A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin

George R. R. Martin's sprawling fantasy saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, probably never existed to most people until HBO turned it into a television series. With the success of the adaptation came a whole new readership, myself among them. Not a man to do things in small measures, I ordered a box set of all the books to date and prepared myself for the gambit. Despite assurances from my peers that they were not the literary offal I feared, snobbishness did breed some concerns whilst waiting for arrival. After all, it had been over two and a half years since I'd read anything other than classic literature. The series is commonly referred to as 'high fantasy', which obviously derives its origins from such works as Tolkien's Lord of the Rings and C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia. Reviewing the first book in the series, A Game of Thrones (1996), is troublesome after having first watched it on the screen - how far is my opinion already steeped in personal bias?

The feel of Martin's world, particularly the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, is distinctly Medieval, with a healthy smattering of Norse. Far to the East, the setting is exotic and Oriental, the Dothraki tribes invoking the primitive savage. Padding in the footsteps of real world history whilst crafting lands and dynasties of its own, the story is principally one about the quest for, and corruption of power. Eddard Stark, warden of the North and lord of Winterfell, is summoned by King Robert Baratheon to serve as royal Hand. Stark accepts with reluctance, abandoning his wintry realm to dispense justice in King's Landing, the capital. Just before leaving, his son Bran is crippled in suspicious circumstances, leading him to discover a plot of treason at court. Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea, deposed heir to the Iron Throne Viserys Targaryen, and his innocent sister Daenarys, bide their time in exile. The range of characters and noble families is staggering, although a handy glossary of the major houses is included for reference.

Needless to say, if you're into medieval warfare, heroic sagas, knights and dragons, the story will captivate. Fantasy enthusiasts will appreciate the magical and supernatural elements, although fortunately for me these are downplayed suitably enough. Of the language, I make no pretensions. Easy going and digestible it may be, but it could never be described as 'good.' Clumsy dialogue slurs, repetitive turns of phrase (how many times do we hear of a horse 'whickering'?), a worrying fixation on nipples, and frequent use of everyone's favourite cliche 'sickening crunch', are scattered throughout. Nonetheless, these are modern novels, and I didn't choose them for the language. The plot in itself is terse, violent, exciting, and bawdy enough to keep the pages rapidly turning. For a genre grown as stale as fantasy has, A Tale of Ice and Fire is a beacon of hope; for doing something different, and for doing it well. I eagerly anticipate the next volume, and rejoice at having been introduced to the series.

Rating: 4/5