Review: A Song of Ice and Fire; Game of Thrones series

October 17, 2013
Author: George R.R. Martin
 Publisher: Bantam
 Year: 1996-present
 ISBN: 9780345529053
 Rating: ★★★★½
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Contemporary Fantasy authors fall into two broad categories- those who follow faithfully In Tolkien’s (and Howard, Leiber, Lewis’s) wake, doggedly sticking to the established formula, and those who decide to take the circuitous route of laboured originality.  Martin places himself very firmly in the second category, acknowledging the influence of inherited tradition but simultaneously undercutting most conventions of fantasy. In his world, the distinction between hero and villain is blurry, main characters die with unfailing, unsettling regularity and sex and violence proliferate in all their explicit glory. Martin’s chief claim to originality, however, is his preoccupation with and partiality for political intrigue and the battle over magic in the series.

The series, comprised of seven books, two of which are yet to be released, chronicle the events which take place on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos. The core story is the dynastic struggle between various houses for the control of Westeros, represented by the now-famous Iron Throne. Battles get bloodier and politics gets dirtier as the Lannisters, the Starks, the Greyjoys and the Baratheons stake their respective claims to the Throne. In the Free Cities, Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king murdered in a civil war prepares an army to claim what she sees as her rightful inheritance. Meanwhile, greater problems brew behind the Wall that protects the seven kingdoms of Westeros as the free Wildling folk prepare an invasion and supernaturally chilling creatures known as the Others rise to haunt the living. As everyone and their grandmother knows by now, Winter is Coming.

The world of the books is incredibly, painstakingly detailed with its own history, myths, legends, beliefs, faiths and practices. The people that inhabit this rich tapestry of words are numerous and detailed too, with over a thousand named characters making an appearance. The political machinations show the complexity and depth of their real-life influences- War of the Roses and Imperial Rome. But as is almost inevitable in a tale that spans over four thousand pages plus counting, some chapters and passages drag and are tediously repetitive. The misogyny present in the books cannot be explained away entirely by reference to its medieval setting. All women are presented through the intrusive male gaze primarily in terms of their body and physical desirability. Also, the interior complexity granted to male characters like Eddard Stark, Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow to name a few, is largely denied to the female characters who tend to be stock figures. The two women who do possess a modicum of power, Cersei Lannister and Melisandre, are vilified. Brienne of Tarth, the only woman to wield a sword in the books, is made out to be a hideous spectacle, her supposedly compassionate portrayal being rather undercut by a pathological need to describe her ugliness every time she is mentioned.

Some flaws aside, the series is at its heart an extremely interesting story. Fantasy buffs should not miss it. For the rest, if you have the time and the inclination to pursue seven heavy tomes, it is very much recommended.

Related Fantasy Links:

Game of Thrones
Tolkien Society
Official Tolkien BookShop
Best Collection of Game of Thrones Memes

Neha Yadav

Neha Yadav

Writer at IndiaBookStore
Self-avowed Brontesauras, cinephile and bookworm. Drinks more coffee and browses more internet than is healthy for anyone
Neha Yadav

8 Comments

  • shrutianime October 17, 2013 at 12:28 PM

    I like the way you’ve done justice to such a heavy and huge series in a concise yet all-encompassing review.
    I suppose an additional review could compare the books to the ongoing series?

    • Neha Yadav October 22, 2013 at 2:14 PM

      Thank you for the perceptive comment! Yes, the challenge was to provide an adequate introduction to one behemoth of a series. I am sorry but I don’t understand the second part- compare which books to the series?

      • shrutianime October 25, 2013 at 5:16 PM

        The Game of Thrones books to the Game of Thrones TV series. 🙂 ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_of_Thrones )

        • Neha Yadav October 28, 2013 at 3:12 PM

          Ah. I am sorry but I don’t follow the TV series as I found it tediously repetitive, which is a comment on my attention span and not the show 😀

          • shrutianime October 28, 2013 at 7:53 PM

            Ah I see! I started reading the first book the other day, it’s great! 😀

          • Mugdha November 10, 2013 at 5:13 AM

            Hey Shruti….. if you’re watching the TV series and also reading the books…. would you like to write a comparison of the two? It might be a nice thing to have….

          • Shruti November 11, 2013 at 3:43 PM

            Of course, I would be glad to!

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