Do you like to pick favorites and get attached to characters when reading a story? Do you have a habit of finding out good guys you love and bad guys you love to hate? Do you like to read a story and say “Hey, I told you so”, to your fans when things happen in the story as you said it would? If so, read George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire novel series, at the risk of being heart-broken, disappointed and totally proven wrong.
A Song of Ice and Fire is a fantasy novel of politics, war, mystery and many more, is nothing like most other stories. It has so many twists and turns that predicting what will happen is mostly impossible. It has enough fantasy to captivate you in its pages of magic, and sufficient realistic elements to make you wonder whether this is a story of an old place lost and forgotten. By reading this novel, view how a major event which is later bound to be of historical event, unfold before your eyes.
What’s even more interesting is the numerous amounts of characters in the novel, as the story develops from book to book. And yet George R.R. Martin doesn’t color his characters in black or white to identify the good from the bad. Instead he has them in different shades of grey. As the story progresses many of the important characters die, so it becomes impossible to say that one or two single character is the main protagonist of the story. What we do know is that all of the characters have a role to play and that they will bring together the strings to complete the story.
The story is located in the fantasy land of Westeros also known as the Seven Kingdoms. A long summer that has lasted at least nine years in this magical land, is finally coming nearer to an end when the story starts. The greatest signs that the upcoming winter is a deadly one, is the appearance of the otherworldly creatures of cold and ice, the Others who are coming from the north threatening to pass the wall that protected the men of Westeros for a long time. However most people of Westeros are not aware of this as they have already plunged themselves into their own troubles.
The story begins with the long-time friend of King Robert Baratheon, Lord Eddard Stark returning to the residential city of the Crown, King’s Landing, at his king’s request. He returns after having stayed away from the city after the rebellion that brought King Robert to the throne, only to find that trouble is brewing in the city. Soon the King and the Lord’s death in the midst of the troubles, causes the land to be thrown into a chaotic rebellion with more than one king to take the place of the dead one. Meanwhile across the sea, the last remaining blood of the usurped king, makes plan to return to Westeros with her newly hatched three dragons which is also the only dragons in the world, to claim her birthright on the Iron Throne as Queen of the Seven Kingdoms.
Nothing is certain in the game of thrones that they have engaged in. Will they lead themselves into destruction among the troubles they have brewed? Will the deadly winter and the Others it bring eradicate all human? Or will the Mother of Dragons arrive with her dragons to bring upon the promised fire and blood to her enemies, like her ancestors did before her. And then, will the dragons and Others dance against one another to play the ultimate song of Ice and Fire? Knowing George R.R. Martin’s writing this may not be the case. Only one thing is certain, that is that autumn in Westeros has finally come to an end. We can only hope that sixth novel of the series, The Winds of Winter will blow away something new and unexpected towards us.
Until then new readers can enjoy the so far available five books, a Game of Thrones, a Clash of Kings, a Storm of Swords, a Feast for Crows and a Dance with Dragons.