A terrific feat of imagination.
Like most of the known world, I fell in love with HBO’s Game of Thrones when I watched the first season a couple of years ago.
It’s an epic fantasy saga, but rooted in real-world history rather than Tolkien-esque monsters and magic. The story starts with growing tensions between two powerful dynasties in a parallel version of medieval Britain as various threats to the crown gather strength abroad. It’s peopled with a huge cast of disparate characters, from green young nobles to unscrupulous mercenaries and Machiavellian courtiers. But you all know that.
I’d seen George R.R. Martin’s hulking source novels in bookshops and thought they looked too much like hard work. Why bother lugging those around when I can just watch the series?
But then a friend vehemently told me that I was wrong, and that the books are, in fact, even better than the show. A lot better. Just try them, she said. So I postponed my plan to push on with the second season, and bought Tome #1.
I have just finished the 800-page-long first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, after just a fortnight, which, for me, is a blistering pace. I was utterly engrossed, despite already knowing the story.
The obvious main benefit of reading the novel over watching the show is that there’s so much extra space for characterisation (helped further by the POV chapters), and world building. The other benefit is Martin’s clear and thrilling prose.
The depth of the novel is astounding. Reading it brings so much more understanding and appreciation of the world Martin has created, as you learn about the history and structure of the various parts of Westeros, meet more characters, and enjoy more sub-plots.
I know that a LOT of people have already read the books and know just how good they are. But to the people who, like me, were thinking of saving time and sticking to watching the HBO series, you should reconsider. You will have a deeper and richer experience in every way (on the strength of the first book that is, I’m assuming that the standard is maintained). And they’re brilliant even if you’ve already seen the show. I now can’t wait to read Tome #2, A Clash of Kings.
Edition:
Harper Voyager | 2011 | 801p | Paperback | Buy here
Grass and Vanilla 