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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)
 
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A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) (Paperback)

by George R.R. Martin (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (409 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
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Frequently Bought Together

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) + A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire) + A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3 Part 1)
Price For All Three: £13.15

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Product details

  • Paperback: 704 pages
  • Publisher: Voyager; New edition edition (5 Jan 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 000647988X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006479888
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 10.6 x 4.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (409 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 390 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in these categories:

    #8 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction
    #24 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy
    #45 in  Books > Fiction > Genre

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Product Description

Review
'A Game of Thrones grabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant.' Robert Jordan 'Such a splendid tale. I couldn't stop till I'd finished and it was dawn.' Anne McCaffrey 'Colossal, staggering... Martin captures all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome in his imaginary world... one of the greats of fantasy literature.' SFX 'Fantasy literature has never shied away from grandeur, but the sheer-mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy writers away shaking their heads... Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias.' Guardian

Product Description
First volume of a brilliant new fantasy trilogy: the most powerful, original and absorbing new epic since Stephen Donaldson's Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. The first volume of George R R Martin's glorious high fantasy tells the tragic story of treachery, greed and war that threatens the unity of the Seven Kingdoms south of the Wall. Martin unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions, thronged with memorable characters, a story of treachery and ambition, love and magic. Set in a fabulous world scarred by battle and catastrophe over 8000 years of recorded history, it tells of the deeds of men and women locked in the deadliest of conflicts and the terrible legacy they will leave their children. In the game of thrones, you win or you die. And in the bitter-cold, unliving lands beyond the Wall, a terrible winter gathers and the others -- the undead, the neverborn, wildlings to whom the threat of the sword is nothing -- make ready to descend on the realms of men. A Game of Thrones begins the most imaginative, ambitious and compelling fantasy epic since The Lord of the Rings. Thronged with memorable characters, it unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions. There have been many pretenders to the throne of Tolkien: now at last he has a true heir.

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1)
75% buy the item featured on this page:
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) 4.6 out of 5 stars (409)
£4.31
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3 Part 1)
7% buy
A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3 Part 1) 4.8 out of 5 stars (63)
£4.85
A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire)
7% buy
A Clash of Kings (Song of Ice and Fire) 4.6 out of 5 stars (52)
£3.99
A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire)
5% buy
A Feast for Crows (Song of Ice and Fire) 3.5 out of 5 stars (106)
£5.79
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Customer Reviews

409 Reviews
5 star:
 (324)
4 star:
 (50)
3 star:
 (13)
2 star:
 (11)
1 star:
 (11)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (409 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Melancholic fantasy, 1 Sep 2006
I bought this book on the strength of previous reviews and am pleased to say I was not disappointed. As has been stated, GRRM's style is one of multiple viewpoints (initially confusing although by the middle of the book you know who's who, and in which 'house' they belong), within a continuous time thread. The writing is dark, gritty, and melancholic.

This isn't a 'quest' book; more of a history. And a realistic one at that. Although there is a complete lack of elves, dwarves, orcs, goblins etc, this book should be classed as high fantasy. Dragons, monsters, and magic exist in this world but they are relegated to the background. Nine tenths of this book deals in the down to earth machinations of the various courts. Heroes and villains do not exist. Everyone is painted in shades of grey. (Some greyer than others).

In the last 20 years there have been two books that completely blew me away. The first was Magician by Raymond E Feist, the second was Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb. A Game of Thrones is the third. If you enjoyed either of the first two you will surely enjoy this.

Having read the rest of the books in the Song of Fire and Ice sequence, I can reassure you the standards set by A Game of Thrones are maintained.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Surprised - But in a Good Way!, 6 April 2003
By A Customer
Anyone who has read a lot of fantasy knows how each book tends to meld into another until, on looking back, you realise that you've lose track of exactly what characters are in which book, where they live, and what's going on. Every now and then though, you find an author who somehow manages to make you feel a closeness to the characters, and a geniune fascination in their lives. It's this that makes a fantasy novel or series stand out - and which means you may just remember it a few months after reading it! Despite having been reading fantasy for years, I neglected George R.R. Martin when A Game of Thrones first came out, and have continued to do so until a few days back. I now discover my mistake. The novel is superbly written, the characters diverse and original, and despite it's seemingly typical fantasy plot - political battles, a bit of magic here and there, honour, betrayal etc etc - Martin's approach leads me to believe I will not only remember, but come back to re-read his series when a few months have passed me by. Excuse me, must go buy the second book....
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94 of 97 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the kids, 3 Jul 2002
By Fad (London UK) - See all my reviews
Suffice to say, from the top marks I'm awarding this book (and the whole series thus far) I found it to be an excellent read. No, that's insufficient, this is not only the best written Fantasy series (by far surpassing Tolkien in my opinion) I've read, it's almost certainly the most enjoyable book of ANY kind.
The writing style is intelligent and treats the reader accordingly, which is a refreshing change in the Fantasy genre, and the sheer bloody-mindedness of the plot subverts every preconception the reader may have while maintaining the traditional escapist elements familiar from 'lesser' works. The world of Fire and Ice is so fully realised it's hard to keep track of the history and vast array of characters but Martin guides you through it effortlessly and seems to have known from the first line exactly what is going to happen in every subsequent paragraph. His attention to detail is almost scary. The series also (incredibly) manages to improve with subsequent readings as the reader gets to grips with the innumerable plot developments and realises that the most unexpected of events was probably sign-posted ten chapters back.
One note of caution to perspective buyers however is that despite it's Fantasy trappings this is NOT a series suitable for children. Mr Martin does not shy away from explicit descriptions of horrific violence and sex and the language is frequently of the four-letter variety. Equally disturbing is the brilliant realisation of the multitude of characters in these books where the 'Heroes' prove capable of horrendous atrocities and the 'Villains' sometimes act with compassion and honour. And these characters can DIE; If a situation looks likely to be fatal, chances are it will be, which is almost unique in an on-going series and means every violent encounter is almost excrutiatingly tense.
So, not for the faint-hearted but certainly a series that sets entirely new standards for fiction, Fantasy or otherwise.
Brilliant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Be careful buying this
All 3 books that start this series are awesome in my opinion, the Feast for Crows literally destroys it leaving you a little shell shocked that George Martin could write it,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by D. Ironside

5.0 out of 5 stars great fantasy.
Great fantasy. Lactation seems to be a theme, which is unusual in the fantasy tradition (in which bodily functions always seem rather ignored). Read more
Published 1 month ago by milknosugar

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing set of characters
This is the first of the Song of Ice and Fire series and it is a great opener. Without a doubt everyone will find a character in this that they prefer (mine being Jon). Read more
Published 4 months ago by Simon Wells

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fantasy
This is not what I expected. I thought there will be a knight, a princess in trouble, some monsters and some magic... as usual. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Pawel S.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Once and Future King
This is the best epic fantasy story ever- even if George RR Martin doesn't finish it, which be warned he hasn't yet- and is one of the finest works of fiction of any kind I've... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Vp Campbell

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredible story and impressively written
This book truely was gripping. For one which is over 800 pages long, I was amazed at how quickly I finished it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Myfanwy Morgan

5.0 out of 5 stars Think Fantasy is a stale genre? Try this...!!
I'll keep this short and sweet:

I gave up reading fantasy in the 80s...it was all so much rubbish. Every book seemed the same. Read more
Published 8 months ago by AethelwulfKing

3.0 out of 5 stars Will i buy the second book?
After this i'de likely say yes, eventually. It has taken me AGES to read this monster of a book but you lose nothing from doing it like me mainly because after you finish one of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Orborus13

3.0 out of 5 stars why so much hype?
(*slight spoiler warning*)
It's okay, but not great. Yes it is better than a lot of the middling fantasy novels out there, but not even close to being on par with Jordan or... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Heath Jones

1.0 out of 5 stars A GAME OF THRONES
THIS AUTHOR IS NOT, OF COURSE, TOLKIEN'S HEIR. While with Tolkien you feel a wide range of feelings, positive feelings, you can not with this story that hides a lot of pederast... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Newquay's dragon

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