Sandra 's Reviews > A Game of Thrones

“Rob says the man died bravely, but Jon says he was afraid.”
“What do you think?” His father asked.
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.



This was a enormously long, and at time a bit fatiguing, journey. But i made it through to the finish line, and you know what? I enjoyed every single well, mostly minute of it!

I have never read such a well thoughtout and written book before. George R.R. Martin is an author others should carefully study and learn from. The way he writes, his story telling, is indescribable and i just can't even rap my head around it. Not many authors leave me speechless, but did one sure as heck managed it.

If you never heard of Game of Thrones before, then i welcome you to Earth, i hope you traveled comfortably from whatever planet you just came from. So for those few, here's my synopsis -

In a land where one King rules, and the harsh and terrifying season of winter has been forgotten by many, the struggle to uphold the Iron Throne begins, and the long years of beloved summer end. Kings and queens, knights and renegades, liars lords and honest men. They will all play the Game of Thrones. But whilst they do so, a bigger threat draws near; 'Winter is coming', and this time the 700-foot wall of ice that separates and protects the kingdom from the dark, and anonymous forces that lay beyond, may not be enough to withhold it. This is the Game of Thrones. You win...or you die.



Having seen Game of Thrones, the TV series, before reading the book, I was quite shocked (note this is a complete understatement) that all these characters?:





Are in truth, as it states in the book, barely teenagers. By that I mean Robb Stark is aged 14, as is Jon Snow, and Daenerys Targaryen is a girl of 13. From the way the actors portrayed their characters, I thought they were a lot older, as you can see yourself from their images in real life. Where it not for the fact that I am not at all used to reading about such young characters, all 3 of them playing a major part in what is to come, and what they went through, it would not have bugged me at all. Daenerys's life (view spoiler)[specifically her getting pregnant (hide spoiler)] was the only thing that troubled or made me slightly uncomfortable in Game of Thrones because of how very young she was.

If you have not read, neither watched Game of Thrones, you are probably sitting there all like...



All shall be explained.

Because there are about a billion different figures, and many different POV's, there isn't really a protagonist of the story. Which i found to be very refreshing, and actually more enjoyable. You get to know a lot more about different characters due to that, and their personalities; what they are up to, and what's happening where they are.

However, i feel like Eddard Stark got the leading role (Robb's father) (view spoiler)[Even though he was beheaded about half way through the book. (hide spoiler)]
All you need to know is that the Starks, Lannisters and Targaryen families play the major role, as does Jon Snow (Eddark Stark's bastard son).

There are too many characters to talk about them all in detail, so I'll choose one - Daenerys Targaryen. I have NEVER in my life read about such a complex, strong and developed figure before, especially a female. Daenerys (Khaleesi) is someone remarkable and inspiring. George R.R. Martin doesn't just tell us she is strong (like authors do in so many books, and in reality the female is delicate, over-reacting and week); he shows us by Daenerys's actions. At the beginning, when her older brother, Viserys, abused her she cowered and shook with fear of 'waking the dragon'. But later on, after she was known as Khaleesi and joined with the Dothraki? and married Khal Drago? She learned to stand up for herself...




Reading through some negative reviews, i am very irritated that the reviewers were whining about the sex parts; " woman here don't enjoy it at all", " Deanerys was raped by Khal Drago", and "it's like porn".




Excuse me! I don't know what you were doing during your history lessons, maybe you had your head too far up your ass to be able to hear, but i didn't. Let me tell you something, in the olden era/days woman were thought of as less than men, therefor no body gave a crap about their sexual pleasure. Men were brutal and cruel those days, and ruled everything. This is a historical fantasy book for adults, so i don't know what the heck you expected; hearts and flowers? Khal Drago is an example of men like that. He is a Dothraki Khal (which means KING). In their religion and ways, you have to be barbarous, ruthless and harsh to be respected and survive. The weak, gentle and compassionate are left behind or killed. It was the way they were brought up. They are not what you consider 'normal', and they are not really civilized (view spoiler)[that was clear when Daenerys had to eat the whole of horses heart, because it was said to make her unborn baby strong. The more she ate, the bigger warrior he would become. (hide spoiler)] You obviously weren't paying attention to that part.

DRAGO DID NOT RAPE DAENERYS. Here is prove from the book; *ADULT CONTENT.*

'Khal Drago stared at her tears, his face strangely empty of expression.
"No," he said. He lifted his hand and wiped away the tears(.......). It was his turn to undress her(...)
She was afraid of what would come next, but for a while nothing happened (...)
...seemed as hours passed before his hands went to her breast.
Danny was flushed and breathless, her heart fluttering in her chest.
He cupped her face into his huge hands.... "No?" He said, and she knew it was a question. She took his hand and moved it to the wetness between her thighs. "Yes," she whispered...'



Yes, Khal Drago did at times take Deanerys rough and carelessly, but he did not know another way. When Daenerys taught him (showed him *cough*), he became passionate and affectionate towards her. He loved, and protected her. Called her ;his stars and moon', and vice versa. THAT IS THE KHAL DRAGO DAENERYS FELL IN LOVE WITH. So don't go saying how could she fall in love with a rapist. She didn't.

About the 'porn' comment. Really? Have you SEEN the TV series? Compared to that, the book is nothing. And we are talking here about the book, so do not get them mixed up, ok?
Having read some erotica before, i was actually surprised that the sex scenes weren't as detailed as you'd expect. It gets cut off before they do anything, except touching and things like that. It's not going into one or two pages full of detailed description of how they go at it, so i don't even know what you're complaining about? It could have been a million times worse, and we are talking here about Fifty Shades of Grey kinda worse.



Now, before you go all 'every body has there own opinion' crap, and write me a whole page about it, i totally understand why some people did not enjoy Game of Thrones. It might be because they tried out this genre and found out they didn't like it. Maybe it was too violent for their taste, or they simply could not get into it and did not like the story. I completely understand that, and hope you found a better book. But if it's because of the 'porn and rape' thing, the story being ridiculous, or sexist, then no, i do not understand. Afterall, as i mentioned before, this is a HISTORICAL FANTASY book and an era where events like this were expected, and considered normal.



George R.R. Martin has the balls it takes to write a story like this, and the rather awkward situations like the one with Deanerys. He has the courage to write an 800 pages book the way HE wants it, and you know what? He doesn't care what people say. As he states "I have a story to tell, and i don't care what others say, or how long it will take me to finish it, i will tell its end."
That's an author i bow low down to and respect.

The plot of Game of Thrones is definitely rich. There are so many things going on, so much information and background that you can easily get confused if you don't pay attention and skip bits.
If this is your first encounter with Game of Thrones in general, you doubtlessly will loose track of the characters and at times get a bit bored. But you have to keep going. This is a book to take your time with, to enjoy, to read at your own pace, so do not rush it.
I was lucky, as i was already attached to the story and characters from watching the TV series, so i had no problem getting straight into it and immediately fangirling.



Do not be mistaken, no book is flawless, and this one is no exception. I was a bit disappointed we didn't get more of Deanerys, and that George R R Martin made all the kids like Robb, Arya and Sansa, a little bit too stereotypical.

Game of Thrones; a stunning story of family, betrayal, friendship, adventure and fight for the Iron Throne, that will captivate your imagination like no other, and leave you gasping for more. A story set in the Cold Age, where rank and gold is all that matters, and the thought of winter scares even the bravest of men.
Unforgettable and unique, it would be a sin to miss out on it.



Sincerely - The Critic