Deadhouse Gates

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin is book one in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I have owned this book for approximately a year before finally reading it. It came with much acclaim but also a fair share of negativity as well, could this not be said about any book though. Some of the major criticisms about this book are the amount of characters, violence, and incest. Are these thins present in this book? Absolutely. Does it detract from the overall story? No. It simply boils down to personal preferences and what each individual likes to read.

The plot of this book is actually rather concise and compact. Yes, there are several sub-plots, but the overall plot of this book is pretty straight forward. It has been used in countless fantasy books before this and that is; different people vying to be the King. However, even if you have read this plot hundreds of times, Martin writes it in such a way that it seems not only new, but also ground breaking. The depth of intrigue, betrayal, and tragedy that are present is unlike anything I have read before. If you are thinking of reading this book this is more adult fantasy. Along with the main plot there is also the sub-plot of the Wall. In this book we are introduced to several aspects of the Wall, but as of yet not much happens there. I can easily see that being a setting for future plot twists and big moments. I have heard some say that too much is going on in this book. I don’t think that’s the case at all. Martin does a very good job at breaking the story up into pieces so the reader can digest everything they are reading. I didn’t find myself lost at all.

The characters in this book are simply fantastic. Yes there are quite a few characters, but the only difference between this book and many others is Martin develops several characters. This is not the type of book that follows one character through out the entire story. Rather this book is told from several view points of several characters. One thing I appreciated about Martin’s style is there are no fluff chapters. If a character has a chapter you can rest assured that something important will be happening in said chapter. The characters in this book are not your prototypical fantasy characters, meaning there are really no good guys and bad guys. Sure, there are characters you will love and characters you will hate. But, their actions don’t always follow what the ‘good guys and bad guys’ do. Rest assured as well, Martin has no qualms about killing a character if it will progress the story… and he does this several times. While the plot is well written, this is a character driven book in my opinion.

While this is considered a fantasy book there are not many elements of the ‘classic’ fantasy stories, i.e. magic and monsters. However, that seems like it may begin to appear more in later books. Martin has a way with words. Within the first ten pages I was already sucked in by the story and Martin’s prose lends itself to easy reading. It has a comfortable flow to it, that allows you to pick up the book at 10 PM and look at the clock and realize it is now 3:30 AM and you must go to bed… but you can finish this one chapter. It’s an endless cycle of fighting to put the book down.

All in all I really enjoyed this novel. I can easily understand the high praise it has received, yet I can also see why the detractor’s didn’t like it too. I will say though, violence and sex are part of society and Martin doesn’t hide that fact.

With all that said I would easily recommend this book to people looking for a serious look at the fantasy genre. If you are looking for a deep, thoughtful, engaging read this is where you need to go. If you are looking for an easy, archetypal book this is not the book for you. I am confident the vast majority of fantasy fans will enjoy and appreciate this book. I know I certainly did and am looking forward to continuing this series.