Bookshelf Badgering: "A Song of Ice and Fire"

I've read a slew of fantasy series in my time, but none has held my curiosity much like the "Song of Ice and Fire" series.

To begin with, I myself have a sordid origin story with it. A few years back a friend let me borrow a copy and I attempted to get through it. I can't say what was happening that distracted me at the time, but I slogged through the story and could not enjoy it.

Then, this summer, I ended up in possession of the first three books in this ongoing saga.


I haven't picked up any other book since. And in part that's due to the 900+ pages per novel. But part of it is that George R.R. Martin has created an IMMENSE tome of well-executed history and fantasy. First off, there's the patience one must indulge in writing when narrating with not just two or three, but AT LEAST eight characters. Every chapter has something different, or a new perspective on a previous situation, and that is, just from a writer's point of view, a mighty fine mountain to scale. It's effective in the idea that nothing happens in an isolated fashion-- just like in the real world, people die and events happen simultaneously and sometimes without another main player even knowing about. There is certainly a tradeoff because every time you get tired of a certain character, you turn the page and something far more interesting is happening. If Martin had favorites, he's hiding it well. He will keep a steady rotation so that you're not looking at one location (and all the characters interred there) for too long. I may, at some other time, go into the other characters as I continue reading- some books bring a whole new shift to very key players, late in the game.

Additionally, Martin has solidly convinced the reader that this world of his not only exists but has existed for long, long ages of time. I believe I've read snippets and comments and have a rough idea of the last two to three hundred years of the shifting political powers of this world, not enough to rattle off the top of my head but enough to feel like I am experiencing this story alongside the characters.

The majority of storylines happen around the primary family of the stories: the Starks, of Winterfell, and their spiraling collision into the politics of the world Martin has created. over the course of the books, the family becomes divided by distance and traumas, as the monarchy changes hands, betrayals and kingships create a war-torn kingdom, and the young children learn the hard way that death comes to everyone as it surrounds them on all fronts. We also spend some time delving into the story arc and mindset of their primary foes, the Lannisters. These two families have become the epicenter of this medieval society, with bad blood on both sides and enough intrigue that spills out over what will soon be FIVE books, each numbering in almost the thousands-of-pages.

I wish I could be fair to all characters, but I'll only touch on two of the characters that hold interest to me; to try and cover each important character would bore you (the wishful, but doubfully existent reader) to death! Jon Snow is the bastard child of the Stark patriarch, and is unique in that his father never speaks of his mother but adopts him as an active ward of his family, raising them with his wife's children. We don't know much about this boy's origin, save that he was born before Eddard Stark was wed to Catelyn. His story focuses around his journey to join the Night Watch, a sworn brotherhood of warriors who guard the mile-high and country-long wall of ice and stone separating the Kingdom from the rest of the continent. His coming-of-age is seen from the outside of the central political struggle as his adventures happen on a more worldly scale, helping to learn and train and prepare for an invading force of warriors from outside the Kingdom's boundaries; The other story that keeps my attention regardless is that of Tyrion Lannister. This man from the opposing family is a sympathetic antagonist for parts of the story, but at times you find yourself rooting for him! Tyrion is cursed to have been born a half-man, practically a midget in our society. His stature is the source of much bitterness and his constant mockery by others makes his struggle to survive in a world where no one takes him seriously more and more interesting as he steals, and earns, more and more clout and authority. His circumstance and his moral ambiguity make him utterly fascinating to me and I enjoy seeing the fine line he walks between being a man with heart and a cold, heartless, RUTHLESS bastard like the rest of his family is.

As I reach the end of my 2700th page or so, three books done, I must confess however that this series does indeed have its flaws; For one thing, it takes willpower to continue reading such massive encyclopedias of high fantasy. I often find myself yawning, or only reading chapters in small bursts, in order to not become bored. While this world is amazing, it is at times a challenge not to drown in the sea of words one has to read to finish each book in the series. That being said, it is utterly compelling to read as the highly-twisted plotlines overlap and continue pushing this drama onwards. Every books' ending brings immense game-changers and each book brings at least a handful of deaths, whether or not you enjoy the characters in question; At times I regret HOW MUCH Martin seems to like killing key characters, but as I end "a Storm of Swords", three books have taught me that part of the fun is that you get to see these characters' lives lived to the hilt, and each figure holds (and sometimes trades loyalties) in the most proper form to their personality.

I would recommend this despite the lengthy caveats, and encourage you to at least read Book One in the series, "A Game of Thrones", before the HBO Mini-series comes out. Based on all the photos, behind-the-scenes, and cast listings I've seen? I expect HBO-top-notch, and dare I risk my breath to say so, it will rival Lord of the Rings as a Filmed Fantasy Classic.

four and a half out of five Direwolves.