Book Review: A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

‘A Game Of Thrones’ by George R. R. Martin was released in 1996. It is the first book in Martin’s ‘A Song Of Ice And Fire’ series, which inspired the phenomenal TV series, ‘Game Of Thrones’. This book provides the content that inspired the first season of the TV series.

Several years ago, a friend and I watched the TV series together. We only managed to complete Season One, and while I didn’t remember everything, I remembered most of the events at the end of the series.

I feel that watching Season One really helped with that sense of immersion, because objectively, it drops a lot of names that you are expected to remember, and while having a map of Westeros at the start of the book is helpful, there are many, many, many characters you are expected to remember, and due to the way that Martin has spelled various names etc., and his willingness to include many characters with similar-sounding names, it would be easy to be overwhelmed.

As a writer, I was surprised by the clear conscious choice George R. R. Martin made by naming so many characters without apparent consequence. it was considered a flaw in writing when I studied the craft, and while this book is older than I am, the choice surprised me.

I was surprised by now much I enjoyed the story despite the potential issue with names and heavy-handed worldbuilding. I appreciated the split-narrative style with this story, even though it took me by surprise. It allowed me to understand, or not understand a vaster array of characters.

Don’t get me wrong, I went into ‘Game Of Thrones’ knowing that George R.R. Martin was renowned for his killing of characters, and I’m torn between feeling like Ned’s fate was more evocative in the series, or considering that because I knew his fate, I didn’t see the need to connect with him. I feel that I will have a greater reaction to the future character deaths since I didn’t watch any more of the series.

I reckon that the clearest way in which George R. R. Martin’s depiction of events and characters threw me, when compared to the TV show was when I was reading Sansa’s POV during the first book, knowing what I knew, I was surprised by how much I struggled to sympathise with her, faced by her thoughts and feelings. She was much more unlikeable in the book than she had been in the show. While, my friend, who was elated I was finally reading the books, having watched Season One with me, had warned me that Sansa was very different in the books, I was still taken aback by the way that the show had changed her character, making her more dreamy and lovestruck.

While in the book, despite her clear declarations of love for Joffrey, it is clear Sansa doesn’t necessarily always mean what she says. Her discussions with The Hound were fantastic demonstrations, because they made her aware that she was going through the motions, obeying and playing the part. Her observations of gallantry and what it means to be a true knight were her opinions, and they were harsh, bitter, and scornful. She is prickly and I liked that about her. Her internal monologue gave me a greater appreciation for her character. And yet, while I was watching the show, my heart broke for Sansa, but in the book, I didn’t feel as bad for her as I had, and yet, I didn’t inherently dislike Sansa in either iteration.

Now that I have caught up with the events of Season One, by completing ‘A Game of Thrones’, I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series, completely blind. These books have been renowned for a long time, and while I have my criticisms of the first book, I feel that my opinions may shift and change as the story develops.