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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1)

by George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

From Powells.com:

If you're a "read-the-book-first" type, you might want to get started now on George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. HBO has optioned the first book, A Game of Thrones, as a series, and 10 episodes are slated to begin filming in Ireland in fall 2009. (The current plan is to adapt one book per season.) What's more, independent game developer Cyanide Studios has acquired an exclusive option to develop the books as a series of video games, starting with (you guessed it) A Game of Thrones.

Publisher Comments:

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin's stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

A Game of Thrones

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Review:

"The major fantasy of the decade....compulsively readable."The Denver Post

Review:

"Such a splendid tale and such a fantasticorical! I read my eyes out and couldn't stop 'til I finished and it was dawn." Anne McCaffrey

Review:

"We have been invited to a grand feast and pageant: George R.R. Martin has unveiled for us an intensely realized, romantic but realistic world." Chicago Sun-Times

Review:

"A Best Book of 1996: Martin makes a triumphant return to high fantasy ...[with] superbly developed characters, accomplished prose, and sheer bloodymindedness." Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Review:

"A splendid saga....Inventive and intricately plotted." BookPage

Review:

"Magic...George R.R.Martin's first fantasy epic [is set] well above the norms of the genre." Locus

Synopsis:

A Game of Thrones is a contemporary masterpiece of fantasy.

The cold is returning to Winterfell, where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime A time of conflict has arisen in the Stark family, as they are pulled from the safety of their home into a whirlpool of tragedy, betrayal, assassination, plots and counterplots. Each decision and action carries with it the potential for conflict as several prominent families, comprised of lords, ladies, soldiers, sorcerers, assassins and bastards, are pulled together in the most deadly game of all — the game of thrones.

About the Author

George R.R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally ever since. He has written fantasy, horror, and science fiction, and for his sins spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer/producer, working on Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid 90's he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he's allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris, a big white dog called Mischa, and two cats named Augustus and Caligula who think they run the place.

From the Hardcover edition.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 18 comments:

e.ginther, March 29, 2012 (view all comments by e.ginther)
An amazing beginning to this series which will suck in even the most adverse-to-fantasy readers such as myself. The character & story development is beyond reproach and more engrossing than the TV show which introduced me to the story. I don’t want to count the hours of sleep this page turner cost me, nor what the next installments will.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
Lawson, January 21, 2012 (view all comments by Lawson)
The reason I love reading A Game of Thrones is its characters. George R. R. Martin's characters are authentic. If taken out of their fantasy setting they would be equally at home as your next-door neighbor or co-worker or the guy you see at the bus stop every day. Even the bad guys (mostly) have likeable traits. His characters live in a world that pays homage to other well-known fantasies in a way that is nostalgic rather than derivative. Martin amazingly combines several very popular sub-genres (zombies, dragon-taming, spy thrillers) into one coherent tale that is exciting, suspenseful and, well, fun. Thank goodness there are three (scratch that) four more books following this one.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(2 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
cbondi, January 19, 2012 (view all comments by cbondi)
It rocks ok thats the gist of it, it rocks!
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
View all 18 comments

Product Details

ISBN:
9780553573404
Author:
Martin, George R. R.
Publisher:
Bantam
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Fantastic fiction
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Fantasy - General
Subject:
Fantasy - Series
Subject:
Fantasy - Epic
Subject:
Fantasy fiction
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-Fantasy-Epic
Copyright:
Edition Description:
Mass market paperback
Series:
Song of Ice and Fire
Series Volume:
01
Publication Date:
20110621
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
864
Dimensions:
7 x 6.3 x 4.28 in 4.25 lb

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Related Subjects


Featured Titles » General
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » Epic
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Arts and Entertainment » Film and Television » Novelization
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Fiction and Poetry » Science Fiction and Fantasy » Fantasy » Epic

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) Used Mass Market
0 stars - 0 reviews
$6.50 In Stock
Product details 864 pages Spectra Books - English 9780553573404 Reviews:
"Review" by , "The major fantasy of the decade....compulsively readable."
"Review" by , "Such a splendid tale and such a fantasticorical! I read my eyes out and couldn't stop 'til I finished and it was dawn."
"Review" by , "We have been invited to a grand feast and pageant: George R.R. Martin has unveiled for us an intensely realized, romantic but realistic world."
"Review" by , "A Best Book of 1996: Martin makes a triumphant return to high fantasy ...[with] superbly developed characters, accomplished prose, and sheer bloodymindedness." (starred review)
"Review" by , "A splendid saga....Inventive and intricately plotted."
"Review" by , "Magic...George R.R.Martin's first fantasy epic [is set] well above the norms of the genre."
"Synopsis" by , A Game of Thrones is a contemporary masterpiece of fantasy.

The cold is returning to Winterfell, where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime A time of conflict has arisen in the Stark family, as they are pulled from the safety of their home into a whirlpool of tragedy, betrayal, assassination, plots and counterplots. Each decision and action carries with it the potential for conflict as several prominent families, comprised of lords, ladies, soldiers, sorcerers, assassins and bastards, are pulled together in the most deadly game of all — the game of thrones.

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