Preview
  • 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
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (146,158 ratings)

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A Game of Thrones

By: George R.R. Martin
Narrated by: Roy Dotrice
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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.
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Editorial review


By Seth Hartman, Audible Editor

A GAME OF THRONES IS A MASTERFUL START TO AN EPIC DARK FANTASY

I wasn’t properly introduced to A Song of Ice and Fire until my freshman year in college. My roommate at the time was a bona fide superfan of the series—when I told him that I hadn’t yet given it a try, he could barely contain his excitement. A week after this discovery, I had already watched the first season of the television series and was hungry for more. Instead of binging the remaining seasons, I elected to crack open the first book in order to get the "definitive" experience. Even at the time, I could already tell that this series would leave a strong impact on me.

A Game of Thrones mostly follows House Stark, a noble family controlling the northern portion of the great kingdom of Westeros. Ned, the Lord of House Stark, is asked to join his old friend King Robert Baratheon in court as his new right-hand man. Shortly after arriving in the royal capital, Ned begins to unravel a conspiracy involving Queen Cersei Lannister and her family. Far to the North, Ned’s bastard son Jon Snow joins the Night’s Watch, a group of banished soldiers tasked with defending The Wall, a massive chunk of ice that keeps the mysterious White Walkers confined. To the East, a young girl named Daenerys Targaryen, the last of her line and heir to the previous regime, begins her bid for the throne with little more than a couple of dragon eggs.

While this series becomes increasingly complex book to book, the first entry is delightfully streamlined. Rather than introducing a million characters and locations, A Game of Thrones focuses on the three major families in the series, devoting a lot of time to fleshing out the main cast. On my first read, I was struck by the subversive nature of Thrones. Despite its setting, this is not a triumphant tale of knights and dragons. Rather, George R.R. Martin has created a world of betrayals and backstabs, one that values information and subterfuge far more than swords and shining armor. Veteran voice actor Roy Dotrice brings his highly adaptable voice to the audiobook, giving even more color to Martin's writing.

Continue reading Seth's review >

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)

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What listeners say about A Game of Thrones

Average customer ratings
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  • 5 out of 5 stars
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    123,448
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    5 out of 5 stars

great story, wildy mediocre narration.

obviously a fantastic and compelling beginning to a wonderful series but narration by only one individual does the complexity no justice. the 'alternative' voices all sounded virtually identical.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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The Best Show on TV and a GREAT book!

I loved the book more than the shows! I understand alot more of what's happening on the show now. RR is a genius!

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so glad i decided to give this series a try.

amazing story full of drama and betrayal. the narration was very skillfully done and had me completely captivated. ive never seen the series and decided to get this audiobook on a whim. i loved it so much i bought myself the box set for xmas

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Magical!

I loved this book.- An epic story told with great passion!
thank you George R. R. Martin!

...winter is coming!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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great story. bad reader

great book but the narrator mis-read some names, and when he would do the voices, he wouldn't change back to his normal voice in between the dialogue

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Entertaing story

This series of books is among the best of fantasy. I can't overstate the skill of the author. It feels as if this world is as real as our own. Magic is used only to color the plot. However the narration leaves a lot to be desired. The voice is harsh and gruff, pompous, the caricature of an old British.
GCP (EU)

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Narrator is good, but not perfect

The narrator only has 3 voices: Tyrion, Veras...and everyone else. Other than that, good energy and nice flow

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Great Read

I came to this book after watching the show and being unsatisfied with the ending. I was told that the books are far better, and overall, it's mostly true! This book is nearly identical to season one (I'm aware of GRRM's involvement on the show) but there is far more depth to the story here. The narrator did a fantastic job reading the book, however my only complaints were some inconsistent pronunciation of character names which got confusing at times, and his tendency to sound very sloshy when imitating certain characters(not that ist especially a bad thing, but super sloshed "S's and Th's" makes me uncomfortable and is just a pet peeve). overall it is a very pleasant experience and a great opening into a giant world of politics, fantasy, and drama!

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The Narrator is just AWFUL!

when the narrator attempts to change his voice to match the character he's reading for, it's so difficult to understand him. There are some characters that he gives a lisp to, WHY?!. It's nearly impossible to understand what he's saying. It's honestly offensive to listen to. Unfortunately we have the same narrator for all of the books so the terrible lisp doesn't stop! sooo bad!!

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fantastic

the performance by Roy Dotrice was awesome and made this incredible story come alive, highly suggest for listening to.

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