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A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire
 
 
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A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire (Mass Market Paperback)

by George R.R. Martin (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,075 customer reviews)
List Price: CDN$ 10.99
Price: CDN$ 9.92 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over CDN$ 39. Details
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A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire + A Clash of Kings: Book Two of A Song of Ice and Fire + A Storm of Swords: Book Three of A Song of Ice and Fire
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Price For All Three: CDN$ 30.60

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  • This item: A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

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Product Description

From Amazon.com

Readers of epic fantasy series are: (1) patient--they are left in suspense between each volume, (2) persistent--they reread or at least review the previous book(s) when a new installment comes out, (3) strong--these 700-page doorstoppers are heavy, and (4) mentally agile--they follow a host of characters through a myriad of subplots. In A Game of Thrones, the first book of a projected six, George R.R. Martin rewards readers with a vividly real world, well-drawn characters, complex but coherent plotting, and beautifully constructed prose, which Locus called "well above the norms of the genre."

Martin's Seven Kingdoms resemble England during the Wars of the Roses, with the Stark and Lannister families standing in for the Yorks and Lancasters. The story of these two families and their struggle to control the Iron Throne dominates the foreground; in the background is a huge, ancient wall marking the northern border, beyond which barbarians, ice vampires, and direwolves menace the south as years-long winter advances. Abroad, a dragon princess lives among horse nomads and dreams of fiery reconquest.

There is much bloodshed, cruelty, and death, but A Game of Thrones is nevertheless compelling; it garnered a Nebula nomination and won the 1996 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. So, on to A Clash of Kings! --Nona Vero



From Publishers Weekly

In a world where the approaching winter will last four decades, kings and queens, knights and renegades struggle for control of a throne. Some fight with sword and mace, others with magic and poison. Beyond the Wall to the north, meanwhile, the Others are preparing their army of the dead to march south as the warmth of summer drains from the land. After more than a decade devoted primarily to TV and screen work, Martin (The Armageddon Rag, 1983) makes a triumphant return to high fantasy with this extraordinarily rich new novel, the first of a trilogy. Although conventional in form, the book stands out from similar work by Eddings, Brooks and others by virtue of its superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness. Although the romance of chivalry is central to the culture of the Seven Kingdoms, and tournaments, derring-do and handsome knights abound, these trappings merely give cover to dangerous men and women who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. When Lord Stark of Winterfell, an honest man, comes south to act as the King's chief councilor, no amount of heroism or good intentions can keep the realm under control. It is fascinating to watch Martin's characters mature and grow, particularly Stark's children, who stand at the center of the book. Martin's trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes, including Hugos, Nebulas, Locus Awards and a Bram Stoker. He's probably going to have to add another shelf, at least. Major ad/promo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire
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A Game of Thrones: Book One of A Song of Ice and Fire 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,075)
CDN$ 9.92
A Storm of Swords: Book Three of A Song of Ice and Fire
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A Storm of Swords: Book Three of A Song of Ice and Fire 4.6 out of 5 stars (616)
CDN$ 9.89
A Clash of Kings: Book Two of A Song of Ice and Fire
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A Feast for Crows
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CDN$ 9.89
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Customer Reviews

1,075 Reviews
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 (826)
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 (133)
3 star:
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4.5 out of 5 stars (1,075 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is from amazon.com by http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1AFXJ8U72MD6L/ref=cm_cr_auth/002-1238528-2322415, Jun 18 2007
By Ravnos (Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
First off, I'm a heavy duty fan of GRRM. I've read over a 100 different fantasy authors in my time (started at 12; I'm now 32). Took about 5 years off from the genre b/c I felt it was all getting too formulaic and cliched.

So, when I came back to fantasy at the end of 1999, I read the usual: Goodkind, Jordan, etc. and then someone told me about GRRM and man, that was the kicker!

Here are the reasons to choose GRRM. I've also listed the reasons not to choose him to make it fair b/c I know their are certain personalities who won't like this series:

WHY TO READ GRRM

(1) YOU ARE TIRED OF FORMULAIC FANTASY: good lad beats the dark lord against impossible odds; boy is the epitome of good; he and all his friends never die even though they go through great dangers . . . the good and noble king; the beautiful princess who falls in love with the commoner boy even though their stations are drastically different . . . you get the idea. After reading this over and over, it gets old.

(2) YOU ARE TIRED OF ALL THE HEROES STAYING ALIVE EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE UNDER CONSTANT DANGER: this gets even worse where the author kills a main hero off but that person comes back later in the story. Or, a hero does die but magic brings him back.

This sometimes carries to minor characters where even they may not die, but most fantasy authors like to kill them off to show that some risked the adventure and perished.

(3) YOU ARE A MEDIEVAL HISTORY BUFF: this story was influenced by the WARS OF THE ROSES and THE HUNDRED YEARS WAR.

(4) YOU LOVE SERIOUS INTRIGUE WITHOUT STUPID OPPONENTS: lots of layering; lots of intrigue; lots of clever players in the game of thrones. Unlike other fantasy novels, one side, usually the villain, is stupid or not too bright.

(5) YOU ARE INTERESTED IN BIASED OPINIONS AND DIFFERENT TRUTHS: GRRM has set this up where each chapter has the title of one character and the whole chapter is through their viewpoint. Interesting tidbit is that you get their perception of events or truths. But, if you pay attention, someone else will mention a different angle of truth in the story that we rarely see in other novels. Lastly and most importantly, GRRM doesn't try to tell us which person is right in their perception. He purposelly leaves it vague so that we are kept guessing.

(6) LEGENDS: some of the most interesting characters are those who are long gone or dead. We never get the entire story but only bits and pieces; something that other fantasy authors could learn from to heighten suspense. Additionally, b/c the points of views are not congruent, we sometimes get different opinions.

(7) WORDPLAY: if you're big on metaphors and description, GRRM is your guy. Almost flawless flow.

(8) LOTS OF CONFLICT: all types, too; not just fighting but between characters through threats and intrigue.

(9) MULTILAYERED PLOTTING; SUB PLOTS GALORE: each character has their own separate storyline; especially as the story continues and everyone gets scattered. This is one of the reasons why each novel is between 700-900 pages.

(10) SUPERLATIVE VARIED CHARACTERS: not the typical archetypes that we are used to in most fantasy; some are gritty; few are totally evil or good; GRRM does a great job of changing our opinions of characters as the series progress. This is especially true of Jaime in book three.

(11) REALISTIC MEDIEVAL DIALOGUE: not to the point that we can't understand it but well done.

(12) HEAPS OF SYMOBLISM AND PROPHECY: if you're big on that.

(13) EXCELLENT MYSTERIES: very hard to figure out the culprits; GRRM must have read a lot of mystery novels.

(14) RICHLY TEXTURED FEMALE CHARACTERS: best male author on female characters I have read; realistic on how women think, too.

(15) LOW MAGIC WORLD: magic is low key; not over the top so heroes can't get out of jams with it.

REASON TO NOT READ GRRM

(1) YOU LIKE YOUR MAIN CHARACTERS: GRRM does a good job of creating more likeable characters after a few die. But, if that isn't your style, you shouldn't be reading it. He kills off several, not just one, so be warned.

(2) DO NOT CARE FOR GRITTY GRAY CHARACTERS: if you like more white and gray characters, this may unsettle you. I suggest Feist or Goodkind or Dragonlance if you want a more straight forward story with strong archetypes.

(3) MULTIPLE POINTS OF VIEWS TURN YOU OFF: if you prefer that the POVS only go to a few characters, this might be confusing for you.

(4) SWEARING, SEX: there's a lot of it in this book just as there is in real life.

(5) YOU DEMAND CLOSURE AT THE END OF EVERY BOOK: this isn't the case for all stories in the series. Some are still going on; some have been resolved; others have been created and are moving on.

(6) IF YOU WANT A TARGET OR SOMEONE TO BLAME: this can be done to some extent but not as much. This is b/c he doesn't try to make anyone necessarily good or evil.

(7) ARCHETYPES: some readers like archetypal characters because it's comfortable; we like the good young hero (sort of like Pug in Feist's THE RIFTWAR SAGA); it's familiar and we sometimes like to pretend we're this upcoming, great hero. You wont' get much of this in GRRM with the exception of one or two characters.

(8) LENGTH: you don't want to get into a long fantasy epic series. In that case, look for shorters works as this is biiig.

(9) PATRIARCHY: men are most of the main characters with lots of power (one female exception). ....


I add

con #10

Don't read this book if you don't like authors who take over 3 years to write a book, then only release half of it claiming the other half would try to have half of it within a year. Then 2 years later still be saying that there is no end of the book within sight. Martin takes absurdly long to write a book, and this series probably won't be complete within the next 10 years.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars George.. You're a Genius.., Feb 3 2007
By JJ (Peterborough, Canada) - See all my reviews
This is what started it all... The EPIC AMONG EPICS!

A wonderful read from start to finish. The story begins on a unsettling note with the mysterious and disturbing prologue that casts a dark ominous undertone for the rest of series. However, one is soon lulled back to a false sense of complacency as the main threads of the story unfold innocently enough, steadily unveiling the rich layered backdrop of the key families of power, the illustrious players behind the realm of the Seven Kingdoms. George RR Martin weaves such a passionate, believable tale of history, intrigue, loyalty, love, deceit, and betrayal. And I mean SHOCKING betrayal! And he weaves it so effortlessly with prose filled with rich and vivid imagery; and impeccable dialogue which is a true reflection of the genre.

A very fine beginning Act to a spectacular Series indeed.

Dare I say it rivals and even surpasses the likes of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings on many levels - with its engaging characters, complex yet flowing plot lines, and realm weaving realism and depth.

I might have said this to be the ultimate best of its genre not so long ago, but now Steven Erikson is cruelly proving me so wrong!

Nonetheless, this masterpiece will continue to hold a special place in my heart for years to come.

BRAVO!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Awoke my fantasy desires, Aug 23 2006
After losing my love of this genre in the 11th or whatever book of the wheel of time I swore that never again would I pick up a fantasy about a boy who is magically destined to ride a dragon and save the world.

LET ME TELL YOU...this book is anything but, the whole series begins and just will not let you refuse to read.

One of my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOKS EVER!!!

That is extremly high praise, honestly people you must read this, I just hope with all my heart it doesn't turn out to be another book series that never ends, we need development.
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 		 Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Didn't want to put it down!
Deeply human characters, twisted and complex sub-plots, exotic lands and a hint of magic keep you reading this tale of kings and queens, knights and battles, politics and... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Why Not

4.0 out of 5 stars way cool
I gave it four stars although it deserved 5. My rationale is that since it's the first of a series and since the stories aren't finished, it would be premature to give it more... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Goodwing

4.0 out of 5 stars Short but to the point
An excellent author that draws you fully into his writing.

a few positive points:

A well written novel that moves away from the stereotypical good vs... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Selrahc Biew

5.0 out of 5 stars INCREDIBLE
One of the best fantasy series EVER written. Personally, I find comparisons with Erikson to be simply insulting. These are a million times better than the malazan books. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Zafri M.

5.0 out of 5 stars Game of Thrones
A very good book with a cliff-hanger ending that makes you want to read the next one. Great character building.
Published on Sep 22 2006 by Chris aka Tigger

5.0 out of 5 stars A very unexpected story
I love how this book is and how the ones to come are. I think that it is so cool how you never know what to expect. Read more
Published on Jun 10 2006 by Cassandra Ingalls

3.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!!!
This book rocks! I totally enjoyed it. The action was good and kept me interested. Unlike other authors these days, this one has a way of making it interesting as well as diverse... Read more
Published on Feb 11 2006 by Rylin

1.0 out of 5 stars Too much sex
A man working in a bookstore recommended this one to me, and it was cheap, so I said what the heck and bought it. I was seriously disappointed. Read more
Published on Feb 6 2006

1.0 out of 5 stars ...but its so dull...
I honestly cannot understand why this book has received so many positive reviews, Martin's prose makes for an easy read much the same way pablum makes for an easy meal. Read more
Published on Nov 3 2005 by P Ritson

4.0 out of 5 stars Won't anyone think of the children!!!
I'm now on the second Audio book (A Clash of Kings)of this series "A Song of Fire and Ice" and I must say it is passing the time. Read more
Published on Oct 28 2005 by Trogman

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