"A game of thrones" by George R.R Martin: Review:

“Bran thought about it. 'Can a man still be brave if he's afraid?'
'That is the only time a man can be brave,' his father told him.”

If I tell you that I’ve never watched a single episode of « Game of thrones » nor had the intention to do it, will you believe me ? Well, I’m not a big fan of gore scenes. I’ve already tried, but I couldn’t finish the first 5 minutes of the first episode. So instead, I decided to read the series. As you might have guessed, I’ll write a review for each book of th series. So, enough talking about myself, instead let’s talk about the first book in the series « A song of ice and fire » by George R. R. martin. I’ll do my best not to spoil anything :p

In a land where summer can last decades, and winter forever, the king of the seven kingdoms « Robert Baratheon », propose to « Eddard Ned Stark », Lord of the North as well, to replace Arryn as his « hand of the king », after this one was killed. Eddard accepts the position, especially when he learns that Arryn’s wife, Lysa, believes that her husband was killed by the Lannisters.

Shortly after that, Bran (Ned’s son) discovers Cercei Lannister having sex with her twin brother, Jaime Lannister.

On the wall, an ancient barrier of stone, ice and magic, shielding the seven kingdoms from the norther wilderness, we find an order of warriors sworn to serve there for life. Jon Snow, who is Ned’s Bastard son, join the night watch, after being inspired by his uncle, Benjen Stark.

Across the narrow sea, live Prince Viserys and princess Daenerys. Viserys betroths Daenerys to khal Drogo, in exchange of using Drogo’s army to reclaim the throne. Meanwhile, Daenerys receives 3 petrified draggon eggs as a wedding gift.

It took me a long time to start this series, thank God I did ! The book is absolutely brilliant. Even thought it took me a while to catch the story, and that because every chapter talks about a different character, and since there are a lot of them, I found myself disoriented at the beginning.

It’s a fabulous fantasy story off kings and ladies, knights and lords. It feels like a mediaval historical fiction most of the time. GRRM gives a lot of details about this world, which makes it better. The characterizations are incredibly rich.

There are numerous highs and lows, twists and turns, and surprising redemption to keep anyone intrigued. And the last scene, WOW !

Can’t wait to dive into the second book : « A clash of kings ». and maybe I’ll watch the series, who knows ? :p

So, what did you think of this book ? We would like to know your thoughts <3