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A Song of Ice and Fire (1) - A Game of Thrones (Paperback)

This is one of the most satisfying novels I've ever read. The prologue didn't hook me in, in fact I wondered if I was wasting my time. I knew very little about the hype this book received before I read it. However, once the book is in full swing, somewhere in the opening scenes of Winterfell, I was thoroughly enjoying it and lay aside any possible regrets I might have had.

The first thing to be aware of is the incredible cast of characters (there are a lot of them, which is a problem for people with a poor memory). Next is the number of plot twists and surprises, the entire series springs the unexpected on you and at times seems excessive. Many reviewers have said they found the plot confusing or the number of characters to be confusing. I didn't find the plot confusing but I did struggle a little with the vast array of characters and all their nicknames too.

The first book is not so bad for plot twists and turns but I found it rather frustrating in the second book. There are quite a few surprises that make you annoyed but ultimately it adds another depth to the book, the reader won't always be satisfied with getting their own way. The characters you dislike may do well, while the ones you do like may do badly.

Some characters I found frustrating, not badly written just frustrating. The type of people that you disagree with or feel repulsed by. They feel realistic and human. Sometimes the author is a bit too clever for his own good and throws in some plot twists that are superfluous to writing a good story. This is more of a criticism for later books than it is here but some plots start here and take several books in order to pan out.

One of the strengths of this book, and this series, is that it chucks out the old and tired dichotomy of 'good vs evil'. That plot has been done to death, it is obviously the simplest backdrop of any fantasy setting and is of course the simplest type of categorization (binary). So whenever something comes along that disbands such notions as absolute good and absolute evil locked into an eternal struggle I am naturally pleased. The author has done well to create his characters as many shades of grey, they all have different perspectives and levels of morality. At no point does the author evangelize on right or wrong (unlike, e.g. Harry Potter), which is something that I cannot thank the author for enough. I sincerely dislike being told what my morality should or shouldn't be. Speaking down to the reader is just poor writing. On this alone I'd award the author 5 stars for handling it so well.

There are few other books out there that I could point to and say that they are as enjoyable as this one. The author fully deserves the high praise he receives. Hopefully it won't take him a few years to get the 6th book finished. Also, in case you were wondering about the TV show and haven't seen it: it is true the book (very little has been tampered with).