Kana
Posts: 6676
Joined: 10/24/2006
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Simply put, if you are a fan of fantasy fiction, this is THE must read series. It is to modern deconstructionist world building fantasy what LOTR was to classic fantasy.
The characters are mesmerizing. The writing is incredibly crisp. The dialogue is electric. And the layers are endless (To the point where there are whole web sites dedicated to unraveling the various intricate plots, sub-plots, schemes, themes, prophecies, back-stories and betrayals. http://asoiaf.westeros.org/) What Martin is doing is nothing less than creating the landmark of modern fantasy.
The first three books may well be the best fantasy written.
This is not the poor orphan inherits a magic sword stuff. It's harsh, it's brutal, character driven populated by folks who you won't quickly forget, it has less magic and much more human interplay. Martin specifically wrote it to deconstruct traditional tropes. Here, the characters are grey, motives are murky, heroes and anti-heroes blend, and characters act out of human motives, greed, vengeance, attempts at redemption etc...
Plus, he's willing to kill off good guys, including major characters, which gives his stuff a tension that is rarely found in the genre.
Those are the high points.
The flip side is, as has been said, that Martin feels like he has lost his way a bit. His ultimate vision still remains clear (He's stated that he knew the ending before he started writing), but he's added a lot in the center of the story that often feels unnecessary-kinda like the middle books of TWOT, but far better writing.
Worse, he's taking forever in writing them (Six years between books 4 and 5) and I genuinely believe he may die before he finishes, and as a cat who bought a first edition of AGOT many many years ago and has been reading since, that's more than a bit demoralizing.
After the abortion that is becoming the end of TWOT, another series I've followed forever and whose author did die before completion, I would be a bit hesitant to recommend to anyone to start reading the series.
There is a strong feeling among many fans that Martin has sold out and spends way too much time marketing, doing book conventions and taking accolades and working on the HBO show, and that he'll never finsih.
So there's the pluses and minuses to AGOT.
Personally, I think it's worth reading, just to see a master at work, taking things in a direction nobody else has gone.
And really, the dialogue is great-worth reading for that alone.
A few quotes:
-"War was easier than daughters."
-"There is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man"
-"Do you have any notion what happens when a city is sacked, Sansa? No, you wouldn’t, would you? All you know of life you learned from singers, and there is such a dearth of good sacking songs"
-"Hanged, Ami. Your father was not a tapestry"
and two personal favorites:
-“How would you like to die, Tyrion son of Tywin?”
“In my own bed, at the age of 80 with a bellyful of wine and a girl’s mouth around my cock.”
-"If I could pray with my cock, I would be much more religious."
_____________________________
"One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die. "
HST
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RE: The Game of Thrones - 
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