Book Series Wednesday: A Song of Ice and Fire, or A Game of Thrones, by George R. R. Martin

 

This week we are taking a break from the Cosmere works by Brandon Sanderson and doing another series by another master in the field of Fantasy, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin.

Plot Synopsis: The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world where seasons last for years contributing to the circumstances. Centuries before the events of the first novel, the Seven Kingdoms on the continent Westeros were united under several generations of the Targaryen dynasty, who wielded the power of fire-breathing dragons until their apparent extinction. The last Targaryen king was killed in a rebellion of feudal lords led by a young Robert Baratheon some fourteen years before the events of the first novel. Following the conclusion of the rebellion, Robert became king.

Plot: It was based off the historical War of the Roses, so if you know your history you are going to understand when I say that I can’t go into too much detail. This series isn’t my typical genre of Fantasy, it’s called Low-Fantasy and I tend to dislike Low-Fantasy because if you are doing Fantasy you might as well include magic and what not. That said this series has very little magic in it, some may like it like that, I personally find it lacking.

Characters: The characters in this series are very well written, I personally find Ned to be my favorite, with Jon Snow being my second. Everyone and their grandmother hates Joffrey.

Overall: If you can get over the epic 6+ year wait between books you might be able to deal with this series. I personally can’t and won’t read any further books in the series. I’m not going to support an author who takes that long to write a 1,000 page book, when others like Sanderson or Rothfuss do it better than Martin does and in much quicker times.

For those who like: Less fantastical fantasy, intricate characters, an author who takes forever and loves to keep you waiting.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

Bonus Picture: