Scan barcode
A review by lizzie04
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
4.0
Great start to the series, although I think I’ll switch over to the physical copies. The narrator annoyed me a little in how he would use this gnarled old man voice for even young male characters. I also just think I would have absorbed the sheer amount of lore better in word form, but that is my own fault.
In terms of content, since I watched the show first I’m a little more in love with season 1 of GoT, and since it follows this book pretty faithfully I already knew the major story beats. But, this is incredibly well-written and engaging on audiobook despite its 34-hour length. Being inside these character’s heads helped me sympathize even more with them. GRRM is also just one of those male fantasy authors who does amazing work with all his characters whereas many male authors fulfill the stereotype of only being good at writing men. It is especially impressive how he makes you care about the Stark children's POVs and, although I dislike Catelyn, I enjoy her POV a lot too.
The only notable downside is the same reason I previously swore to never read these books or watch the show years ago—Daenerys is simply too young for her arc, I’m glad the show aged her up to 16 years. Loved seeing her development and how she grows way past being defined by the men in her life, but I cannot be anything except profoundly grossed out when reading a 13 year old’s sex scenes with a much older man, medieval times, and ‘realism’ be damned. I do not see why the older child characters could not have been aged up knowing the hefty leadership positions they will be in (Robb, Jon, Dany). They’re so young to the point that it takes me out of the story, starting in their late teens would have been more reasonable and relatable.
Otherwise, I’m compelled to continue and excited to see how the books deviate from the show. I do not particularly care that this series is unfinished, just do not want to be disappointed by its progression the way I was with GoT after season 4. I love this world and want to sink into its source material, plus Fire & Blood.
In terms of content, since I watched the show first I’m a little more in love with season 1 of GoT, and since it follows this book pretty faithfully I already knew the major story beats. But, this is incredibly well-written and engaging on audiobook despite its 34-hour length. Being inside these character’s heads helped me sympathize even more with them. GRRM is also just one of those male fantasy authors who does amazing work with all his characters whereas many male authors fulfill the stereotype of only being good at writing men. It is especially impressive how he makes you care about the Stark children's POVs and, although I dislike Catelyn, I enjoy her POV a lot too.
The only notable downside is the same reason I previously swore to never read these books or watch the show years ago—Daenerys is simply too young for her arc, I’m glad the show aged her up to 16 years. Loved seeing her development and how she grows way past being defined by the men in her life, but I cannot be anything except profoundly grossed out when reading a 13 year old’s sex scenes with a much older man, medieval times, and ‘realism’ be damned. I do not see why the older child characters could not have been aged up knowing the hefty leadership positions they will be in (Robb, Jon, Dany). They’re so young to the point that it takes me out of the story, starting in their late teens would have been more reasonable and relatable.
Otherwise, I’m compelled to continue and excited to see how the books deviate from the show. I do not particularly care that this series is unfinished, just do not want to be disappointed by its progression the way I was with GoT after season 4. I love this world and want to sink into its source material, plus Fire & Blood.