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mrrmadi's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
isaakatreviews's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
5.0
'Game of Thrones' is one of my favourite shows of all time - I'm rewatching it right now, actually (on season 5), but I, like many others, still find myself frustrated with how the series turned out, especially by its conclusion. Online, everyone raved about the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' books, saying they were even better than the show, so a couple weeks ago, after far longer than I should have, I finally started the first book...
And everyone was right. I can't claim to have read many, but 'A Game of Thrones' is the best book I've ever read. There is so much more content in here than the show, from the Greenfork chapter to Jeyne Poole, and it made for such an exciting read, even knowing the major plot points. Even the chapters that were pretty much beat-for-beat recreated in the show, it was still engaging to see how Martin wrote them (his descriptive style is beautiful), and how the characters' internal monologues added to them.
As for my favourite chapters, keeping it vague to avoid spoilers, I loved Jon VII, Arya V, Catelyn XI, Tyrion VIII - especially fantastic for me as it was cut from the show - and every Daenerys chapter among many others. The latter was my favourite POV by far, even though her storyline is perhaps the lesser part of season 1 in my opinion, for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I think her inner monologue is fascinating and develops her into a far more complex and emotionally compelling character, secondly that Martin's descriptions of the East and its cultures are so vivid and imaginative, thirdly that her perspective is so unique compared to the rest of the novel in Westeros, and finally that with the names being written down, I had a better grasp on the supporting characters and their roles than in the show. The latter two reasons also go for Jon, whose chapters were also consistently very enjoyable to read. I would rank them as follows:
1) Daenerys
2) Catelyn
3) Eddard
4) Tyrion
5) Jon
6) Arya
7) Sansa
8) Bran (sorry Bran, nobody likes you)
Apparently, the later books diverge more from the series (or vice versa, I suppose), so I'm looking forward to seeing what's different! Until then, 'A Game of Thrones' was phenomenal every step of the way, and a monumental achievement from George R. R. Martin. Now, please, for the love of the old Gods, the Lord of Light and the Seven, get off your arse and get 'The Winds of Winter' done before I work my way through the rest of these!
And everyone was right. I can't claim to have read many, but 'A Game of Thrones' is the best book I've ever read. There is so much more content in here than the show, from the Greenfork chapter to Jeyne Poole, and it made for such an exciting read, even knowing the major plot points. Even the chapters that were pretty much beat-for-beat recreated in the show, it was still engaging to see how Martin wrote them (his descriptive style is beautiful), and how the characters' internal monologues added to them.
As for my favourite chapters, keeping it vague to avoid spoilers, I loved Jon VII, Arya V, Catelyn XI, Tyrion VIII - especially fantastic for me as it was cut from the show - and every Daenerys chapter among many others. The latter was my favourite POV by far, even though her storyline is perhaps the lesser part of season 1 in my opinion, for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, I think her inner monologue is fascinating and develops her into a far more complex and emotionally compelling character, secondly that Martin's descriptions of the East and its cultures are so vivid and imaginative, thirdly that her perspective is so unique compared to the rest of the novel in Westeros, and finally that with the names being written down, I had a better grasp on the supporting characters and their roles than in the show. The latter two reasons also go for Jon, whose chapters were also consistently very enjoyable to read. I would rank them as follows:
1) Daenerys
2) Catelyn
3) Eddard
4) Tyrion
5) Jon
6) Arya
7) Sansa
8) Bran (sorry Bran, nobody likes you)
Apparently, the later books diverge more from the series (or vice versa, I suppose), so I'm looking forward to seeing what's different! Until then, 'A Game of Thrones' was phenomenal every step of the way, and a monumental achievement from George R. R. Martin. Now, please, for the love of the old Gods, the Lord of Light and the Seven, get off your arse and get 'The Winds of Winter' done before I work my way through the rest of these!
_camporter's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
esouthwest's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A little too much incest and rape for me to truly enjoy, but the drama is pretty unmatched.
I would also have liked a little more info on the Night's Watch.
I would also have liked a little more info on the Night's Watch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Sexism, Violence, War, Child death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual violence, and Slavery
lorenxx's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
namrata_jain's review against another edition
4.0
It's a fantasy, and a fairly predictable one at that.
Some of the characters are really worth the read and yes, there were some really prolific sections..
But overall, I didn't have a "wow, that was some book" moment when I finished the book. The ending (probably an attempt of a cliffhanger for book 2), was quite obvious, and unnecessarily sensational.
They killed eddard for absolutely no reason (some Game of thrones fans claim it'll make more sense when I read further into the series, hope it's true).
But like most fantasy novels, it kept me reading on and on and yes, i'll read book 2 as well (especially because i own the whole series! )
My favorite parts: the direwolves, tyrion and arya!
Some of the characters are really worth the read and yes, there were some really prolific sections..
But overall, I didn't have a "wow, that was some book" moment when I finished the book. The ending (probably an attempt of a cliffhanger for book 2), was quite obvious, and unnecessarily sensational.
They killed eddard for absolutely no reason (some Game of thrones fans claim it'll make more sense when I read further into the series, hope it's true).
But like most fantasy novels, it kept me reading on and on and yes, i'll read book 2 as well (especially because i own the whole series! )
My favorite parts: the direwolves, tyrion and arya!
andsharman's review against another edition
4.0
With over 45,000 reviews of this book on Good Reads, the world probably doesn't need another one. But here's mine anyway.
If you are looking for a book with fantasy, magic and fantastic beasts, this isn't it. Martin's book is more of a pseudo historical drama in an invented location. This means that the novel is reasonably well paced despite the proliferation of characters and story lines, as Martin does not get bogged down in lengthy description. But the drawback with Martin's approach is that the book lacks atmosphere and poetry. Characters also tend to be a bit one dimensional. Although having so many gives him the ability to kill off as many as he chooses. And it's this constant and brutal threat that informs the main narrative. Because, although the protagonists
If you are looking for a book with fantasy, magic and fantastic beasts, this isn't it. Martin's book is more of a pseudo historical drama in an invented location. This means that the novel is reasonably well paced despite the proliferation of characters and story lines, as Martin does not get bogged down in lengthy description. But the drawback with Martin's approach is that the book lacks atmosphere and poetry. Characters also tend to be a bit one dimensional. Although having so many gives him the ability to kill off as many as he chooses. And it's this constant and brutal threat that informs the main narrative. Because, although the protagonists
friesenag's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
4.75