A Song of Ice & Fire - George R R Martin (Game of Thrones series)

You might think I’m ambitious for attempting to review A Song of Ice & Fire for my very first review. To make matters worse, it is also a wildly popular TV series titled after the first book, Game of Thrones. Also, I could be shot if there are any spoilers in the review. But I can’t think of another series/book since Harry Potter that captured my imagination and obsession so effectively, so here it is.

For those who haven’t watched or read it, Songs of Ice & Fire is about a power struggle of massive proportions between kings & queens, lords & knights, conquerors & slave masters, set in a land where seasons can last for years. What’s new about this story of power and politics, intrigue and ambition, murder and betrayal? The mind-blowingly intricate tapestry of characters, locations and events, to put it simply.

Each chapter is from the point of view of a different character, but the storyline is in many threads, spread across many miles and gorgeously described locales. One minute you are imagining a 700 foot tall wall of ice, the next minute you are transported to an arid desert inhabited by horse-riding nomad tribes, and from there to a sprawling capital city with a towering red sandstone castle. As you progress through the books, the number of point-of-view characters and locations increase exponentially, as storylines meet, collide, converge and spawn new storylines. Yet all of this is surprisingly easy to keep track of, no doubt because of the level of thought and detail that goes into every page. In any case, all the books have helpful maps in the beginning and family trees at the end which you can refer to.

Nobody can accuse author George R R Martin of being predictable. I personally have lost count of the times I have been delighted, dazzled and dumbfounded as I hungrily turned page after page. It could be a huge fiercely fought battle, or the answer to a major question being casually revealed in conversation, or the sudden and unexpected demise of an important character. At any point in the series, the phrase “the plot thickens” would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions. There is a sprinkling of the supernatural, with psychics, dragons, direwolves, zombie-like-things and shadow assassins (and I mean that literally) to give the story a surreal touch, as if the castles weren’t enough, but the characters and their dilemmas are strangely relatable, given the circumstances.

The book series consists of seven books, A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), A Dance with Dragons (2011), and the last two - The Winds of Winter and A Dream of Spring - are eagerly impatiently fervently awaited.

I cannot wrap up this review without talking about the TV series. It is a brilliant adaptation of the books with an excellent cast, shot in stunning backdrops (Ireland, Croatia, Malta, Iceland et al), and god, is the casting amazing. You just cannot help getting swept into the mammoth awesomeness of it all, with taut battle scenes, ruthless dialogues, excellent costumes, and wonderful characters that you love to love or love to hate, because the casting is great. Did I mention that?

Bottom line – please read the books if you have the time and mindspace. At the very least, please watch the show. Haven’t you been curious to know why people have been going crazy on facebook and twitter about episodes like the Red Wedding?