A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1

First of all, these books are a great read. They're well written with elegant articulation and beautiful descriptions. The plot is thought out and complex just like any good book should be, the characters have a lot of personality like any good character should have, and there's enough of a storyline to keep a very lengthy book interesting. I like that there are so many character POVs but nothing seems overdone at all. Each storyline and each character has their own separate life that the book portrays and they all have enough scattered chapters through the book that you never forget what's happening with a certain character. That being said... I have read books 1-5 and pretty much the only thing that has disappointed me - and greatly - is the injustice to the protagonistic family done by the antagonistic family. We'll call them family PRO and Family ANTI for protagonistic and antagonistic. The Anti-family has done atrocious - and I mean ATROCIOUS, not just running a dog over and urinating in your soup atrocious but I won't use specifics as to spoil anything - things to this family. These are devastating things that make me sympathize with the Pro-family, things that make me loathe the Anti-family and yearn for justice yet... it seems that the Pro-family just keeps suffering and the Anti-family continues to flourish gaining more power, wealth, and malice. The pro-family sees tragedy after tragedy for standing up to Anti-family. I keep waiting for the Pro-family to get at least a little bit of justice, just to make the books tolerable. Just a morsel, a smidgen of reprieve from this horrible life they've been condemned to but after five books they've had almost all their opportunities to get the right amount of injustice taken away from them. For them to get their much-deserved retribution they'd need to have A, B, C, D, E, F, and G killed, maimed, humiliated, overthrown, mauled, slaughtered, flayed, (enter your own ideas of the most horrific scenarios and enter some explicits and you might have an idea of what this family needs - and me too, to be satisfied) but with so many events chances of justice and ways that they deserve justice has been reduced to only options A and B. Seriously, I'm so disappointed at how the things I've been looking forward to reading in this book keep getting ripped out of the Pro-family's (and my own) hands. Other than that, though, this book moves fairly quickly, the plot furthers at a decent speed, there is just enough action and plot to keep it from being overdone or underdone. WARNING, SPOILER ALERT: I'd like to add, too, that my favorite part of the book is the Others and they've been only a minute part of this book. I watched the pilot of GoTs before I read the books and the very first five or so minutes when they showed the White Walkers hooked me and easily became my favorite part, and this has only been about two percent of the book. I'd love to read more on these things. Being that book six is supposedly the last one, and the really wicked things haven't even really made their debut I'm wondering if they'll get to do so in book six. They're like a threat that's been looming over human-kind unbeknownst to them, and no one believes they're going to be making their much-awaited appearance to the whole world. No one believes they'll be coming back. So, if I had the chance to beg anything of the fantastic author, it would be to give the family their much-deserved revenge and make the Others a huge part of book six. Please! Please!

If you like the HBO series, you will not be disappointed here. This first book corresponds to the 1st season of Game of Thrones. It is nearly exactly the same with a few interesting differences which I liked, and there is more details on the history of Westeros. The sex scenes in the book are somehow more graphic than the show but nothing that an adult can't handle (not for kids)! So I am not a big reader. I hated it when I was forced to read in school and have done a good job of avoiding serious reading save for magazines and news articles. It probably has to do with the fact that I am a slow reader. When I learned there was a book series that the TV show was based on I was interested to look into it. But when I saw just how long the books where, I just knew darn well I wouldn't read it. But the further I got into the show, the more interested I got in the maybe giving the books a try. Finally I downloaded the Kindle sample and it didn't take long to be hooked. For those that haven't seen the show but are interested in the books: The setting is a place and time like medieval Britain. The story follows a handful of great and formerly-great houses in their struggle with love and honor and power. It is a fantasy, but that is not the major part, at least not in this first book. The characters are humans and their life-struggles are those of all humans. The fantasy element is somewhat on the fringes but is there, so it may be more accessible to those weary of learning fantasy worlds like Tolkien's, like myself. The sex and violence is quite graphic and Martin's descriptions of battles is wonderfully vivid, something Tolkien skimps on in The Hobbit; I haven't finished the Lord of the Rings so I can't comment on the comparison there. If you are someone like me who got bogged down in the first book of the LOTR series, this is much easier to read and more engaging throughout. There are multiple stories line occurring all at once and Martin switches between them with every new chapter so it takes some getting used to but they are now hard to follow. The prologue was very confusing (and I've seen the show) so get through it because it sets a scene and you will understand it later. And WARNING, as I was warned prior to watching the show or reading the books, Martin has no loyalties to characters. You will love Martin one minute and curse him the next. If you want a story where the main character/hero triumphs of evil, honor over dishonor, do not read this book. But that is what makes the story so interesting: it's like the real world we live in, evil often triumphs. As for the Kindle edition: I have the both the Kindle and the paperback editions. I always have my phone on me but not always the hard copy so they serve 2 different purposes. I am someone how does like the feel of a book (I know, I know. I said I don't read... Nonetheless). As far as I can tell there are no differences. Even the art at the beginning of each chapter is the same. I switch seamlessly between the two. So in summary, I loved it. I would recommend it to everyone, even to adults who don't read much. It's a great story covered in sex and war… what's not to love!

Very solid book first fantasy of mine hehe

Da dove cominciare. Questo è il primo libro di una serie decisamente lunga, soprattutto detto e considerato che ogni libro conta più o meno sulle 800 pagine. Tuttavia ciò non dovrebbe far desistere dall'intraprenderne la lettura, anche perchè è una delle più belle saghe degli ultimi tempi. Mi sono trattenuto dallo scrivere "saghe fantasy", tuttavia, perchè sarebbe una definizione inappropriata e riduttiva. In effetti, se mi chiedessero di cosa parla "A Game of Thrones", mi troverei in difficoltà nel rispondere. In linea di massima, è un gioco di potere. Un gioco di potere in cui, o meglio, attorno a cui, si intrecciano amori, tragedie, incesti, tradimenti, sottili giochi d'inganni ed epiche battaglie, vicende umane delle più varie e drammatiche. Insomma, un mondo in piena evoluzione, vivo e pulsante, in cui si dipana la vicenda. Un'altro dei grandi punti di forza di "A Game of Thrones" è la quasi totale assenza di cattivi assoluti o buoni assoluti. Anche se esistono dei rari estremi, ogni personaggio è disegnato in scala di grigi, e ognuno dipinto con una complessità affascinante. Per questo è impossibile un punto di vista univoco nell'interpretare questa vicenda, caratteristica che non fa che dare maggior valore al tutto. Prima, inoltre, accennavo al fatto che la classificazione di fantasy era riduttiva. A questo proposito la spiegazione è che, pur essendo ambientato in un mondo completamente inventato, si discosta dai canoni del fantasy classico perchè, a parte i draghi, non presenta le tipiche razze magiche/fantastiche dell'immaginario, e la magia è una componente limitatissima. Per concludere, alcune osservazioni finali. La versione kindle da me acquistata è davvero ben fatta, non ci sono errori di impaginazione o sbavature varie. Per quanto riguarda la lingua, infine, l'inglese di Martin non è eccessivamente complesso e con una discreta padronanza dell'inglese si comprende abbastanza facilmente tutto. In caso di difficoltà, comunque, c'è il dizionario integrato nel kindle che sopperisce alle mancanze del lettore. Inoltre, io personalmente ho preferito la versione inglese a quella italiana (ho la prima metà in italiano in cartaceo, ma poi ho acquistato il kindle e mi conveniva maggiormente questa versione completa in inglese, più economica rispetto alla seconda metà in italiano). Libro, e serie, consigliatissimi e promossi a pieni voti.

I came to George R.R. Martin quite recently, after having bought "season 1" which roughly correspond to Game of Thrones (there is a little bit concerning Arya at the end in the TV series which in fact is from book 2). This volume has already attracted hundreds of reviews, most of which are extremely positive, and I can understand why and definitely share the feeling. Rather than paraphrasing what others have already mentioned perhaps a couple of years ago, I would like to insist on what a huge and superb job George R.R. Martin has done in creating a whole fantasy world. This is what has prompted some reviewers to compare him to Tolkien. I am not even sure that the term "fantasy world" is entirely appropriate, however. This is because, at times, you get almost the impression that this is just as much "alternative history" as fantasy: there is only a little magic - no wizards - at least in the first volume, although there are dragons, walking dead, extraordinary wolves and mention of other non-human creatures living beyond the Wall. The world that he has created is loosely based on bits and pieces aggregated from the Ancient history and the Middle Ages in Europe, and in the United Kingdom, in particular, and, to a lesser extent, Asia. Here are a few examples: - The maps of Westeros, the land of the Seven Kingdoms, make you think of a somewhat modified version of Britain. You can recognize the general shape, although it has been modified quite a bit and distances have been multiplied by a factor of eight or ten because Westeros is a whole continent, as opposed to a big island - The analogies go further. The Wall seem to have been loosely inspired by either Hadrian's Wall or Antonin's Wall, which was further to the north . The Night Watch seems to be loosely inspired by the Military Orders of the Middle Ages, at least with regards the vows that the applicants have to pronounce in order to join, renouncing whatever property (land in particular) and family and with pronouncing vows of celibacy. The recruitment mode is a little different, although Military Orders did also in some cases accept criminals who were ready to join them to do penance and atone for their crimes. Regarding knights, however, those who joined the historical Orders generally did so of their own free will, as opposed to being send or somewhat forced to join the Night Watch - The society of the Seven Kingdoms resembles the 15th century, given the castles and the equipment of the knights (plate armour, helmets, jousting and so on...), and the civil wars that take place once the King has died reminded me of the War of the Roses. The conflict seems to be just as bloody and treason is just as common. The only difference is perhaps that, up to now, noble families do not seem to change sides as frequently as they did during the War of the Roses, although this is only the first book, and there is plenty of time for this to happen in subsequent volumes - There are also other historical references. The name and description of the Dothraki suggests a parallel with the Thracians of Antiquity and perhaps also with the Skythians, although their eyes could suggest a reference to Asian steppe nomads (pick your choice: they were dozens of them between the Huns around AD 350 and the Mongols almost a thousand years latter. Both the Thracians and the Scythians sacrificed their warlord's horse during his funeral so that he could ride it in the underworld, although only the latter used horse archers. The reference to "arakhs", the swords, or perhaps more accurately the kind of sabres used by the Dothraki, also points to the Rhompaia of the Thracians, although there are differences. The historical rhompaia (which was also used by the Dacians) was a two-handed sword made of straightened scythe held and a long handle that could make up to half the length of the weapon. The blade was particularly sharp and the weapon was dreaded by Roman legionaries because it could loop of limbs. For those wanting to read more on the Thracians, and check some of the staements above, try "The Gods of Battle" by Chris Webber - Other, but somewhat less precise, allusions to historical references include the Forest people (not Elfes, as in Tokien's Lord of the Ring, but more probably inspired by pre-Celtic populations of the British Isles), The First Men, mostly in the North, who seem to have been inspired by the Celts and the Andals. I initially thought that the latter may allude to the Angles, Jutes and Saxons, because the word was close to "Vandals", who were also Germanic, although the Andals and the the mention of Stormkings who ruled before the Targaryens, could also allude to the Danes and the Targaryen conquerors, who invaded Westeros almost three centuries before the beginning of this story, would then allude to the Normand Kings of England. The Free Cities, on another continent, which, combined with the character of Illyrio, made me think of independent Greek Cities in something like 500 BCE. In addition to being a very entertaining romp and adventure story where, for the time being at least, three stories happen in parallel, I found the characters rather well drawn and well through, contrary to what some reviewers seem to have experienced. There are, of course, "goodies" and "baddies", but they are not caricatures. As another reviewer mentioned, the characters are various shades of grey, which makes them somewhat more realistic, rather than being painted in black or white. Even Robb replacing his father as the Warden of the North at the age of fourteen is not as far-fetched as it may first seem when you take a look at the 15th century in the English Kingdom. A historical character such as the Duke Richard of York (the future Richard the Third) fought his first battle alongside his brother Edward, the Yorkist King, at age fourteen. Shortly after the victory, his brother actually put him in charge of the North of England. At the time, of course, you were old by the time you were 40. You were married at 15 and you had had your first children by the time you were 20. All this is also perfectly well rendered in this book. So, in addition to all of the other praise and qualities that others have found in this book, I particularly appreciated the attention to details and how the author recreated a society based on the Late Middle Ages and made it as realistic as he could. Highly recommended and I can only hope that the next volume is just as good as this one.

Not the best book of the series, but the one that hooks your interest and is fascinating from beginning to end. A hugely successful, mammoth, enterprise to write this enormous series and reading them all is a delight for those even slightly interested in medieval history. Sure, this is all fiction, but much of it (the description of the knights,the ultimate power of heraldic kings, the jousting tournaments , the ships, the cottage industries etc are all based closely on historical facts. That is what makes the whole series so popular. It is believable. The use of magic and dragons in the story is the glue that brings it all together for a reader. This sets it apart from being just a a longwinded history lesson. You will love it. Read them all to get the best from a masterpiece of writing.

Siempre leer la fuente original de una historia contada a través de la pantalla es mucho más interesante por la gran cantidad de detalles que separa a una de la otra, el libro es muy bueno y lo recomiendo, tanto si has visto la serie como si no.