Game of Thrones by George R. R Martin

I remember when the first episode of Game of Thrones premiered on TV. Everyone was talking about it. Jon Snow popped up on forum signatures. Winter is coming emerged from everybody’s lips. Every taboo theme possible is inside Game of Thrones TV series which takes the name from the first book of a Song of Fire and Ice series. Both the TV series and the books are long and the book series is nowhere near finished. Those hoping to watch the show so they can catch up with the books, are gonna be mislead. I know so many people who have ended up binge watching the entire series, and haven’t even started the books yet.

It’s hard to say which I like more; the books or the series. At first I want to say the books, but I think I like them both equally. Game of Thrones, the first novel of the series is a heavy read, and that’s not just for it’s size. It follows three major plots and every chapter is in another character’s eyes. Because there’s so many characters, I think it’s better that it’s written in third person.

I wouldn’t say this is my favourite fantasy book, but I do like the book. I think this is the best book of the series for me because I really liked Ned Stark as a character and I have a nostalgic attachment to it. I read the first book before the TV series came out, and this was the only book from the series I was able to finish. If you’re wondering what my favourite fantasy book is, it’s the Lord of the Rings, even if that does sound cliche.

There’s so much going on. Stories about kings and queens and war politics really interest me. The series as a whole feels like a history book. Like a soap opera, you know what happens but unlike real history, we don’t know how it ends. A lot of content in the book shocks readers and no character is safe or protected. A young Bran is pushed out of a window for catching Cersei making out with her brother.

I love the Starks and the Lannisters. Queen Cersei is one of my favourite antagonists and I like how ruthless she is and how she rises above men to seek power in her own right. She’s playing her son and husband like puppets on a string. Daenerys is the same as well, even though she’s seen more as a protagonist here.

The Starks seem to be the most genuine household who love their children and get on. I love how different Sansa and Ayra are and they go on to do some awesome things later in the series. I’m so glad Sansa didn’t end up with Joffrey in the end. Even though they’re loads of characters that come and go and is male-dominated, it’s really the female characters that stand out. Saying that, I do like Tyrion and Jon Snow.

Other than my favourite characters, the best thing about the book is the grey areas. Nobody is truly pure good or pure evil, which makes them feel realistic and human. The depth of the characters is the reason why I continued going on even when the pages were a struggle to get through.

Even though I think George R. R. Martin is a strong writer, I sometimes feel the length of the books is too much. Sometimes after really heavy scenes I forget what’s happened in the last time and found reading frustrating at times. Some scenes felt repetitive and there’s a lot of padding. Whilst it’s great for binging, if you’re not in a binging mood it is exhausting. The lore is vivid and detailed and spans through millions of words and there’s dozens of theories and essays from the fandom. It’s confusing at times which is why I’ve never been able to finish the other books.

There are some triumphant scenes and if I was to rate it on Goodreads, I would give it three stars.