Review of A Game of Thrones

Though slow moving and intricate, A Game of Thrones successfully marries old and new elements of fantasy writing.

Most of the book focuses on the noble house of Stark as the king summons his old friend Lord Eddard “Ned” Stark to be his new advisor. As the Starks leave the simplicity of their home in the north they are drawn into a complex network of shifting alliances and rival houses all vying for the chance to sit their heir on the Iron Throne. As betrayal and disaster strike the Starks are scattered across the Seven Kingdoms seeking justice.

Minor plots concern the remaining two children of the deposed royal family as they attempt to raise an army to reconquer their former lands. Similarly, the guards along the Wall—the barrier that protects the Seven Kingdoms from the wild lands—find themselves facing supernatural foes coming in the vanguard of a monstrous winter.

The Size of the Throne

What first might appear to be the novel’s weakness—its enormous size—becomes a major strength.  The high page count gives Martin the time he needs to develop his characters and allow the plot to unfold slowly.  Much of the novel is spent in pursuit of a few key mysteries that lead to the climactic violence of the last book’s last quarter.  This development builds enough tension to maintain reader interest the whole time.

Although there are a host of characters, Martin focuses on a few—most of the Starks—to tell the story from their perspective with limited third person points of view.  This development humanizes the characters and their actions, allowing the reader to care about the characters when it would be easy to lose them in the shuffle of so many others

Martin’s Fantasy Forbearers

The size of the novel is meant to signal the author’s intention of creating an epic storyline to rival The Lord of the Rings and The Once and Future King.  Since there is so much about political maneuvering, statesmanship, and ambitious power plays, the novel actually has more in common with the Dune Series, political thrillers, and history books about the Middle Ages than it does with fantasy novels.  In fact there are only a few instances where anything magical happens.

The most fantastical element is the setting itself.  Winters and summers can last decades in the Seven Kingdoms, and this magical relationship of the seasons affects everything that happens in the novel.  Readers who come to A Game of Thrones looking for orcs and wizards in pointy hats will be largely disappointed, but keeping an open mind about what constitutes a fantasy novel will make the book a rewarding experience.  The ending, however, suggests the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire will see and increase in elements of the fantastic.

Return of the Long Winter

A Game of Thrones makes for an engaging if somewhat lengthy read.  Martin is skilled enough as a writer not only to keep readers interested and caring about what happens over the course of the long novel but also to convince them to read the rest of his Song of Ice and Fire whenever he gets around to finishing it.

Source

Martin, George R. R.  A Game of Thrones.  New York: Bantam Spectra, 1996.