Tags
A Song of Ice and Fire, David Eddings, fantasy, fiction, Game of Thrones, George RR Martin, Lord of the Rings, Lord Stark, Westeros, Winterfell
There is nothing to match the escapism of really great story-telling; a fictional world so complete, so captivating that you can walk around in it, hear the sounds, feel the heat and chill, look on the world with a character’s eyes and lose yourself in a whole other time and place. The writing may sometimes veer towards cliché and the idiosyncratic dialects become too intrusive but there is no doubting the engrossing story-telling at the heart of Game of Thrones (or rather the series of books otherwise known as A Song of Ice and Fire). Having idly started reading a friend’s copy of the first book in the series (A Game of Thrones) I found myself buying my own, reading it in near record time before rushing out to get the next three in the series. For the first time in a long time I felt a real thrill at the thought of getting home to launch into hours of uninterrupted reading. Oh yes, I am well and truly hooked on Westeros.
I know I’m late to the party here but I haven’t been tempted by fantasy fiction since finishing (and loving) The Lord of the Rings years ago. Sure, I’ve had recommendations to read David Eddings and others but I ignored them in favour of contemporary and classic fiction. So, having been away from the fantasy genre for almost a decade, I’m delighted to be back amongst pseudo-medieval characters, places and intrigues thanks to George R.R. Martin.
At the outset these type of novels can seem a daunting task with all their maps and a cast of seemingly thousands (and in my ignorance I didn’t realise how many books there were in this series or how long they are) but what has kept me turning page after page is the thriller-like pacing and neatly divided chapters, each propelling the story in a new or unexpected direction. At the same time I marvel at Martin’s ability to sustain the reader’s attention whilst weaving such a labyrinthine plot.
However he does it, all I know is that the prospect of at least five more novels in the series is no longer daunting but to be savoured. And there’s the HBO adaptation as a bonus once I finish book two, A Clash of Kings.
If there are any other readers belatedly catching up with this series, I’d love to hear from you. (No spoilers please!)