A Song of Ice and Fire

Also known as A Game of Thrones

I have never self-identified as a reader of fantasy.  It wasn’t in judgement or fear of being called a geek -- I’ve almost always been a geek -- it was just that I would have said I was more into, I don’t know, books without dragons, with humans instead of dwarves and passion in lieu of magic.  I say that, and I believe that, but when I did a little research about popular fantasy novels, I found I had read almost all of them.  What does that mean???  I’m self-delusional? People in general like fantasy even if they think they don’t? Good fantasy is just good writing and good writing is popular?

I think the answer is “All of the above.”

In any event, I spent the end of the summer reading and loving the Game of Thrones books, more correctly known, I guess, as A Song of Ice and Fire series.  They’ve become very popular due to the successful HBO adaptation, but among fantasy readers, these books have always been highly acclaimed.  And as such they have been written about, and discussed, and argued over ad nauseam.  So I won’t say much, but I will note just a few thoughts:

1.  The books are massive, with each one being at least 1,000 pages in the trade paperback versions I was reading.  A lot happens, but it’s the sheer number of people and places, the intricacies of the relationships between and among characters and locations, that makes this thick, dense series a marvel.

2.  The names!  The characters have names, of course, but they also have titles.  And nicknames, and relatives and wards and epithets that they often use to identify each other.  And their swords have names and their towns and castles and keeps.  It’s relentless.  Here’s an example from A Feast of Crows:

A crowd had gathered round to wish him well and seek his favor.  Victarion saw men from every isle:  Blacktydes, Tawneys, Orkwoods, Stonetrees, Wynches, and many more.  The Goodbrothers of Old Wyk, and the Goodbrothers of Orkmont all had come.  The Codds were there, though every decent man despised them.  Humble Shepherds, Weavers, and Netleys rubbed shoulders with men from Houses ancient and proud; even humble Humbles, the blood of thralls and salt wives.

                   And if you’re wondering if you really have to keep all of those names and places straight in your head, the answer is YES! But with some help from Mr. Martin, as I learned.

3.  Because of its length and breadth, this series constitutes some of the more challenging reading that I’ve ever done.  I finally learned, by about the 500th page of the third book, that I needed to be patient with my reading.  I would start a chapter utterly confused, with only the slightest inkling of a memory about who a character was or what the setting signified.  But as the chapter went on, the connections became clear. Martin doesn’t abandon his readers, but he challenges you to KEEP UP!

4. The last few hundred pages of ALL of these books just race by.  Or I raced through them.  In any event, the suspense is ratcheted up, the action becomes heated, and the resolution (or a resolution -- there are still at least two more books to go!) seems near.  It’s just highly recommended reading!