First a confession; it has been over nine years since I last read a fantasy novel. After having read A Game Of Thrones I must admit it feels like being reintroduced a long lost friend. This hefty tome weighs in a over eight hundred pages, and I can honestly say that not one chapter contains any filler, however, I'm getting ahead of myself. The synopsis reads as follows: First volume of a brilliant new fantasy trilogy: the most powerful, original and absorbing new epic since Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first volume of George R R Martin's glorious high fantasy tells the tragic story of treachery, greed and war that threatens the unity of the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall. Martin unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions, thronged with memorable characters, a story of treachery and ambition, love and magic. Set in a fabulous world scarred by battle and catastrophe over 8000 years of recorded history, it tells of the deeds of men and women locked in the deadliest of conflicts and the terrible legacy they will leave their children. In the game of thrones, you win or you die. And in the bitter-cold, unliving lands beyond the Wall, a terrible winter gathers and the others -- the undead, the neverborn, wildlings to whom the threat of the sword is nothing -- make ready to descend on the realms of men. A Game of Thrones begins the most imaginative, ambitious and compelling fantasy epic since The Lord of the Rings. Thronged with memorable characters, it unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions. There have been many pretenders to the throne of Tolkien: now at last he has a true heir. This synopsis fails to do it justice. The mood of this novel is not a sing song regalia of hope and poetic justice; it is very dark with menacing backdrops unforgivably recounted. The characters and their characterizations are emotionally engaging and thoroughly believable. The storytelling is simply sublime with believable and complex world building. The world and the map that begins to form in the reader's mind as he continues to read page after page simply pops from the pages with clarity, wonderful rendition and geographical accountably, no castle is unexamined, no family sigil not given its symbolic and biological meaning. Narratively, George R. R. Martin's delivery is inspirational; I was especially enraptured with his metaphorical language, it really added another layer of believability to the entire proceedings. Wonderful, A Game Of Thrones is not to be missed.






Epic. Truly an epic piece of fantasy is the second book of the Fire And Ice series. The seven kingdoms of Westeros are in turmoil and it is this backdrop that powers the novel. With four kings, and one Queen across the ocean, the land that has enjoyed a relatively short period of peace is soon to be bathed in blood. Each chapter, as with the previous novel is named after a central character in the storyline and the first person narrative really gives an immersive taste of what it is to be the actual character. So many subplots, and there are so many, some of which are answered in this novel, some of which sprout anew, draw a reader (it certainly did this reader) to take special note of how courtly & political intrigue, shameless self preservation, ambition for land and power, the settling of old grudges, and the need for revenge all boil and bubble with an unwholesomeness that forever threatens to envenom all involved. Each character, and this is a multi character story driven storyline, have weaknesses which have to be guarded against very carefully, the level of menace and betrayal that awaits any character ant any given time is palpable. The mastery of their emotions is paramount to their own survival. The four major houses, House Lannister; House Baratheon; House Stark; and House Greyjoy are predominately represented. With House Lannister, the caustic wit and sheer cunning of Tyrion is a joy to behold. Though not well respected and somewhat loathed by the masses, he is the epitome of a Machiavellian politician - without the cruelty. House Stark is represented in abundance by Catelyn, Sansa, Arryn and Bran. Each of this noble house is suffering the war in their own manner and the madness and pain that each suffers is told with a clarity and a brutal weariness that spares nobody. Theon Greyjoy comes to life in this novel quite surprisingly as a young man greedy for power and respect. It appears that the adage keep your friends close but your enemies closer, is a cruel and ironic lesson that this young man will suffer and relish with his avariciousness. Both of the now deceased kings' brothers, Renly and Stannis, vie for the right to raise an army and to proclaim themselves as king. Into the mud and blood, sword and steel, life and death battlefield of both men's minds and hearts, the author introduces us to the early elements of sorcery. This magical intrusion caught me by surprise, but it was handled with a great deal of restraint and leaves almost limitless possibilities as to when, where and how the The Iron Throne will fall. Amongst these rival kings the unknown takes place. Across the sea, Daenerys, now a young and extremely driven young widow seeks to reclaim her family's historical throne. The three dragons to which she has given life are omens, omens as ominous as the red comet in the sky, that a time of great upheaval and change are at hand. Sword and sorcery that works in tandem without one of these stalwarts of fantasy taking a pivotal role is the work of a true master story teller. I just wonder when and where the two will finally meet up. This is only book two of a projected seven book series, something inside confidently assures me that I will read them all. Let the dragons mature, let the wrongs of House Lannister be shouted from the turret tops, let the armies of all those loyal to their respective lords and kings amass, let there be more of this, let loose the dogs of war! Fantasy par excellence!






A Storm Of Swords; the third instalment of the projected seven book Fire And Ice series, continues to soar in the heady heights of sublime narrative, treacherous and duplicitous court intrigue, and sheer knife honed edged character growths and depravities. This novel with its cesspool of Machiavellian manoeuvring conveys a very dark sense of how power truly corrupts all those it touches. Some of my favourite characters, such as the two Lannister brothers Tyrion and Jaime, were some of the best written chapters of this novel. The sense one gets from being given their motives, strengths, and failings is character development given time to slowly develop and unfurl its hidden nuances. Tyrion becomes even more ambitious, Jaime grows even more tired. Both are cripples, both learn to overcome their less than admirable qualities, and yet, we are never far from being reminded that the family name to which they belong is corrupted with regicide and incest. The wolves of this novel are all separated, and out for revenge. The Starks, through the five children and their Lady Mother are faced with seeming near unattainable odds to overcome. Their struggles, all unique to each individual is painstakingly recounted with a host of characters who wish to secretly help and those who seek to use for their own ends. The author cleverly disguise who has designs for their safety and those who do not. Other minor characters are given much greater page accountability; Jon Snow and Samwell Tarly experience horrors above and beyond the Wall to the great north. In the background, away from the kingdom of Westeros, the young woman Daenerys Stormborn is steadily conquering cities while her three dragons grow stronger. It is obvious that she will not take an active part in her eventual assault on Westeros, and when it happens...it will depend on how fractured, weak or strong, the Seven Kingdoms are to face her. Beautiful world building combined with a characters lush in their depth and depravity, charm and beauty, drive and desire, make this (I'm happy to say) a necessary purchase.






The previous three books of this epic (i.e. very long) fantasy series all shared one common theme; characters and events that leave you in no uncertain state as to their mindset. Those that are clearly honourable or not, are clearly identified, and in turn we become most intimate with their every deed. Not so in this book. It more than appears that Martin has allowed the novel to bloat into a series of tumultuous events micro managed to incorporate an ever expanding set of peoples and their histories. It needed to be simplified. The plot bubbles along very nicely with Cersei forever trying to cast aside all those who seek to rid her and her house of their ill gotten glory; Jaime accepting that his hidden and shameful lies no longer rule him as they once did; Brienne realising that the world with its sham and drudgery batters on her soul while her quest for Sansa Stark comes up empty; and a whole new plethora of rebellious lords (on land and at sea) who seek to carve themselves a slice of the festering pie that is Westeros. It felt like the author gave too much attention to these new characters and simply chose to keep some of the bigger names for his next book. Their is a very poignant scene in one of Brienne's chapters (pages 374-376) that details how and why the lowliest born men do what they do. Told by a priest who only very briefly accompanies her on her travels, he gives a moral and social commentary on the untold damage war causes. A damn fine read that ended up feeling not quite right. I'm still enthralled by this series, though!

Authors	Awards	Blogs
Fanzines	Index	Magazines
Publishers	Retailers	Reviews