[Includes: Game of Thrones, A Storm of Swords, A Clash of
Kings, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons.]
The Premise:
A fictional land called Westeros is threatened by a
mysterious enemy from without and its own ruling factions from within. This
sprawling fantasy epic follows members of various ruling families: The Starks
to the North, The Lannisters to the West, The Greyjoys of the Iron Islands, the
deposed Targaryens and their usurpers, the Baratheons. Many bonds are formed
and casualties had when everyone plays the Game of Thrones.
The Good:
Richly imagined by Mr. George R.R. Martin, this series does
not lack for detail. Even though there are close to twenty main characters and
hundreds of supplemental characters, each one seems to have their own
personality and background. And many of them are worth hanging out with for
hundreds of pages. The immersive world is also well thought out and the drama unfolds
slowly, so when something happens it feels truly consequential.
The Bad:
I’m going to be honest: I feel another LOST coming on. I don’t think that Mr. Martin really knows where
this story is going. Oh sure, he probably claims to have it all mapped out, but
I have my doubts. After five books, each about 1,000 pages, the story hasn’t even
begun to deliver on the premise set forth in the very first prologue. And, like
LOST, he is still introducing new
characters—a crutch used by authors and writers as a stalling tactic.
That all aside, one of my biggest problems with the story is
Westeros itself. As this world expands and sprawls across oceans, I become less
and less convinced that Westeros is a land worth fighting for. It seems to be
poor in wealth; lacks technological advantages and the Lords aren’t even as
powerful as their slave-owning counterparts. The characters fight for it
because the author wants them to, not because they should.
And the books are sadistic. There are some genuinely
horrifying elements that are described in all-too-grisly detail. An unnecessary
description of a rape comes to mind, as well as the mutilation of a main
character. Not things you’ll soon forget.
The Verdict:
Wait and see. Mr. Martin has said there will only be two
more books and he doesn’t look to be in the greatest of health. With a six-year
gap between the last two books, I would hold off on starting the series until
its completion, unless you want to roll the dice and hope it all works out.
