A Review of A Song of Ice and Fire

I am now partway through the second book of the series A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R. R. Martin. If you have never heard of the series I will only say that if you enjoy low fantasy medieval titles with a good bit of intrigue and complex plot, then this is the book for you. I won’t spoil the book futher than what it says on the back cover, the threat of war looms everywhere and winter is coming. Both the first and last chapter end in a large cliffhanger, yet the satisfaction of reading the book overcame my desire to read the next at first. I would recommend this book to everyone, if only on the topic on how the plot is dealt with. There are no conventional chapters in this book, sections are divided by the view of the character currently at the forefront of the story. The multiple views makes for an interesting narrative, yet the amount of information coming from each characters viewpoint, and all the people they relate with can be a little overwhelming at first. Yet this book pulls it off magnificently, no character overstays his or her welcome, and the actions of one character can affect the others.

The low fantasy setting on top of all the intricate plotlines, is just icing on the cake. Unlike a book set in high fantasy, dragons and magic are only revelant in stories told in the book. Yet within the first chapter you will see that things are more than meets the eye. All in all this is an astounding book, that I list as one of my favorite this year, among The Hunger Games and Around the World in 80 Days. Though I would warn you the book can be very addicting to read, an entire weekend was spent reading as I got sucked into the story. Along with the book I hear the TV series, A Game of Thrones, based on the book, is also worth seeing- though I haven’t yet checked it out.