Review - A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones
Author: George R.R Martin
Pages: 800+

Publisher's Description:

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lies the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: game of thrones. 

My thoughts:

I finally finished the book! *celebratory dance* Never in the history of everdom has it taken me so long to read a book. And it's not that lengthy stories deter me, I just couldn't power through this one for some reason. So where to begin...well for me my interest wasn't truly piqued until about midway through the book. I found myself reading only 20 to 30 pages at a time into the 400s, but once I hit halfway, I would read no less than 60 pages per sitting. And this is because the action/plot picks up considerably. It seemed the first half is dedicated to introducing all the characters, their backgrounds and their woes. 

There are quite a few characters (and woes) to keep up with, and I very quickly became attached to some characters, and to others not so much. Let's see...I liked: Jon Snow (because I have a soft-spot for outcasts and loners), Robb Stark (performed well under pressure), Tyrion Lannister (smart-ass and perfect example of brains over brawn), and Arya Stark (goes against the grain) The characters I didn't like that much were Sansa Stark (spoiled brat. uppity. naive), and Catelyn Stark (self-righteous much?? and she's mean to Jon Snow).

I was on the fence about Daenerys' character...I understand how she might fit into the whole scheme of things, but there was a still a disconnection, and at this point, I'm not sure if I should be rooting for or against her. Eddard Stark was another one that I went back and forth about. I just feel like he knew he was dealing with snakes, but he still went against his gut and so he got bitten. He ended up looking the fool and got his head lopped off. I like that he was loyal, but at some point he had to realize (and he does, in an untimely fashion) his own stupidity, so I had little pity for he who does too little too late in a life or death situation...what was the saying again: you either live or die in a game of thrones? or something like that. 

This book is the first in a series and I wasn't sure if I was going to pick up the second book anytime soon, however, the end scene in the last chapter with Daenerys was truly a 'What-the-hell?' moment, thus I'm inclined to continue the series much sooner rather than later. 

Really good storytelling and interesting characters.

A Game of Thrones

Four stars.