Most of us have either watched or heard about HBO’s hit series, often regarded as the one of the best to be ever made, Game of Thrones. Many of us even know that the show is based on the books of George RR Martin.
The books and the show follow the lords and their families in the Seven Kingdoms, as they play the games to get to the Iron Throne. A throne made up of a thousand words!
The novel series that tells us the story is A Song of Ice and Fire. The first book in the series, A Game of Thrones, was published way back in 1996. A decade and a half before the show aired. But, well before the show, the novels were popular, so much that they already had their online fandoms.
A Game of Thrones: Plot
The first book in the seven books series (the last two are yet to publish) is centered mainly around the House Stark of the Winterfell. Eddard Stark, the lord of North has been named the Hand of the King Robert Baratheon. He is to take place of the old Hand who died under circumstances that raise several questions, yet very few want to know the answers. His family has to separate. He takes his daughters with him. Lady Catelyn and his trueborn sons, Robb, Bran (who fell under mysterious circumstances and lies unconscious), and Rickon stay at Winterfell. While, his bastard, Jon Snow, joined his uncle on the Wall that protects the realm from the creatures of the north.
Apart from the Starks, the Lannisters are there to do anything to keep their pride. Cersei Lannister, the queen, makes an interesting character. And, so does Tyrion Lannister, her dwarf brother. The last ones are the Targaryens, the prince and princess in exile when their family died in the war for the Iron Throne. The princess weds Khal Drogo and sets the wheels in motion to get to the Iron Throne from the East.
The characters are at the center
A Game of Thrones acts as the perfect beginning of a five-thousand pages long series and still counting. The characters are what makes it better than many fantasy books out there. Whether we are reading about the Starks or the Lannisters, you can easily differentiate them, yet you can find some similarities as well. The introduction that GRRM gives us about a particular character may not define it completely but the way he follows them is so intelligently done that you wouldn’t even realize that this could even happen.
Too many characters
With so many characters, to begin with, GRRM introduces even more characters throughout the book. But the downside of it is easily felt. You cannot give equal time to every character, especially the not-so-important ones. And, for that, GRRM kills his characters like they are nothing but an alley with no end. Some of them die within a few pages after their introduction, while others die as the story progresses and demand some men to die.
Graphic details
The graphic detailing of the book will require you to use your imaginations to picture things in your head. And, if you haven’t watched the show, it is even better. Because the seven kingdoms could be whatever you want it to be. The book is filled with tons of violent incidents with all the details of how the person died. Whether a spear went across his chest or a sword cut open his chest. The details may not be easy to swallow for many but the writing style would force you to turn the pages. There is not much magic or supernatural things to witness in this first book. Though there are several mentions of such things. Still, the people of the world that GRRM built feel a lot like us yet very unlike us.
Conclusion
A Game of Thrones begins the story that on-screen gave us some of the best storylines and acting in recent memory. Many of the characters that became associated with the show are still kids or teenagers. But as the story continues in the following books, we will read more of them. It is a good choice to start your fantasy reading. And, once you start, it is easier to finish as the story will keep you hooked.
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