A Game of Thrones

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

Length: 33 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

Brilliant! Much less debauched than the movie!

I really enjoyed this as it was much less debouched than the movies and more about the story

Very enjoyable

I have seen the HBO series but a friend told me to read the books. So I did the next best thing I listened to it. The performance is very enjoyable and brings the text alive

Game of very involved

What made the experience of listening to A Game of Thrones the most enjoyable?

Dotrice, at first I wasn't sure of all the character voice changes but he makes it work. There must be hundreds of characters

What did you like best about this story?

The unknown, the mystery of those possible problems coming from beyond the wall
The fantasy that leaves you waiting for it to happen

Have you listened to any of Roy Dotrice’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't done any yet, but....
I can't believe he's the same guy who plays the Russian coach in "the cutting edge" movie

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This is really extreme dramatics with surprises and violence
Not for kids

Any additional comments?

Listening to a part of the story and seeing the same part online is fun, you can do this without spoiling the rest of the book

Great story

Would you consider the audio edition of A Game of Thrones to be better than the print version?

I do not have time to read the printed verison, but after listen i may read the print version.

Dotrice gives a mildly inconsistent performance

Where does A Game of Thrones rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I haven't listened to many audio books before, but this is by far the best of them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It's difficult to pin down one favorite character in the first part of A Song of Ice and Fire. Each one gets an appropriate chunk of the story, with less eventful stories getting less pages, less chapters. However, each one feels appropriately developed and likable in their own way, even the antagonists making their endings that much more heartbreaking or believable.

Which character – as performed by Roy Dotrice – was your favorite?

Robert Baratheon was probably my favorite performance by Dotrice. His accent and billowing voice and hearty laugh were spot-on for the character, and almost as real as Mark Addy's spectacular performance.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Most of Tyrion's chapters and conversations have a humerous, but ultimately heartwarming point to them, especially his conversation with Jon Snow about 200 pages into the book. It shows an uncharacteristic love for the Starks that Tyrion would rather hide, and his genuine care for their plights.

Any additional comments?

Roy Dotrice's performance has a few inconsistencies and annoyances that are rather minor in the whole scope of his read-through. For instance, at some points, he seemed to misread Joffery's name as Jefferey, but would jump from one pronunciation to the next at times. And his pronunciation of other names and words seemed a bit forced, and some accents didn't quite fit for their characters. However, for the most part, especially with Robert Baratheon or Syrio Forel, he does a fine, wonderful job.

Amazing narrator

The narrator performs multiple voices so very well. It's easy to forget the story is being narrated by only one person.

Great book and awesome interpretation

The story is great, I was following the tv series, but the book is a lot better, and the narration is awesome, Roy Dotrice reads each character with its own voice. Simply great!

Be ready to listen even when you are in the restroom because you'll not want to stop listening.

fantastic story!!

so much better than the TV series. the amout description that is give completely changes the story for me and makes it much more enjoyable. I should have made my way to the books years ago!

Speechless

A few scenes were a tad to descriptive for my tastes but what a great story! The ending is perfect and leaves you wanting more.

Great story, performance just OK

Any additional comments?

I have already watched Game of Thrones season 1 on HBO, and I am completely obsessed with the story. It is well developed and captivating, and I really enjoy all of the characters, even the ones I actually hate. I definitely reccommend the book or the show - for adults though, the content is very mature.

I started the frist book after I had seen the whole season, and the show follows the books exactly. That being said, I won't want to read ahead because I enjoy the show so much, but on the flip side the book can be a little boring if you have already seen the show. So perhaps it would be better to read the books first instead, but I guess it is a matter of opinion... and I haven't really decided on mine yet.

I really did not care for the narrator of this book though. His voice was not pleasant to listen to and his performance of the different characters (esspecially the women) was not well executed.