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 and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.- blurb to A Game of Thrones, book #1 in ASOIAF
These books.
These magnificent books.As Tolkien once breathed life into High Fantasy, George R. R. Martin has revolutionized the genre.
The world that the series takes place in is realistic, grim, and fully fleshed-out. It has developed cultures, religions, traditions, and a history stretching back thousands of years. The characters are developed, complex, and in a way, morally ambiguous... and because of the nature of the plot, it has the curious affect of making it so it seems like every fan is rooting for somebody different, for different reasons, and the fact that it's presented in different viewpoints only encourages it. It's fantastic. Nobody is just "good" or "bad", you've got mixes of both.
Even still, despite all of the sex and violence, women are portrayed diversely and some of the smartest and strongest characters are female... not too say that it's all "girl power!" either. The fact that Martin has accomplished this in a medieval setting without making it seem cheesy or unrealistic in the world of Westeros is just more proof of his mastery as a writer.
And it seems to me that Brienne of Tarth and Daenerys Targaryen are more independent and stronger than the likes of Tris Prior and Katniss Everdeen, while still remaining vulnerable.Oh, and anybody can die at any moment.
This isn't The Walking Dead's "no one is safe" gimmick, where the writers might just kill off a random minor character lying around to make it
seem like the stakes are high.
No, major characters die often. Most of the time unexpectedly. Sometimes gruesomely. It keeps you on the edge of your seat when characters you like are in danger because they don't always win. The twists and turns keep you guessing and on the verge of a heart attack, yet the atmospheric writing and immersive world don't let you go... it's both the best entertainment and the worst torture.
Best of all, there's something for everyone. I get it, some medieval fantasy series might not be your thing, but these books are different. This isn't the Lord of the Rings, this is something new and revolutionary in the world of writing. Action, adventure, political intrigue, romance, whatever. You're covered.
So just read these beautiful books already. I'm nearly done with the third book now (I'd be farther if I didn't take so many random long breaks when reading the first book, probably ;-;). You may also be familiar with the TV show, which is also pretty great.
Book List
- A Game of Thrones
- A Clash of Kings
- A Storm of Swords
- A Feast for Crows
- A Dance with Dragons
- The Winds of Winter - unreleased
- A Dream of Spring - unreleased
The TV show is on HBO, so you can only watch it if you have cable (or if you are willing to pirate it, arr). They are currently filming the fourth season for the fourth book, so beware and don't try to start in the middle.
One last tip before I leave you now.
Do not Google anything related to the series until you finish, because you will regret it. Don't look for clips on YouTube, search for characters or locations, nothing.
Some jerk elitist book reader will spoil it all for you for you if they get the chance. The series is rife with betrayals, twists, and deaths, so you are not safe to look for anything without spoiling it for yourself. I know there are some weird people who intentionally look up spoilers so they don't invest anything in characters that might die, lest they feel emotions like us tiresome human beings, but those people are lame. Don't be that person.
Oh dear, I believe my nerd was showing.Now, I must go. It's 5 AM, and I spent way too long making this. Farewell!~
