A Game of Thrones

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

Now the acclaimed HBO series Game of Thrones - the masterpiece that became a cultural phenomenon

Winter is coming. Such is the stern motto of House Stark, the northernmost of the fiefdoms that owe allegiance to King Robert Baratheon in far-off King's Landing. There Eddard Stark of Winterfell rules in Robert's name. There his family dwells in peace and comfort: his proud wife, Catelyn; his sons Robb, Brandon, and Rickon; his daughters Sansa and Arya; and his bastard son, Jon Snow. Far to the north, behind the towering Wall, lie savage Wildings and worse - unnatural things relegated to myth during the centuries-long summer, but proving all too real and all too deadly in the turning of the season. Yet a more immediate threat lurks to the south, where Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, has died under mysterious circumstances. Now Robert is riding north to Winterfell, bringing his queen, the lovely but cold Cersei, his son, the cruel, vainglorious Prince Joffrey, and the queen's brothers Jaime and Tyrion of the powerful and wealthy House Lannister - the first a swordsman without equal, the second a dwarf whose stunted stature belies a brilliant mind.

All are heading for Winterfell and a fateful encounter that will change the course of kingdoms. Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, Prince Viserys, heir of the fallen House Targaryen, which once ruled all of Westeros, schemes to reclaim the throne with an army of barbarian Dothraki - whose loyalty he will purchase in the only coin left to him: his beautiful yet innocent sister, Daenerys.

©1996 George R.R. Martin, (P)2003 Books On Tape, Inc., published in arrangement with Random House Audio Group,a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Locus Award, 1997

"Martin's trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes...He's probably going to have to add another shelf, at least." (Publishers Weekly)

"The first volume in Martin's first fantasy saga combines intrigue, action, romance, and mystery in a family saga." (Booklist)

"Grabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant." (Robert Jordan)

"This novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal." (Chicago Sun-Times)

Entertaining story, narrating not so much

Highly recommend this book if you enjoy the television series. There are some differences, but the history is richer in the novel(s) and I found it easier to follow.

However, Mr. Dotrice's narration leaves a lot to be desired. His voice is harsh and gruff, which doesn't lend itself to a plethora of various characters (I found the voice of Tywin especially obnoxious - forcibly pompous, uttering 2 or 3 words between lengthy pauses and breaths, like the worst caricature of a fat old British member of parliament). His interpretation of the pronounciation of the characters' names was inconsistent - "Joffrey" became "Jeffrey" at one point, "Hodor" was used interchangeably with "Hodar," and the Stark matriarch was sometimes "Catt-lin" and other times "Cait-lin," just to name a few. Narration of dialogue in a character's voice sometimes carries over into non-dialogue parts (i.e. reading "...said Arya" in Arya's voice). I found myself actually surprised this recording was given the thumbs-up for release, especially for a story so wildly popular as this one.

The narration almost ruins the book for me. I so wished for a different narrator for the remainder of the series, but alas - if you want to experience Game of Thrones on audiobook, this is what you're stuck with.

Simply Outstanding.

Wow. George R. R. Martin has renewed my faith in the Fantasy genre. I enjoyed this book so much I was pulling my hair out waiting for the month to end so I could download the next 2 books in the series. The writing is excellent. The dialogue is wonderful. The setting is dark, intriguing and original. The narrator, an experienced actor, is exceptional and he easily allowed me to immerse myself in the story. The only thing that I fear would turn people off from this book is the intense violence and certain taboo situations--but such things are expected in a more gritty, realistic medieval setting. So if you prefer your fantasy novels rated PG, than A Game Of Thrones is not for you. Also, those of you who expect all of their fantasy novels to end with shiny, happy people holding hands can just stop reading now and find another book. R.R. Martin isn't afraid to kill characters. So if you're not already squeamish by what I've said above, then read this book. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shake your fists into the air and seethe with rage. I have found my new favorite fantasy author, and his name is George R. R. Martin.

A Game of Thrones

I found this book unbelievably well read. I have listened to books before read with feeling, accents and no one does it like the British. From the accents of Wales, Northern England, Ireland and even London's back streets, Mr. Roy Dotrice's reading leaves nothing to be desired. Why that Wiley LIttle Finger can't be mistaken for anyone else! Thanks for making the book come alive with it's pageantry and scope. Mr. Martin's skill of characterization is not diminished by this audio presentation, it is given the breath of life.

Bad performance voice ruins A Game of Thrones

What did you love best about A Game of Thrones?

The depth of the characters and reality of Westeros was first rate. The interweaving of three main stories—the noble Stark family and court politics, the exiled Princess Daenerys and the tale of Jon Stark in the north—is fascinating.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed how well the author developed the myriad characters and the intricacies of court politics and the fighting among and within the seven kingdoms. The whole subculture of the Rangers of the Night's Watch at North Wall was also fascinating.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Roy Dotrice?

Anyone but him. I hated his gravelly voice and even more when he changed his voice to be different characters. His voice almost ruined the whole thing for me. One should enjoy the read not be offended by it.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Seven kingdoms, one steel throne, who will reign?

love the story

George R.R. Martin is a fantastic story teller. The bad guys do good things. Important people are murdered off. The good guys do terrible things. It is more akin to real life. I too would of preferred a different reader. The person who read the Harry Potter series comes to mind. Anyway it is far to good a story to pass up. More mature than Tolkien and faster paced than Jordan.

Don't pass this series up.

A complex tale, interesting but disappointing

This is an epic story, written from the viewpoint of many of the main characters. Each one of these viewpoints could be a book by itself. When combined they create a complex web that is incredibly detailed.

But after listening to the first three novels, with well over 80 hours invested, I'm coming away disappointed for a couple of reasons.

There are so many characters, most with multiple names and nicknames, that they become very difficult to keep track of. I wouldn't mind that, as the author invests a considerable amount of time building most of these characters. The problem is that the author then will almost casually kill them off. I'm at the end of the 3rd book now, and many of the characters that early on seemed to be critical to the story are gone. After awhile you find yourself thinking 'Well, there's no point in getting to know this character, because he/she will be dead soon'.

It also seems apparent at this point that there is a great menace that at some point becomes part of the story, in fact it may be the point of the entire series. The problem is that I'm at the end of the 3rd book, well over 80 hours into it, and I still don't know what that is or when we'll get to it.

I'm throwing in the towel here. Most of the characters I cared about are dead, the minute-by-minute detail of the lives of other characters (that may soon be dead) is getting tiring, and the actual point of the series, which so far has been only hinted at, has been drowned out by minutia.

Roy Dotrice is an amazing reader, and is one of the reasons I've hung in this long. However I see from other comments that he doesn't read the 4th book in the series, and that the change is quite jarring, another good reason to stop here.

I gave the story 3 stars, and the reader 5, which overall made it 4 stars. I was interesting, and I'm not sorry I invested the time, but I'll wait to see if abridged version come out before I bother with the rest.

Adult fantasy epic

This series is the most intelligent and enthralling set of fantasies I have ever read. The characters are multidimensional, they grow and they are so interesting that I can scarcely wait to see what happens to them. The book is huge, and the series is projected to be seven books. If you are bothered by trying to keep track of many complex characters you will not like this series. If you want predictable plots and familiar characters this is not for you. The plot actually follows somewhat a real historical period, with many parallels to real people. I have enjoyed comparing the historical to the fictional, but ultimately there is real substantial difference. Substantial describes the characterization, and I say adult because of the intense violent character of much of the plot. All in all this is much more than a pleasant read, it is a deep and involving experience.

READ ME!!

Seriously, don't let any bad reviews about the narrorator, or the pace of this book throw you off. I almost passed it up based on them, and what a mistake that would have been. I've been listening to audiobooks for quite some time and I've never enjoyed a narrorator as much as Roy Dotrice. He brings each character, and the story, alive in a way I've never experienced. As far as the pace and storyline, I think some reviewers were confused between nothing happening, and something happening on every page. There is so much plot, sub-plot, sub-sub-plot, twists and turns, your head will swin with enjoyment. You won't be able to put this one down. Please. PLEASE, judge for yourself.....buy this audiobook RIGHT NOW! You will not regret it.

great theater

I would love to see this as an epic movie on the big screen. Full of pagentry , intrigue and the conflicts of great men. This is the beginning of an obsessive journey that will engulf you for over 30 hours... and this is just the beginning.
Enjoy

Great story, narration is okay

Loved "The Game of Thrones". It's been years since I read it and had pretty much given up on the series since Martin is an idiot for taking years to even publish a book. But with HBO picking up the series I thought I'd re-acquaint myself with the story and have thoroughly enjoyed it. My only complaint is the narrator who sounds old and can't add enough variety in his voice for the younger characters. When he speaks as the characters who are in their mid-teens they sound like old, battle hardened veterans.