HOLY HELL.

I truly find it impossible to review this. The story is so incredibly complicated that it's difficult to even know where to start. There are numerous plot twists and turns, a vast array of characters with their own complex backstories and motives, and a web of relationships that is both intricate and convoluted. It seems as if every time I think I understand what's going on, something new and unexpected is thrown into the mix, leaving me feeling completely bewildered. Trying to summarize or analyze this story in a review would be like trying to untangle a massive ball of yarn without any clear end in sight. It's just too overwhelming.

The book that made me achieve my 2022 reading goal! An astonishing 65 books :).

Strangely enough, I had never delved into anything set in the captivating world of Westeros before. Whether it was in the form of a book or a TV show, it had remained unexplored territory for me. But now, I have finally corrected that oversight!

And let me tell you, it was more than worth the wait. I was completely enamored with this literary masterpiece. The vivid descriptions and immersive narrative pulled me right into a unique fantasy realm. The cast of characters was incredibly rich and diverse, each with their own distinct personalities and motives. The world that was created felt so real and lived in, as if it had its own history and secrets waiting to be discovered.

I am now eagerly looking forward to reading more in this series. I feel a sense of longing for more adventures and stories set in Westeros. It's like I need some sort of recompense for having missed out on this amazing world for so long. I can't wait to see what other surprises and delights await me as I continue my journey through the pages of these books.

Many people have raved about this series.

After the show, which I did love, but had many problems with, I was worried the books would not be my cup of tea. However, I was so wrong! This was ten times better than the storyline/plot of the show, even though they do go hand in hand for the most part. It's the small details here that matter. Also, it didn't feel like the majority of the story was made to be trauma porn for the male readers.

I won't sit here and rant about the show. I will leave it at this — the book feels much more tasteful. It doesn't constantly highlight abuse towards women, sex workers, etc. The traumas faced in the books are not there for entertainment. They are there to show the hardships our characters have gone through. So many scenes made much more sense in the book versus the show.

Anyway, I loved reading this novel. I was immediately immersed and did not want to set it down! There is so much story here. All of the perspectives blend perfectly. This being the foundation book makes me more than excited for the rest of the series! Wow.

The ending gave me absolute chills. I couldn't have anticipated how well-written this intricate tale would be. If you are on the fence about reading this, whether you've watched the show or not — I highly recommend you give it a go!

[UPDATED APRIL 2024]

I am well aware that I am (yet again) extremely tardy in joining the Game of Thrones bandwagon when it comes to reading. My father had been telling me about GoT for quite some time. I did watch the show right from the start of Season 1. I adored Season 2 and found Season 3 to be amazing. But for some inexplicable reason, I just couldn't bring myself to read the books. I made several false starts with the first one, Game of Thrones. Finally, I gritted my teeth and read it this summer.

It took me a while to get into the rhythm of the story. I was constantly comparing the literary source with my visual memory of how the people and events were depicted on the show. But once I got about 200 or 300 pages into the story (at last), I found myself completely enthralled and thoroughly enjoying the book. I also did less comparing in my head. I finished it in about two weeks of reading and immediately attacked the second book, A Clash of Kings. I couldn't put it down for the two weeks it took me to plow through it.

I know that the TV show runs through half of the next volume, A Storm of Swords. So I am starting on that now.

[2024 Update]

What makes the book so captivating is how each chapter relates the story from one of the principal character's perspectives (with a disproportionate number of the perspectives being from the Stark family). Ned Stark is one of fantasy's greatest protagonists. He is really hard not to love and impossible to forget. His tragic character arc is simply fantastic. Jon Snow's struggles to find himself will carry us all the way through the entire series. Cercei is one of fantasy's most powerful and twisted women. Her son is one of fantasy's more cynical and cruel kinglets. Arya was probably my favorite character, along with the complex but seeking redemption Jaimie and, of course, the exceptional Tyrion. This book is truly on the level with LoTR in terms of world-building and character development. However, the fact that George never completed the series is extremely irritating.

Which leads me to briefly discuss the TV show from Benioff and Weiss on HBO. The first five seasons of the show was a fairly accurate depiction of the five books that Martin got around to writing and made for some of the greatest television ever broadcasted. Season 6 was based loosely on the last two books, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. The showrunners consulted Martin for what he wanted to write in the as-yet unpublished The Winds of Winter. It was notable for perhaps the greatest battle ever produced for television, the Battle of the Bastards (that for me edges out slightly over the Battle of Blackwater in Season 2). However, for seasons 7 and 8 where there was no source material from Martin to draw from, this viewer was disappointed with the lack of coherency and the improbable fates of Bran, Snow, and Arya. It was a sad payoff after 6 previous seasons of such outstanding filmwork.

I did not mean to read this book. My copy was just given to me by a friend as a gift for my 47th birthday last month. I think I am too old for fantasy. Life in itself has too much of it and I don't think I need to read more. I enjoyed a couple of Tolkien's works last year and that friend knew that I also shared her love for Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's. I thought that was the reason why she gave me this book. I am past the halftime of my life so what I am trying to do now is to read the books included in the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. The works of Tolkien and Adams are there, so that was the reason why I read and fortunately enjoyed them.

Before typing this review, I read each and every review of my Goodreads friends. Most of them gave this a 5, including the ones whose taste on books I truly admire. A few of them gave it a 4, and just a couple gave this a 3. I barely knew them, so I wasn't swayed by their judgment. Oh, there was one lady, whose reviews I also read right away (because she was one of my top friends), who gave this a 2. But her review was metaphorical yet very entertaining, so I didn't readily understand what she was saying until I re-read it. I actually commented in her review that I shared her views regarding this book.

When I was a young boy, I used to enjoy radio programs with flying white horses, wizards with magic wands, warriors with powerful swords, knights saving damsels in distress, kings fighting for their kingdoms, sorcerers with their magic cauldrons, etc. I think reality dawns earlier to children belonging to poor families than their privileged city-based counterparts living with their rich mom and dad.

There is no magic when a poor boy goes to the city, rides a bus, endures a knife poking on his side and becomes a victim of pickpockets and snatchers because the poor provincial boy looks so ignorant, vulnerable and gullible. No wand, no sword, no magic spell to use against the hoodlums in the city.

So, from those incidents, few months after arriving in the city, I guess I naturally shed off those fantasy worlds from my mind, woke up to the real world and started reading books that were more realistic. Good that my father had a cousin who worked in the army that became the source of hand-me-down books on battles, wars, western and crime. Just like our body's built-in defense mechanism, our taste on books changes depending on our life's circumstances.

But I am still rating this book with a 3, which means I liked it!. It is definitely engrossing and superbly entertaining. Considering that it is the first book in the series, I understand the reason for its many almost overcrowding characters. I thought that Martin wanted to have spare characters to use in case he needed to tweak the plot down the rest of his story. Another reason why I did not go crazy while reading this first book was that I saw its HBO mini-series (blame it on the proliferation of cheap pirated DVDs in our third-world country) prior to my reading. So this, being a plot-novel, for many instances, bored me as I already knew what would happen. I had no choice but to switch to the other books in my currently-reading folder. Hence, for the next 3 books in the series, I will make sure not to watch the HBO adaptation before reading the book. You see, I oftentimes enjoy reading books whose movie adaptations I saw already because I'd like to understand or savor the story more, catch the smallest of their beautiful dialogues, appreciate the imagery by forming them in my mind once again, thoroughly digest the theme or live the characters in my own world. However, this book, Game of Thrones is presented in a clear-cut fashion sans meaningful quotes, vivid imagery and memorable dialogues. Well, except seemingly the catchy one-liners like the one that sounds like a song title, the things we do for love and the trite the winter is coming that I am not sure why many Filipinos love even if we have no winter here in the Philippines. I also noticed that even if there were some scenes or characters that were excluded in the HBO mini-series, the two - book and the screen adaptation - were basically the same.

But don't get me wrong. I will still read the other 3 books. After all, my profile pic is that of Khal Drogo as we both share the same acronym. \\n  K.D. for Khal Drogo!\\n Too bad, he cannot grow old to my age so he has no picture as an old man like me.

Dra. Ranee, thank you so much for giving this book to me!

I am currently on page 470 of this book. Although it truly pains me to put a book down unfinished, it has simply become the right time for me to give up.

A Song of Ice and Fire is often compared to Grey's Anatomy in the world of fantasy. In the beginning, it is far from perfect. In fact, it has quite a few flaws. However, you think to yourself, "That's okay, the premise is really good! It will surely get better!" But then, before you even realize it, everyone seems to be involved in the most absurd and convoluted storylines. People are having each other's babies, murdering their mothers (who are also their sisters and schizophrenic), and traveling around on horseback, setting things on fire for no clear reason.

The characterization in this book is extremely, extremely flat. I am actually tempted to go through the entire text and count the number of times Jon Snow is referred to as a bastard. I understand it already! His mother is not his father's wife, so he is a bastard! Please, for the love of God, can we just move on from this already? No, we can't. Here, on page 470, once again, Jon points out in the dialogue that he is a bastard. (This makes me want to stab my own eyes out.) And the ironic thing is: Jon Snow is probably the deepest character in the entire book.

Just like Grey's Anatomy, there comes a certain moment when you simply cannot take one more bit of drama that seems to be there just for the sake of it. (And by the way, I totally cheated and looked up what happens in the sequels, and the plot only becomes more convoluted and depressing.)

So, yeah, a big thank you to all of you who rated this book five stars. I would really like to know what you've been smoking because it apparently gives you the power to turn what I consider crap into gold.

You know, after reading A GAME OF THRONES, I was truly shocked. There are so many male readers who are quick to look down on "bodice rippers" and yet they praise this book as if it's some kind of Fantasy Jesus. But in reality, this book is very similar to good bodice rippers. It's an epic doorstop filled with character drama, over-the-top violence, rape, depraved villains, and only slightly less villainous heroes. The only differences are that GAME OF THRONES is a fantasy novel loosely based on actual historical events and it's marketed towards men, while bodice rippers are marketed to housewives with too many cats.

I first read GAME OF THRONES six years ago during my junior year of college and I wasn't impressed. I thought the story, battle scenes, and the world were interesting, but the multiple POV format didn't work for me. I was constantly tempted to skip ahead. Bran's speaking again? Time to skip to Daenerys or Tyrion or Jon. Catelyn, please shut up. Arya, stop trying to imitate Tamora Pierce's heroines. Sansa, just stop. I wrote my review a few years later and was amazed at how many rude people felt the need to tell me that my three-star review was wrong. They said I read the book wrong and didn't understand that it had plenty of strong women. But I still didn't think there were many good female characters. Most of them were wives, daughters, or whores.
Six years later, I found the first three books for $3 at a used bookshop. I decided to read the first one again since I couldn't remember all the events. To my surprise, I enjoyed it a little more this time. Maybe because I'm older and can sympathize with the adults more. I still liked Daenerys, Tyrion, and Jon the best, but Cersei amused me more and Joffrey wasn't as evil as I remembered. However, I still don't think there are enough good female characters. Cersei is a complicated villain and Daenerys is strong but not very complicated. The pacing of the book is also uneven. Some parts move quickly while others, like Bran's POV, seem bogged down. But despite its flaws, I really did enjoy the story. It was like a medieval soap opera that kept me turning the pages. The battle scenes were great and Martin is very good at coming up with inventive deaths. I also appreciated the amount of time he spent creating the world of Westeros. There were some great descriptions and details. In conclusion, GAME OF THRONES is not for everyone, but it's a great gateway book for HR lovers who want to get into fantasy or for fantasy lovers who want to get into romances. And remember, WINTER IS COMING. 3.5 stars!

  

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What can be written about George R. R. Martin's monumental but unfinished series will always be insufficient!

This dark fantasy, set in a harsh medieval world, delighted me even upon my first encounter with it - the novella "The Hedge Knight", the events of which unfold a hundred years before the beginning of the never-ending saga "A Song of Ice and Fire".

See, I said to myself, it was possible to write much more realistically and differently than the sugary stories of Feist, the blatant stupidity of Goodkind, and the endless and mindless wheel-spinning (sufferings) of Jordan. :)

I searched for the books in the series and, fortunately or unfortunately, in the 2000s, the first three had already been published in Bulgarian. I devoured them like hot bread and began a wait for the remaining parts that continues to this day, now over 25 years - and its end is nowhere in sight, left empty...

The truth is that the fame that once reached the author somehow went to his head. And instead of pounding out the installments and writing like a madman, the gentleman decided to enjoy life in his last years, at the risk of leaving this wonderful adventure unfinished! A shameful act, and yet, although he wrote the next two books in the series, they contributed almost nothing to the development of the story, just annoying me.

Over the years, I have reread everything many times, watched part of the series (up to the end of the fourth season), and my sympathies gradually shifted from the Starks to Tyrion (oh, heresy!). I don't like those who are straight-laced to the point of stupidity, what can you do. Tyrion, Tivin, Cersei, and Jaime are all extremely unique and complex characters, each on their own and together in the dynamic team formed by their kind.

My other favorites are "The Unsullied", but not in combination with their slightly dimwitted leader, the last of the Targaryens.

Let's not forget the followers of the Drowned God - a rarely despicable breed! :)

In general, I have never encountered so many intrigues, terrifying battles, and the deaths of main heroes in any other fantasy, and Martin is right that in the Game of Thrones, there is no choice - either you win or you die, there is no 6, 5!

The fantasy series is epic and, despite all its shortcomings (the main one being unfinished), it deserves to be read!

Separately, its success has also encouraged other authors to rush into the furious race for readers' hearts and minds, and as a result, fantasy is blooming, and authors like Mark Lawrence, Joe Abercrombie, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Alan Campbell, Scott Lynch, Andrzej Sapkowski, Kameron Hurley, Anthony Ryan, Brent Weeks, and Peter V. Brett delight me greatly and ease the pain of Martin's shameless betrayal!

And at the end of this review, some fan art collected from the net:

The crossing of the Trident:

The battle at the Trident, deciding the success of Robert Baratheon's rebellion:

P.S. The translation of this book is apocryphal, has not been seen by a corrector and editor, and the mistakes are quite a lot, to the extent that I think it is not the work of one translator, but of several youngsters, translating piecemeal...

A friend and I were engaged in a lively discussion about Tolkien one night, following a session of Call of Cthulhu. To my surprise, he presented the rather insane viewpoint that George RR Martin's brand of fantasy, although indebted to Prof. Tolkien, was superior. I promptly informed my friend that he was once again demonstrating the inadequacy of his intellect. Tolkien is, without a doubt, the father of modern fantasy and the ultimate writer within the genre. This is not a matter of opinion but an established fact.

That being said, I was intrigued by my friend's stance and promised to look into this so-called "infidel" whom he was willing to place above the Professor. And, I must admit, I am completely hooked. I recently began the fourth book in the series and, after reading about 100 pages, I put it down. The reason? I knew that once I voraciously devoured yet another volume in the series (and to my surprise, I read the first three volumes in about three months, with each volume being around 800 pages - quite a feat for a slow reader like me), I would have nothing to follow it up with. The prospect of having to wait for the next installment was simply unbearable. So, I will continue reading book four when I find out that book five is near publication. I truly hope that Martin doesn't pass away before finishing the series. Odin forbid that another door is left open for Kevin J. Anderson to step in and complete a series for someone. Seriously, does that guy not have any original ideas?

Anyway, I think the best description I gave of this book to a friend was "equal parts LOTR and DUNE with a heavy dose of Penthouse letters. Seriously. There are lines about glistening wet members and quivering quim. Well, maybe not the quim. But isn't quim an amazing word?"

Because Martin has written for television (including the new Twilight Zone and Beauty and the Beast among others), the books have this nice episodic feel. Each chapter is driven by a different character, and there are really great plot twists. He loves killing off the characters that you love and forcing you to love the characters that you hate.

If you have any even cursory interest in the fantasy genre, I highly recommend reading these books. He may not be Tolkien, but the hobbit-looking motherfucker is damn close.

Quim.

A Game of Thrones is truly an outstanding work. It can be compared to Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in that it is a vast epic mainly centered around the influential figures. The timeline remains linear by alternating the focus among different characters and groups, especially families.

Moreover, it is an extremely thick book, similar to those Russian classics. In fact, A Game of Thrones could potentially have been divided into two or three books. George RR Martin has decreased his publishing speed for this series, and some believe he is losing steam. By splitting these massive volumes into smaller books that could be released gradually, the gap between books wouldn't be so large and noticeable. However, if a book is meant to be a thousand pages long because that's the natural progression and conclusion, and the action remains intense and the reader's interest can be sustained throughout, then by all means, it should be published as a thousand-page book!

The fantasy genre in the past often depended on clichés, had some subpar writing, and its authors sometimes struggled to relate to characters of the opposite gender. Martin excels in many areas where others have failed. While reading, there were relatively few moments when I felt I could predict exactly where a scene would lead. Overall, his writing is solid. His numerous female characters are well-developed, not just one-dimensional. Yes, there are clear heroes and villains, but there are also many characters with complex moralities in between. People are compelled to make unpleasant choices that go against their morals or code of honor, but they do so because it is necessary or because they can't bear to see a loved one suffer. I appreciate that. I don't need to see a perfect hero making noble sacrifices or a villain doing evil just for the sake of it. Martin is very good at giving his characters proper motivation.

Regarding the writing itself, one complaint I have about fantasy epics is the overuse of stock phrases. I understand that repetition was a memory aid in the old oral tradition, but we write these things down now. There's no need to imitate a dead art that its original practitioners wouldn't even use today if they were alive. They would probably use a computer, printer, and a stack of paper and be very happy. Having said that, I'm not even sure if this form of repetition is intended as a tribute to the bards of the past. I think it may just be accidental or unnoticed repetitious phrases that the author has forgotten he's used numerous times throughout his 900-page epic, which took years to write. Readers who devour those pages in a few days notice them. The overuse of adverbs also occurs from time to time. There's at least one instance where suddenly something happened suddenly! But to be honest, these are minor issues.

When I was a boy, I would come home from school and my mom would be there ironing or doing something while watching the daytime soap opera General Hospital. This was during the exciting "Luke and Laura" saga, and I loved every minute of it. Their forbidden love affair lasted forever, against all odds. The tension was exciting enough, with a plot that a 9-year-old could follow, but more importantly, essentially the same thing happened in every episode, stretching the story into an epic length. That really appealed to me. I think it's because children seek stability. Here was this fun story that I could come home to every day and rely on it being there for me, giving me that little thrill I enjoyed so much and being the constant I desired. That's what the soap opera did for me. To this day, I love a good series. However, whether it's a series or not, I'm okay with just reading this first book and stopping. I don't have an overwhelming urge to read on. I'm older now and have other things I want to do and other books I want to read. I would love to follow these characters to the end, and maybe one day I will, but good grief, there's a lot of reading to do for what is essentially a soap opera! (Editor-of-the-Future's Note: I went and read them all, lol!)

A Male Soap Opera

Yeah, I'm well aware that I'm late to the Game of Thrones party, but as they say, better late than never, right?

The Game of Thrones is an epic saga that weaves a complex web of stories from nine different perspectives. The kingdom has known a semblance of peace with King Robert on the throne, until he names Eddard Stark of Winterfell as his second in command. But beneath the surface, there's plenty of plotting and scheming. Will the Starks be able to weather the storm? And who will ultimately claim the throne?

When I first picked up this book, I was completely overwhelmed. There were so many characters and a deluge of information coming at me from all directions. Just when I thought I had a handle on things, the narrative would switch to a new character with a whole new cast of supporting players.

However, I soon realized that this book is like a soap opera tailored for a male audience. It constantly jumps between different characters, who are all interconnected in one way or another. There's a fair amount of repetition, which is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it helps you catch up if you missed something the first time around. On the other hand, it can get a bit tiresome after a while.

Unlike a traditional soap opera that focuses on romance and sweet nothings, this book replaces all that with raw lust and passion. There are some seriously steamy scenes that will make your heart race.

Like any good soap opera, Game of Thrones is populated with a large cast of characters, each with their own unique backstory. There's betrayal, humor, alliances, and battles galore. It's a wild ride from start to finish.

Lev Grossman in Time Magazine compared George R.R. Martin to Tolkien, but I have to disagree. While both write fantasy, that's about where the similarities end. The Lord of the Rings had long, detailed paragraphs and descriptions of fantastical creatures. It focused on a single character's point of view. I admire Tolkien's imagination, but I found it difficult to picture the scenes he was describing. It took me months to get through The Lord of the Rings, and I often found myself falling asleep.

In contrast, I couldn't wait to pick up Game of Thrones and see what would happen next. It had so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Martin skipped the long descriptions and instead focused on interesting history and family relationships. The multiple points of view added depth and complexity to the story, and the short paragraphs kept the action moving at a brisk pace.

Did I love Game of Thrones? Absolutely. It's a masterclass in storytelling. But is it perfect? No, not by a long shot. The constant refrain of "winter is coming" got old after a while. And the ending was a bit of a letdown. But overall, it's an extremely entertaining book that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a good story.

2025 Reading Schedule
Jan\\tA Town Like Alice
Feb\\tBirdsong
Mar\\tCaptain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr\\tWar and Peace
May\\tThe Woman in White
Jun\\tAtonement
Jul\\tThe Shadow of the Wind
Aug\\tJude the Obscure
Sep\\tUlysses
Oct\\tVanity Fair
Nov\\tA Fine Balance
Dec\\tGerminal

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**Ten Years and Five Hundred Comments Later: My Thoughts on 'Game of Thrones'**

Ten years and five hundred comments later, and men still seem to think I care if they disagree with me. Well, here's my take on 'Game of Thrones'.

WARNING: If you even remotely enjoyed this book, you might not want to read this review. It's likely to make you angry. After all, the book made me furious, and I'm determined to express all that wrath.

I suggest you check out Karen's review, Brigid's review, Joyzi's review, or any of the other gushing four and five-star reviews here. If video reviews are more your style, Melina Pendulum's vlog about this book could be a better choice. But realistically, I know many of you won't listen, which is why this edit is here. At least it might slow you down a little.

EDIT: I'm adding one more thing because, despite the warning and the redirect links I provided, I've received the kind of sexist bullshit comments I expected. Before you launch into the usual defense, consider this: "Alternatively, some fans may find it tempting to argue “Well this media is a realistic portrayal of societies like X, Y, Z”. But when you say that sexism and racism and heterosexism and cissexism have to be in the narrative or the story won’t be realistic, what you are saying is that we humans literally cannot recognise ourselves without systemic prejudice, nor can we connect to characters who are not unrepentant bigots. Um, yikes. YIKES, you guys." Source: [http://www.socialjusticeleague.net/2011/09/how-to-be-a-fan-of-problematic-things/](http://www.socialjusticeleague.net/2011/09/how-to-be-a-fan-of-problematic-things/).

Here's the scoop on this review. For a book I hate, I usually have a lot to say. After suffering through several hundred pages of 'Game of Thrones', I have plenty of gripes. I've never hated a book as long as this one as much as I do now, so I've had to alter my review to fit everything in without going over the character limit.

The first part is an unorganized rant. I marked pages with annoying quotes and broke the book into segments of 100 pages, writing up quotes and responses for each segment in separate blog posts. These are all linked below. The second part will be a more organized rant masquerading as a review. MAKE NO MISTAKE: THIS IS A 'HATER' REVIEW. If anything was going to make me spontaneously develop the ability to breathe fire, it would have been this book.

Part 1:
- [Pages 1 - 100](http://tinyurl.com/c3qduql)
- [Pages 101 - 200](http://tinyurl.com/cl6y9xz)
- [Pages 201 - 300](http://keepcalmandomnom.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-of-thrones-rant-part-3.html)
- [Pages 301 - 400](http://keepcalmandomnom.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-of-thrones-rant-part-4.html)
- [Pages 401 - 500](http://keepcalmandomnom.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-of-thrones-rant-part-5.html)
- [Pages 501 - 600](http://keepcalmandomnom.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-of-thrones-rant-part-6.html)
- [Pages 601 - 700](http://keepcalmandomnom.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-of-thrones-rant-part-7.html)
- [Pages 701 - 807](http://keepcalmandomnom.blogspot.com/2011/11/game-of-thrones-rant-part-8.html)

Part 2:
There are books I don't like, and there are books I loathe. And then there's 'Game of Thrones', which did its best to drive me to drinking, and I don't even like alcohol.
I wanted to like this book. It was recommended by many great authors, including those from 'Writing Excuses', and reviewers I respect gave it high ratings and praised it highly. Others called it "the greatest achievement of the fantasy genre so far" and Martin "the greatest fantasy writer of all time".
But it's far from what I expected. First of all, it's not what I think of when I hear 'fantasy'. It lacks the elements of the fantastic that I associate with the genre. Maybe Martin is going for a 'the magic comes back' subplot over the series, but I don't care about the rest of it. This book seems like a pathetic attempt at fantasy by someone who doesn't really understand or care about the genre. It's more like an alternate universe War of the Roses fanfiction with some half-hearted magic thrown in.
The characters also leave a lot to be desired. There are many of them, but not a single one is likeable. They all had potential, but it wasn't realized. Bran's story is slow and drawn-out. Ned's 'nobility' comes off as stupidity. Jon Snow is a stereotypical fantasy character. Arya is entertaining but only because she fulfills tropes. Sansa is the most insipid and annoying character I've ever read. Tyrion could have been interesting but his behavior was played too straight.
And then there's Daenerys Targaryen. Her story is full of problems. The ending was blindingly obvious, her plotline is barely related to the others, and the fact that she was raped is never treated as such. Instead, her relationship with Drogo is portrayed as love, which is completely wrong. Dany was only thirteen when she was married and raped, and she shows no maturity until much later. Her enjoyment of sex seems more like a psychological block than genuine pleasure.
The sex scenes in this book are also extremely awkward. They're written as if they're these huge mythic events, with strange flowerly euphemisms, gratuitous use of the word'manhood', and a strange reverence for penises. It all feels very forced and male-oriented.
In conclusion, I hated this book. I thought I could finish it and watch the HBO show, but by the end, I had developed such a hatred for it that I can't even stand to read praise for it. Watching the show would only make things worse. And to the diehard defenders of this series, I have only one thing to say: [image].
THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT.