Today I just finished reading “A Game of Thrones”, by George R. R. Martin. It’s the first book in the series A Song of Ice and Fire, and despite being the shortest book in the series so far, it’s 807 pages long (not even counting the appendix), one of the longest books I’ve read yet. It’s a fantasy book, but doesn’t include so much fantasy that it requires much introduction to the concept of the world, though the amount of characters and the many plots and side-plots may confuse readers. It’s mainly set in the Seven Kingdoms, where the “game of thrones” is at its height, but also includes the story of the Wall, where monsters threaten to enter the Seven Kingdoms, a problem far greater than the many self-declared kings’ battle for the throne, but those who wish to sit on the throne or are embroiled in a battle against the current king for other reasons don’t realize the danger. The story of Daenerys and Viserys is also included; the only surviving children of the “Mad Iron King” Aerys Targaryen, they were forced to flee when he was defeated because of a rebellion after his cruel deeds, Daenerys only in her mother’s womb at the time, and Viserys’ plans to reclaim the throne and take vengeance of the killers of his close family troubles the current holders of the throne. At first, the story centers around the Eddard Stark’s family–Catelyn Stark, his wife, and his children, Robb Stark, Jon Snow, Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, and Rickon Stark–but as the story progresses, it begins to include more stories about Daenerys and the royal court. I really enjoyed reading this book, although at first it was somewhat confusing, especially because of all the different characters, but the author really explains the subtleties behind the situation well. I would rate this book 9.8/10 and recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy, adventure, or suspense and has time to read a series that’s already 4,197 pages long and has two more books being planned.
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