genre and this seemed like a big time commitment (so many books, so little time!). After my book club decided to read the first two, I decided to go for it. I'm glad I did. I've heard that Martin gets bogged down in his descriptions. Perhaps that's the case in later books but I felt like he gave just enough description in this book. I never felt like skimming the page to get to the good stuff again.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I have watched the show. It took me three times to get through season 1. The third try to start watching Game of Thrones was a charm. I fell in love. I fell in love with the characters, I fell in love with the world and then I watched it all crumple. I watched my favorite men lose their heads, I watched my favorite women raped, have their throat slit, sold like horses. I had to sit back and watch children become adults too soon, endure the harsh reality of the world. But I cheered when the men fought the wars and won, when the women stood up above their captors and made them kneel, when the children became just and filled with honor.
In the end, in my room, pretending to be in the halls of Winterfell, I danced with the ghosts of the men I had lost, I talked with the women who won. But then the children passed me the books and I told myself I was ready. I thought I knew I could not fall in love with ghosts again. I knew who would die and who would win. And so I started reading A Game Of Thrones.
And I was wrong. I fell in love with Ned Stark again, a man with nothing but honor on his mind, with his soul beaten by the harsh winds of the north. I even loved Robert Baratheon, a fierce warrior but a drunken king. I looked in the eyes of the great Khal and judged him once more. And I had no power. I had to sit back and watch them die again. I had no choice.
I praise Martin for his writing style. The books although big are easy to read and you cannot put it down. The world building opens your eyes more and more onto the realm and show you the humanity behind hundreds of years. And the characters. The characters are everything I want. I could read a 10000 paged book where the characters just sit at a table and talk. I love them.
The world is a harsh place and Martin shows the real horrors of war and death.
In the end, in my room, pretending to be in the halls of Winterfell, I danced with the ghosts of the men I had lost, I talked with the women who won. But then the children passed me the books and I told myself I was ready. I thought I knew I could not fall in love with ghosts again. I knew who would die and who would win. And so I started reading A Game Of Thrones.
And I was wrong. I fell in love with Ned Stark again, a man with nothing but honor on his mind, with his soul beaten by the harsh winds of the north. I even loved Robert Baratheon, a fierce warrior but a drunken king. I looked in the eyes of the great Khal and judged him once more. And I had no power. I had to sit back and watch them die again. I had no choice.
I praise Martin for his writing style. The books although big are easy to read and you cannot put it down. The world building opens your eyes more and more onto the realm and show you the humanity behind hundreds of years. And the characters. The characters are everything I want. I could read a 10000 paged book where the characters just sit at a table and talk. I love them.
The world is a harsh place and Martin shows the real horrors of war and death.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's somehow immediately obvious, in the very first chapter, this book represents a new standard. This is beautiful writing and world-class storytelling applied to a world perfectly balanced between 15th century England and high fantasy. The world is expansive and rich and an awe-striking reminder that you don't need convoluted rules about magic or creatures or government to have mind-blowing lore. The sky cells had me screaming. Maegor's Holdfast is genius. The Wall is so cool. Even the seasons are intriguing, and they're literally just weather.
George R.R. Martin can write every character - old, young, male, female, genius, stupid, noble, evil. The characters make the story somehow simultaneously high stakes and deeply relatable; Game of Thrones is about murder and treachery and civil war and the fate of humanity while also about hating your in-laws and parenting styles and horseplay gone too far and having a dog. There are so many characters making real choices of consequence that it feels like the plot could have gone 12 different directions and still felt believable every time.
I'm out of superlatives. I need to go lay down.
George R.R. Martin can write every character - old, young, male, female, genius, stupid, noble, evil. The characters make the story somehow simultaneously high stakes and deeply relatable; Game of Thrones is about murder and treachery and civil war and the fate of humanity while also about hating your in-laws and parenting styles and horseplay gone too far and having a dog. There are so many characters making real choices of consequence that it feels like the plot could have gone 12 different directions and still felt believable every time.
I'm out of superlatives. I need to go lay down.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Slow in the beginning but the last two hundred pages are fantastic.