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Lisa of Troy's Reviews > A Game of Thrones
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)
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by
A Male Soap Opera
Yeah, I know that I’m late to the party, but better late than never, right?
The Game of Thrones is an epic tale that rotates between nine different points of view. The kingdom has enjoyed a relative peace with King Robert on the throne when he decided to name his second in command as Eddard Stark of Winterfell. However, there is plotting in the kingdom. Will The Starks be safe? And who will sit on the throne?
When I picked this book up, I was so confused, because there were three different characters, and lots of information coming my way. Then, I would just get my bearings and be switched to a new character’s point of view with an entire set of characters.
However, I realized that this book is exactly like a soap opera except with males as the target audience. The book will switch to different characters, and they are usually connected in some fashion to each other. There is a lot of repeating of information so if you don’t catch on the first time or forget something, there is a good likelihood that it will be repeated.
Instead of the traditional soap opera focusing on gazing into each other’s eyes and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears, this book replaced all of the romance with lust. There is quite a bit of steam.
As any good soap opera, it is filled with lots of characters, and Game of Thrones has a lot of characters with interesting backstory. There is betrayal, humor, alliances, and battles.
Lev Grossman in Time Magazine proclaimed George R.R. Martin as “the American Tolkien.” As someone who has read quite a bit of Tolkien, I could not disagree more. Although these books are both fantasy, that is about all these books have in common. The Lord of the Rings had extremely long paragraphs and detailed descriptions of the various fantasy creatures. It focused on one character’s point of view. Although I admire Tolkien’s imagination and all the inspiration that he provided to the fantasy community, I had a very difficult time conjuring up the images that he was describing in great detail. It took me nearly five months to read The Lord of the Rings because it was such a chore and I kept falling asleep.
In contrast, I found myself looking forward to reading Game of Thrones throughout the day. It had many twists and unexpected turns. Martin skipped the lengthy descriptions and replaced them with interesting history and family relationships. Game of Thrones is multiple points of view on steroids, and it has short paragraphs that keep the action flowing.
Did I love Game of Thrones? You bet. If you know me, I value good storytelling, and Game of Thrones had that in spades. Is Game of Thrones perfect? Nope. If I hear “winter is coming” one more time, I think I might be sick. It was stated a whopping 12 times. That is too much even if there are inattentive readers. Also, the ending was rather weak.
Overall, this is an extremely entertaining book, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
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Yeah, I know that I’m late to the party, but better late than never, right?
The Game of Thrones is an epic tale that rotates between nine different points of view. The kingdom has enjoyed a relative peace with King Robert on the throne when he decided to name his second in command as Eddard Stark of Winterfell. However, there is plotting in the kingdom. Will The Starks be safe? And who will sit on the throne?
When I picked this book up, I was so confused, because there were three different characters, and lots of information coming my way. Then, I would just get my bearings and be switched to a new character’s point of view with an entire set of characters.
However, I realized that this book is exactly like a soap opera except with males as the target audience. The book will switch to different characters, and they are usually connected in some fashion to each other. There is a lot of repeating of information so if you don’t catch on the first time or forget something, there is a good likelihood that it will be repeated.
Instead of the traditional soap opera focusing on gazing into each other’s eyes and whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears, this book replaced all of the romance with lust. There is quite a bit of steam.
As any good soap opera, it is filled with lots of characters, and Game of Thrones has a lot of characters with interesting backstory. There is betrayal, humor, alliances, and battles.
Lev Grossman in Time Magazine proclaimed George R.R. Martin as “the American Tolkien.” As someone who has read quite a bit of Tolkien, I could not disagree more. Although these books are both fantasy, that is about all these books have in common. The Lord of the Rings had extremely long paragraphs and detailed descriptions of the various fantasy creatures. It focused on one character’s point of view. Although I admire Tolkien’s imagination and all the inspiration that he provided to the fantasy community, I had a very difficult time conjuring up the images that he was describing in great detail. It took me nearly five months to read The Lord of the Rings because it was such a chore and I kept falling asleep.
In contrast, I found myself looking forward to reading Game of Thrones throughout the day. It had many twists and unexpected turns. Martin skipped the lengthy descriptions and replaced them with interesting history and family relationships. Game of Thrones is multiple points of view on steroids, and it has short paragraphs that keep the action flowing.
Did I love Game of Thrones? You bet. If you know me, I value good storytelling, and Game of Thrones had that in spades. Is Game of Thrones perfect? Nope. If I hear “winter is coming” one more time, I think I might be sick. It was stated a whopping 12 times. That is too much even if there are inattentive readers. Also, the ending was rather weak.
Overall, this is an extremely entertaining book, and I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal
Connect With Me!
Blog Twitter BookTube Insta My Bookstore at Pango
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A Game of Thrones.
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Reading Progress
December 9, 2021
– Shelved
April 13, 2022
–
Started Reading
April 20, 2022
–
Finished Reading
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Jade
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Apr 20, 2022 05:27AM
Wonderful review Lisa
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A male soap opera! I have never thought of it that way, it's kind of fitting, ha! A good series. I hope you haven't been spoiled, then you are in for a treat. Personally, book Two was the toughest for me, but I like the rest. And I agree with you, the story-telling is good.
A great review Lisa! Love the male soap opera tag :)
I'm glad you enjoyed it and that's an interesting perspective on the series. If you got tired of "Winter is coming" get prepared for some excessive repetition in the latter installments, lol. But imo, it keeps some of the core quality intact. Just be warned that the latter books go a bit slower on the pace.
One of my goals this year. I will feel so accomplished when I finish it. Great job, Lisa!
Thanks, Jayson! Hope you are enjoying your week of reading!
Thanks, Sotto! I am really looking forward to reading the rest of the series! I was trying to articulate what this book reminded me of, and it definitely was like a soap opera where they flash to different character sets.
Thanks, Alan! I'm glad you enjoyed this as well! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series and watching the TV series.
Thanks, Ostrava! I did tag George R.R. Martin in my review so maybe there will be less repetition in his future works (although I know that he wrote and finished GOT a long time ago). I'm still looking forward to reading the rest of the series and giving the TV series a go.
Thanks, Safa! Have you used Libby before? It is a free app through the public library. I was able to get a free copy of the text and the audiobook through Libby. The audiobook was great! Plus, it really helped me track my progress. Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did!
A male soap opera. I'm dying. lol. What a great description.
A male soap opera was a magnificent description, Lisa. Sometimes a two-star review makes me excited to read the book while a five-star review convinces me I'm not the demographic for it. Based purely on your take--I haven't read any of Martin's books--anyone can write soap opera, while we have evidence of how difficult it is to write a novel like The Lord of the Rings. In addition to staring into mirrors, one of the characteristics of soap opera is narration. Two characters will talk about things happening elsewhere and we realize they're not really talking to each other, they're narrating the backstory for the viewer. That's so basic to write. I am not a Tolkien fanboy but his introduction and description of the character of Gollum in The Hobbit is one of the five best things I've read.
Fabulous review, Lisa👏 I am really late to this party as well so thank you for your informative review. Eventually I will get to this one!!😵💞
A perfectly described review, Lisa! I could not get through Tolkien's, The Lord of the Rings for the exact reason you describe. On the other hand, I found Martin's writing and storytelling among the best of novels I've read. I love to be entertained and Game of Thrones is how to do it.
A great review, Lisa. Don't they say, never too late? CB
I suspect the films will preserve The Lord of the Rings in the long run.
I enjoyed the book too. (Surprisingly since im not a huge fan of the show). I might not continue only because a) Martin has no, probably will not, finish the saga and b) if it follows the story of the show, it will become lame as it goes on. It's a good start though.
I'm so glad you loved it! I did too. I've only read the first three books, but would definitely like to return to the series someday!
Nine different points of view! > maybe that's why i didn't catch on
I love this book as well, Lisa, and also gave it five stars. I agree with you that Martin and Tolkien are very different types of writers.
Hi Joe, you deleted off your quote! I love literature quotes. Anyways, I agree that Tolkien has a style that is quality, but it just doesn't resonate with me. Tolkien does know how to repeat certain phrases for emphasis without being obnoxious, and he was friends with CS Lewis so he is at least somewhat cool. :)
Thanks, Luvtoread! Hope you enjoy this one as much as I did! :)
Thanks, Tim! I thought that I might have been the only one! Game of Thrones is definitely entertaining!
Thanks, Colin! With my luck, I have definitely been too late! LOL!
I found the films more enjoyable in The Lord of the Rings especially because I found it difficult to imagine what the book was describing.
I haven't seen the show yet but I'm looking forward to it. I think casting Emilia Clarke was brilliant!
Thanks, Megs! I would love to read the first three books! Time is not my friend. :) Glad you enjoyed this one as well!
Honestly, I lost track how many points of view. However, James Mustich said that there were nine so I took that as gold. James Mustich 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die is my favorite reference material!
Thanks, Mona! Have you read any other books in the series? If so, what did you think? Just as good as the first?
Lisa of Troy wrote: "Thanks, Megs! I would love to read the first three books! Time is not my friend. :) Glad you enjoyed this one as well!"Hopefully you will get to them someday, but I completely understand how that goes. The new releases always end up stealing all of my attention! IMO though, this series gets better and better as it goes along!
Lisa of Troy wrote: "Hi Joe, you deleted off your quote! I love literature quotes."Due to popular demand, I'll put it back. I didn't want to turn your comments section into a short story contest, though I could with so much awesome content you put out, Lisa.
Deep down here by the dark water lived old Gollum, a small slimy creature. I don't know where he came from, nor who or what he was. He was Gollum - as dark as darkness, except for two big round pale eyes in his thin face. He had a little boat, and he rowed about quite quietly on the lake; for lake it was, wide and deep and deadly cold. He paddled it with large feet dangling over the side, but never a ripple did he make. Not he. He was looking out of his pale lamp-like eyes for blind fish, which he grabbed with his long fingers as quick as thinking. He liked meat too. Goblin he thought good, when he could get it; but he took care they never found him out. He just throttled them from behind, if they ever came down alone anywhere near the edge of the water, while he was prowling about. They very seldom did, for they had a feeling that something unpleasant was lurking down there, down at the very roots of the mountain.
Great review! The first book is my favourite and the only one in this series, to receive my 5 stars rating.
I have read it 3 times. The first time was 22 years ago.
And you are right. It’s never too late.
Loved this series. Apparently, there is a new one coming out and it will have Jon Snow!
I enjoyed this one book too. I won't lie though. After seeing the tv show, and know where the story goes in the later season....dampens my enthusiasm for reading too much more, especially when it will lay on the torture porn. Not so bad in the first book though.
A soap opera for males > that says a lot ;)
A Male Soap Opera 🤣 Love the review, Lisa!
Such a splendid review, Lisa; and such good taste in literature! 😃
I would say Robert Jordan was probably closer to being the American Tolkien. I can’t wait to read this after I’ve read everything else I own 👀
I appreciate the “winter is coming” count. 😆 I’d love to make the commitment to read this one day since I was/am a fan of the show. Great review!
The story is written by a History enthusiast and I quite like the ripple that events and news make in the story it really distinguishes what makes the worldbuilding good in how alive the world feels through the skins of characters we see and feel throughnot to mention I like how tantalizing the writing can be George will hook you with a certain characters story and then switch you over to another character it makes you crave more and more
Great review! I have it on my To Read list and hope to start soon
I need to read those books. Nice review.
I'm late to the party as well! I had planned to never read the Game of Thrones novels, but you may have just convinced me!!
I haven't started this one yet either. I am waiting for book #7 to drop, as well an official word that it is the last in the series, and then I will start it.
I love a long fantasy series but must admit I haven’t tried Game of Thrones yet. The tv show was pretty good aside from the end. Maybe I’ll give it a shot
