This book is the first in a series where many characters vie for power in a world resembling medieval Europe. It begins as the King rides north to Winterfell to visit his friend Lord Stark. He wants Stark as his right hand man — there’s trouble afoot. Stark’s been warned the Queen’s powerful family, House Lannister, wants to seize power. There’s bad blood between the Starks and the Lannisters. The fragile peace vanishes when the King is killed and his violent son, Joffery, takes the throne. Tragedy befalls Stark when he learns Joffrey is not the rightful heir. The north rallies behind the Starks, and breaks away from the kingdom. Across the sea, the true heir, Daenerys, fights her own battles and learns to master dragons. Other characters include direwolves, and a wall to the far north manned by priest-warriors charged with keeping out a hostile race of people thought to be extinct. This is a wonderfully imagined book with a multi-layered plot. It’s a rich, densely written epic that will keep you up all night.
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I loved these books and they’re not my typical reads at all. Martin just write such good characters!
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I’m not normally a fantasy reader but I loved this book. I agree, his characters are great, as is the world he has created for them.
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I love it
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Me too!
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Ok! So we wait…
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I have 2 reservations about reading this: 1. I’ve seen the tv series already, and I’m afraid it may spoil a lot, and 2. I’m not a fan of gratuitous violence and I’ve heard Martin’s books portray that often. Do you agree? I’d love to read it, because I love epic fantasy, but I’m a little hesitant…
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I never made it past the first three books in the series. I loved the first one, but I grew less fond with each successive sequel. I don’t like the way Martin kills almost all the main characters. The books are dark and just grew too depressing for me as they went along. Having said that, I never felt the violence was gratuitous — at least what I read — but there is a lot of it. However, it always seemed integral to the plot. The tv series is fairly true to the books so it’s a good gage of what you’ll be reading. Since you’ve seen the series, I’m not sure you need to read the books. That’s kind of up to you. There won’t be many surprises but the first book is wonderful — an epic fantasy on the grand scale!
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Again, thank you! Great information, I really appreciate it! Love your reviews, too!
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