Growing up, fantasy was one of my favorite genres. My favorite author in the genre is Brian Jacques, who wrote the Redwall series. Redwall follows the lives and adventures of anthropomorphic animals and tackles hard topics like war, slavery, and corruption. Ever since reading Jacques’ books, it had been challenging to find anything that hits those themes in a way that does not coddle the reader. It had been years since I read Jacques’ books. It had also been many years since I looked at any fantasy novels again. Of course, that is until I heard about George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
Like many people, my introduction to Martin’s world was through the HBO series Game of Thrones. Although the finale left a bitter taste in my mouth, I wanted to read the books. All I can say about it now is that I wish I had read the books much sooner.
About the Book
A Game of Thrones (1996)
Author: George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire
Genre(s): Action, Adult, Drama, Fantasy
Theme(s): Corruption, Family, Honor, Justice, Love, Omens and Fate, Politics, Power, Society and Class, War
Trigger(s): Incest, [Statutory] Rape, Violence
Summary
Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. To the south, the king’s powers are failing—his most trusted adviser dead under mysterious circumstances and his enemies emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the king’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but the kingdom itself.
From Goodreads.com
Sweeping from a harsh land of cold to a summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, A Game of Thrones tells a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; a child is lost in the twilight between life and death; and a determined woman undertakes a treacherous journey to protect all she holds dear. Amid plots and counter-plots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, allies and enemies, the fate of the Starks hangs perilously in the balance, as each side endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
Review
I give this book 4 out of 5 stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
There is a lot to love and hate about Martin’s book. Although I give the book a 4 out of 5 star rating, I have to point out the worst things about the book before talking about the best…
The Controversial Stuff (Triggers)
First: Martin fixates on the female anatomy a lot. Something that had always bothered me about male writers who write about women or women’s issues is the unnecessary fixation on women’s bodies and their fertility. Because the story revolves around the high class and replicates ideology from the Middle Ages, the concerns about women’s reproductive abilities and their self-autonomy is expected. But it is hard to shake off the descriptions. I did not care to read about Catelyn Stark’s body and willingness to have more children with Eddard Stark due to her youth and responsibilities as the Lady Stark.
Second: the book includes statutory rape. Daenerys Targaryen was aged-up in the HBO series, but in the books, she is still a child. When she marries Khal Drogo, the girl is about thirteen years old! Martin is not shy about being detailed about the sexual abuse that she is subjected to by her surviving brother, Viserys, and her first sexual encounter with Drogo. And although it is clear that Daenerys is uncomfortable about her marriage to the Khal, Martin seemingly forgoes her discomfort by making her seduce him. Now, one could argue that her approach to her marriage is a survival strategy, but it is the way that Martin works around the age differences and her initial discomfort that is off-putting. Daenerys and Drogo’s marriage is not a romantic binding; theirs is a political display of power imbalances in a male-dominated fantasy world. Daenerys later falls in love with Drogo, which makes her relationship with him even more complicated but not any less concerning…
Third: the violence is inescapable. The HBO adaptation showed the violent reality well, though it still pales in comparison to the book’s content. It seems like violence of any kind is prominent in the story. I personally had no issue with the gruesome details, but first time readers and those put off by harsh descriptions should be aware that this sort of thing is going to be an ongoing subject.
Fourth: incest. The incestual relationship between the Lannister twins, Cersei and Jaime, is shocking. Although it is consensual between the two, it is still the weirdest thing in the book [series]. However, the scene where Bran Stark finds Cersei and Jaime in the act is obscure due to the chapter being in young Bran’s point of view. It is what transpires after the fact that makes their relationship even worse than it initially was.
The four things that I listed above did not influence my rating in any way. Martin goes out of his way to emphasize the worst things that a human being is capable of.
The Writing
There are times when the things I listed above seem to be written mostly for shock value than to propel the story forward. For instance, scenes between Daenerys and Viserys add a bit of everything: Viserys has the tendency to sexually abuse and exploit his younger sister. The things that he does to her seem unnecessary because his actions beyond the physical abuse still make him monstrous.
Aside from the shock value, Martin’s writing is consistent. I like that there is an emphasis to social class disparities through the dialects and contrasting imagery. Things in Martin’s world also seem realistic; the laws, magic, people, and cultural and religious traditions are accompanied by extensive histories that make the world seem organic and its people believable.
I should also mention the symbolism, or foreshadowing: the deaths of the stag and dire wolf in the beginning of the book perfectly illustrate the calamity that will affect the Stark and Baratheon houses. With the heads of their families dead (Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark), the dire wolf pups—Eddard’s children—continue to live. However, the stag dies alone, a detail that may also suggest that Robert’s legitimate children were never his own.
The (Notable) Characters
The Targaryen Siblings are prominent figures in A Game of Thrones. Viserys’ lust for power is interesting because he grew up believing that he holds the key to his house’s future. Viserys is a privileged man who is still ignorant to the world he wants to rule. His character is a stark contrast to his younger sister Daenerys, who he resents. Daenerys is a lot kinder and smarter, though at times, she is as naïve as Viserys. Their tragedy is the massacre they barely escaped during Robert Baratheon’s rebellion and Viserys’ desperate climb to seize the iron throne. Their whole family has been decimated, and despite this fact, Viserys is willing to sacrifice his sister to rule a country that has seemingly forgotten about them.
Khal Drogo is a more silent character. He is an unforgettable character due to his relationship with Daenerys and his accomplishments in battle. It is unfortunate that he met an early death in the series. I am uninterested in characters who serve as props for other characters’ succession stories. However, I cannot say that I like him. He marries a child, though she at least has a strong influence. Daenerys challenges the traditional dynamics of the Dothraki by making Drogo more compliant with her demands. He kills for her and dies for her. His death was a terrible one, though his legacy lives with Daenerys and the dragon she names after him later on.
The Starks are depicted as a family that holds honor and justice to a higher degree than most. It is most notable during Eddard (Ned) Stark’s willingness to be the judge and executioner of an escapee of the Night’s Watch. His teachings have been passed down to his eldest sons, Robert and Jon (his illegitimate son). Ned’s involvement in the King’s Council gives readers a glimpse of the corruption the kingdom undergoes. Ned tries to right all wrongs, though he suffered heavy penalties for it by the end of the first book.
His wife Catelyn suffers heavy losses as well as a mother and wife. Her duties lie beyond motherhood. I like that Martin at least shows this through her relationship with Ned, who often speaks to her like an equal when most men in the book do not see their own spouses as such.
As for the Stark children—Robert (Rob), Sansa, Arya, Brandon (Bran), and Rickard—they are of various ages. The eldest, Rob, is around 14-years-old who is forced to take his father’s role as Warden of the North. His status as the eldest legitimate son makes his life all the more difficult. He has responsibilities when his father leaves for King’s Landing to serve as King Robert’s Hand. Whatever was left of Robert’s youth and innocence is taken from him.
In contrast, Sansa and Arya have other responsibilities, though Sansa upholds hers more than Arya. Sansa is meek and naïve who is caught in the middle of social and political disputes, thanks to her younger sister’s rebellious and impulsive nature. Sansa is easy to not like but even easier to misunderstand. She is a product of her upbringing. Who could really blame how she behaves towards her sister when all she had ever known is that she will marry someone of her status or higher? Perhaps it is not a good justification for her attitude, but when you are betrothed to the future king who is outwardly cruel to his subjects, there is no other way to survive such a court without subservience. Arya is a lot more likable because she represents a more modern, a more feminist, way of thinking. She does not want to be like Sansa because she does not want to be submissive and she does not like the pointlessness of what she is taught. Her bratty personality blends well with the honor she inherited from Ned. She is brave and understanding of things that Sansa would rather not look into.
Finally, the youngest Stark boys, Brandon (Bran) and Rickard, seem like the Stark kids who are the most overlooked. Bran likes to climb and lived with hopes of becoming a knight one day until his encounter with the Lannister twins, Queen Cersei and Ser Jaime. His arc in the first book is about the mental toll his physical disability gives him now that his aspirations became the boyish dreams of “a cripple.” There is more to Bran besides his depression; he has strange dreams. However, this is explored later in the series. As for Rickard, he is the youngest Stark. There is not much to say about him just yet…
Jon Snow is recognized as Ned’s bastard son, though his mother remains a mystery. Catelyn resents him and he is sure to keep away from her hateful gaze. Jon is loyal to his family regardless of his status as a bastard. Like all of Ned’s children, he believes that honor is the most important thing a person can have. However, to others, his views of honor can come across as arrogance; when he joins the Night Watch, he is disliked by many for the privilege he had for being a Lord’s son. Jon refuses to see himself as privileged due to his status as a bastard, though he eventually realizes that there are people who have lived far worse than he ever did.
The Lannisters are one of the richest families of the Seven Kingdoms. Ser Jaime and Queen Cersei are lovers and plan to keep their relationship a secret. They are a devious couple who are willing to resort to murder to preserve their relationship. It is apparent that her children, Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are products of her incestuous relationship with her twin brother. However, King Robert is blissfully unaware of what happens in his own castle. He still recognizes the eldest, Joffrey, as his heir, and by the end of the book, he ascends to the throne.
Tyrion is an incredible character; he is intelligent, witty, and loyal to his family. Because he is ridiculed for being a dwarf, he is the most capable of understanding people who are placed in unfortunate situations. He is not a friend to them, but he is willing to offer some counsel to ease them of their troubles or to make them realize the worst of themselves.
Robert Baratheon is my least favorite character due to his brutish and narrow-minded views. He is a terrible father, husband, and king. However, he is strategic and a seasoned war veteran. It is interesting that he would rather relive his warring days. He is more interested in killing than having a clear goal.
Joffrey Baratheon is quite possibly the only character I hate so far. He is arrogant, impulsive, and sociopathic. The HBO adaptation did well in capturing his cruelty, though the show emphasizes his idiocy a lot more… The book tends to emphasize his ignorance, mostly to the political turmoil that will erupt from the decisions he makes.
The King’s Council is made up of mostly self-serving people. Of them, Varys is my favorite character because he is more interested in keeping the realm together. I am skeptical of him, though, because someone with that kind of interest would want to sit on the throne. However, as the story progresses, it is clear that the iron throne is the most dangerous seat in Westeros. Varys works best ruling in the shadows by providing the king with advice that could work in his favor. Petyr Baelish (Little Finger) is also another favorite; he is not a good person, but he is a great antagonist. Maester Pycelle, Stannis Baratheon, and Renly Baratheon are my least favorite because of the small parts they have in the book. I am aware that there will be more of them later in the series, but my impression of the three is not great so far. As for Ser Barristan Selmy, there is not much I can say of him yet. So far, his abilities as the Commander of the Kingsguard are only spoken of but not shown.
The Themes
There are a number of themes that the story touches on, though I will only talk about two of my favorites.
Justice is one of the most prevalent themes in the series. It is an interesting topic to cover because of how it is defined. To a lot of characters, revenge is a form of justice. Arya and Rob, for instance, want revenge for their father’s beheading. Their character arcs are going to be the most intriguing because at first glance, they seem to forgo the Stark values. However, they are willing to pass a sentence for their family.
“The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we hold the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. If you would take a man’s life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hear his final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man does not deserve to die”
Eddard to Bran, A Game of Thrones
Society and class are shown in various ways in the book. The obvious display are the servants and slaves who are always catering to characters like Daenerys. Other subtle displays are through the dialects; those in the lower class often address their Lords and Ladies with “m’lord” instead of “my lord.” And while these depictions are informative, what emphasizes this theme is the effect of war. People are often caught up in the middle of the disputes of their Lords and Kings, which is something that will be shown a lot more in the next book. Daenerys’ journey shows the effects of war really well; the Dothraki’s raids to appease her desire to take Westeros for her unborn child affect the common people more than it will ever affect her or Drogo. Mirri Maz Duur’s (the Lhazareen godswife and maegi, or sorceress) enslavement is the epitome of the worst that could happen to someone who is caught up in a war that is not their own.
If you have reached the end of my post, thank you, for taking the time to read what I have written. I am enjoying Martin’s series, though I will admit that the length of the books makes it challenging for me to finish them quickly. At the time of writing this review, I am close to finishing A Clash of Kings. I cannot wait to finish it and write my thoughts on it.
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