11 years ago readers of fantasy in the Czech Republic could get their hands on a book called A Game of Thrones. My sister brought it home and as usual my sister, me and my mother read the book. That's how it usually goes. Our sister is the initiator and tells us what to read and what she finds good. George R.R. Martin is a name I never heard of before but I already heard that the Song of Ice and Fire is an epic fantasy that no one should miss. It takes usually ages for me to pick up such a book and read it but I usually do. The name of the book already suggested plots, politics and war and that's something I usually don't like much as most of the time, it does not really make sense and is boring to most of the time. In the end I grabbed the not so fantasy looking book and started reading.
This series is 'different' from other fantasy I've read. Many people compare it with The Lord of the Rings and some claim that this series is similar to Wheel of Time. Both groups are true but from my point of view the series is unique. It has the same 'epicness' as The Lord of the Rings )and has similar character's points of view as in Wheel of Time. I would actually compare it more to The Gap Series but that's not a fantasy series.
So what is this series about? Ever heard the name George R.R. Martin or A Game of Thrones? If not then I'll tell you a bit about it. BTW there is a TV miniserie that cost a fortune, so you can check that out as well.
The whole story takes place on a fantasy continent that seems to be like medieval England. On this continent there are seasons that last for years. There's Summer when everything stays calm and Winter which lasts for seven years. The Winter is coming after 10 years of peaceful summer. Up north behind a great wall built both by magic and human work the races of nonhuman creatures wake up. South a big political fight among the great houses has begun. Overseas thousands of miles away a daughter of a former king is married to a leader of a tribe - an army that can serve her purpose and help her claim the throne.
In the kingdom the hand of the king mysteriously dies and King Robert Baratheon asks Eddard Stark of Winterfell to come South to King's Landing to become the new Hand of the King. Eddard Stark leaves the North (Winterfell) and comes to King's Landing to investigate the mysterious death of the Hand and to rule the Kingdom that is not in a good state.
In the meantime an assassin tries to kill Bran Stark, one of Eddard's sons. His mother Catelyn leaves Winterfell to inform Eddard and to find out more information. They find out that the weapon held by the assassin belonged to Tyrion Lannister. Catelyn seized him and brought him to a court. This is what started the events that resulted in a later war.
Viserys Targaryen and his 13 year old sister were invited as guests by a rich magister. Viserys and the magister decided to arrange a marriage between Daenerys and Khal Drogo, war leader of the nomadic Dothraki. Viserys hoped that through this marriage he could use the Dothraki as an army and to conquer Westeros (where the Iron Throne is..that is..and where all the other politacal games take place). Daenerys was shy and afraid of both her brother and her husband. But later she found out that Drogo is not such a barbar (and knows metaphores well) as he seemed to be and fell in love with him. She took on the role of khaleesi (queen) of the Dothraki and she even stood up against her own brother.
Another character who's story is followed is of Jon Snow - Eddard Stark's bastard son. Jon Snow stayed at Winterfell till his adulthood. His presence was not wanted by some and Jon's uncle suggested that the Night Watch would could use a man like him. Jon left Winterfell to join the Night Watch whose vow was to protect the kingdom from what lived beyond the Wall. 8000 years has passed without any real threat and the Night Watch recruited criminals and other people that couldn't deal with their own fate. This coming winter though is different.
Hm I think I should stop at this point, you already know enough.
What else to note? From what I wrote I guess you get the picture what the series might be about. It's mainly about all the plotting how to claim the throne. The setting is highly realistic and something like magic does not seem to happen often. Yes, there are supernatural beings, 'gods', magical powers but it is subtle in a way. The story is narrated via the characters' points of views. Each character has its secrets, point of view, opinions and 'knowledge base' as I would say. There's a lot of symbolism, some is subtle and hard to find but some things are too obvious as you will find out very soon after starting reading the book. There are many plots in the book and many sub-plots. The tension grows and does not break.
And this series is known for one more thing (things). A lot of swearing, violence and sex.
Personal Rating: 3.75/5
Note: I can't rate this too high for several reasons. One is the complexity of plots and the amount of them. As I state above this is not something I like and it is very difficult for me to read through such passages in other books. And here you've got a whole book about that^_~. Well, this proves that this series is good and I like it. But I felt like reading Balzac when reading Martin. (at least the speed of reading through was similar). That's the other reason why I don't go to 4 or higher.
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