A Game of Thrones
The first book in A Song of Ice and Fire
By George R. R. Martin
By George R. R. Martin
Set in the medieval country/continent of Westeros and the free continent across the narrow sea, Essos, A Game of Thrones is still easily applicable to today's society. In Westeros is also called The Seven Kingdoms; seven regions ruled by seven separate lords and connected by a king. Fifteen years ago, Robert Baratheon, who was in control of one of the kingdoms, along with his foster father Jon Arryn (commander of one of the eastern kingdoms) and his foster brother Eddard Stark, lord of the North, and Hoster Tully, lord of the riverlands and father of Eddard and Jon's wives, overthrew "Mad" King Aerys Targaryen and forced his young children, Viserys and Daenerys, into exile on Essos. Robert became the new king and married Cersei Lannister, the daughter of arguably the most powerful lord in Westeros, Tywin Lannister, who controlled most of the western side of the country and had joined in with the usurper at the last minute (his son and Cersei's twin Jaime, who was sworn to protect Aerys as a member of the Kingsguard, was the one who killed him). This marriage, however, is loveless and Cersei is having an affair with Jaime.
The novel has three major plotlines. Way, way, way north beyond the Wall, where it's always freezing no matter what, there's supernatural beings, White Walkers, threatening the existence of the Seven Kingdoms, and only the dwindling men of the Night's Watch (a patrol set on the wall to keep the country safe from anything strange coming south) stand to stop it. In the meantime, Viserys sells Daenerys to a powerful Dothraki warrior, Khal Drogo, to be his wife and they travel across Essos with Drogo and his followers. Back on Westeros, the Starks and the Lannisters are starting to realize how much they hate each other and how far they are willing to go to get rid of the other and keep their secrets safe. There's a fair amount of symbolism in this book and it is easy to spot. The multiple perspectives show how evil is in the eye of the beholder (except for Joffrey, he's just a horrible person). Also, be warned; as soon as you start to like a character, he or she will probably die or do something to make you hate him/her again. This book falls into the same category as Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games: books I love but would never want to live out.
The novel has three major plotlines. Way, way, way north beyond the Wall, where it's always freezing no matter what, there's supernatural beings, White Walkers, threatening the existence of the Seven Kingdoms, and only the dwindling men of the Night's Watch (a patrol set on the wall to keep the country safe from anything strange coming south) stand to stop it. In the meantime, Viserys sells Daenerys to a powerful Dothraki warrior, Khal Drogo, to be his wife and they travel across Essos with Drogo and his followers. Back on Westeros, the Starks and the Lannisters are starting to realize how much they hate each other and how far they are willing to go to get rid of the other and keep their secrets safe. There's a fair amount of symbolism in this book and it is easy to spot. The multiple perspectives show how evil is in the eye of the beholder (except for Joffrey, he's just a horrible person). Also, be warned; as soon as you start to like a character, he or she will probably die or do something to make you hate him/her again. This book falls into the same category as Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games: books I love but would never want to live out.