A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is as much a classic fantasy story as it is a captivating political thriller and personal drama. There is a reason it has easily captured the imagination of a long-stagnant audience of fantasy fans sustained for decades on predictable dollar bin paperback adventures, and gone beyond the typical audience to pull in new readers in droves.
It introduces us to an unfamiliar fantasy landscape, in which the fantasy has long been extinguished. The dragons are extinct. Magic and monsters have faded into nothing but legend. The world is ruled by men, flesh and blood, mortal men, many of whom thrive through betrayal and opportunistic seizing of power. The continent of Westeros is resting easy fifteen years after the long-reigning Targaryen royal line was overthrown by Robert of the House Baratheon to rescue his love, Lyana Stark, from Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, who killed her before Robert could save her. His fury is the foundation of legend, the rage that won him the Iron Throne and toppled the Targaryens forever. Now, he's grown old and fat, sitting the throne for fifteen years. As many a citizen of Westeros have pointed out, Robert was a sword, made for fighting, and when the fighting was over, he was hung up to rust and go dull. When he lead the rebellion, his cause was clear. He knew his enemies and his friends like night and day. Now, he lives in a world of ambiguity, a world of transparent alliegences where enemies call themselves friends. The world has changed and, unwilling to change with it, he remains close-minded and angry.
This is the king we're introduced to, and the world in which he rules. Within it, we follow the narratives of multiple characters throughout the book.
Eddard Stark- Lyana's brother, Lord of Winterfell, Warden of the North. He is Robert's friend, more like a brother. House Stark has always been known for their honesty and their honor (as well as many other silent "h" words that are synonymous with good) and Eddard is a prime example of that reputation. He believes in doing the right thing, regardless of his own benefit. When he makes a promise, he keeps it, regardless of the cost to himself. It is for these reasons why King Robert approaches him to offer him the position of Hand of the King, his most trusted adviser and ruler in his stead. Since he is seemingly the only trustworthy man in the realm, King Robert pressures him relentlessly to accept the position. Reluctantly, Eddard accepts and leaves his eldest son, Robb, to lord over Winterfell in his absence. It is in his narrative that we see the center of the political nature of the book. We see a good man in the lion's den, surrounded by enemies disguised as allies, sworn to serve the crown with loyalty and obedience while his code of honor forces him to challenge the amoral verdicts of the King.
Jon Snow- Lord Eddard's bastard son, a reject from a family that he is bound to by half his blood. He has no idea who his mother is or what she was like. While some of the trueborn Stark children treat him as a brother, he receives no love from Lady Catelyn, who sees him as a smudge on her husband's good name. His feelings of rejection and isolation lead him into the arms of the Night's Watch, a group entrusted with the lonely task of guarding the Wall in the far north of Westeros. When he arrives, he finds that they are resentful of the coddled life he lived within Winterfell. He had spent so much time feeling sorry for himself before, and now, he is simultaneously humbled by the plight of the others who have come to take the Black and shunned by them.
Tyrion Lannister- The youngest of three siblings in the House Lannister. His family's reputation as traitors and thieves precedes him, as does his own reputation, being born a dwarf and harshly referred to by many as "The Imp". He has garnered equal resentment in his own family since childhood, especially by his father, who has seen him as a failure since birth. His survival can only be attributed to his quick wits and sharp tongue, with an honorable mention to his family's tremendous wealth. No one, either reading the story or inhabiting it, can tell where his loyalties lie, and that is what makes his narrative so intriguing, along with his devilish sense of humor.
Daenerys Targaryen- One of the only two surviving Targaryen children, who were placed on a ship to escape before Robert's armies flooded the castle. She grew up never knowing her true home or identity, knowing only the cruelty of her older brother, Viserys, who feels entitled to the Iron Throne and takes out his frustration on her. They have wandered aimlessly through the continent of Essos for years, unable to return home for fear of King Robert's wrath. In a business transaction, Viserys sells her to the Dothraki horselord, Khal Drogo in exchange for an army of Dothraki riders to cross the sea and take back his rightful crown, but stays close to her until Drogo honors his side of the deal. She marries the Khal, timid and frightful after years of abuse and belittling by her brother, but she slowly discovers her own strength by the mighty Khal's side as his cherished khaleesi. In fact, she soon begins to discover that she is stronger than Viserys, that she has always been stronger than Viserys, and that the fear and intimidation that had surrounded him for so long was nothing more than a mask for a weak, pitiful, spoiled child. It is this discovery of personal power and strength that makes her story so fulfilling to observe, and so captivating to watch unfold.
Arya Stark- The youngest daughter of Eddard, a wild and rebellious girl who had a hard time following the constraints of the patriarchal society in which she lives. She doesn't accept that her only option for greatness in life is to marry a man whose actions will define her, and whose sons will be her only contribution to the world. She is the second black sheep of the family, and identifies with Jon more than the rest of her family, heartbroken when he decides to leave for the Wall.
Sansa Stark- The eldest daughter of Eddard. She is betrothed to King Robert's son, Joffrey, and holds it over her repugnant little sister's head that she will one day be Queen and Arya will have to kneel to her. This only adds to the mockery she's heaped on Arya since childhood. Being the daughter who inherited their mother's beauty, she has long mocked her sister for inheriting the harsh, masculine features of a Stark by calling her "Arya Horseface". She is more comfortable with the clearly defined roles of women in Westeros, and despises her sister for embarrassing her by refusing to fall in line. Her character arc is perhaps the most jarring as she spends her life admiring and fawning over Prince Joffrey, while the reader eagerly anticipates her realization of his true nature.
Bran Stark- The second youngest son of Eddard. His story is one of solemn reflection, as he is crippled in an accident early on in the story, forced to bear the indignity of being carried around like a baby by the giant simpleton, Hodor.
Catelyn Stark- The matriarch of House Stark (unintentional rhyming has its benefits) who struggles to protect her husband, her son, her daughters, and her House, despite all of them being spread to the corners of Westeros. She goes above and beyond in her duties as a mother and wife to defend her family and do what is honorable and just, not as an avatar of her husband's will, but out of her own integrity and strength of character.
These are the key players in the game of thrones, a game in which you win or you die, and there is no greater pleasure than watching them explore the deep and richly developed world which George R.R. Martin has placed before them. Cultures, customs, histories and religions have been fleshed out to almost realistic quality, which says something considering it involves dragons and ice monsters.
It's a world filled with symbolism, from the Iron Throne's embodiment of the dangers of power to the five direwolf pups adopted by the five Stark children, and the albino runt taken in by Jon. It's a breathtaking and brilliant fantasy world that defies the long-established trappings of Tolkien fantasy and creates something all its own, something worth experiencing.
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