I reread this book, just recently, after reading A Dance with Dragons. I read a great deal of fantasy when I was younger although Martin’s the last author fantasy author I still read. Time magazine called George R.R. Martin the American Tolkien; his books possess a gritty, dark tone at odds with high fantasy. Martin is also adept at portraying the way past events can take hold of people, families, and indeed entire kingdoms. A Game of Thrones is precisely that; a story of four noble families, and their retainers, fighting for a throne. Martin’s settings, Kingslanding, Storm’s End, Pyke, Winterfell etc., are also imaginative and memorable.

Although, even in the final chapters of A Game of Thrones when the fate of the seven kingdoms is on the rocks I was more concerned with the fate of Ned Stark’s tomboy daughter Arya and his bastard son Jon. Martin’s books appeal to readers of every age because they are about family. Lastly, I saw the pilot for the HBO series and it’s a mediocre adaptation of Martin’s novel; the book outshines the series. I highly recommend A Game of Thrones and its sequels.

Availability: USMAI
Review Submitted by: Kevin Oldfield
Rating: Highly Recommended

Read Ken Benjes’ review and Jordan Gaines’ review of A Game of Thrones.