I found A Game of Thrones somewhat disappointing. A Clash of Kings gave me much more confidence in Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, but I
still struggled, slightly, with some aspects. This third volume (of a series originally
intended to be a trilogy…) is damn near perfect, as far as I’m concerned.
Again, there’s not much I can say about the plot without
spoilers for the first two novels, and this certainly shouldn’t be read without
those. The continent of Westeros is ripped apart by political strife between
several of its most powerful families. Meanwhile, supernatural threats gather
in the frozen north and across the Narrow Sea. I’m not even going to get into
specific characters, because this is a series where anyone can die, and just
knowing who survived the first two books would be a little too revealing.
Martin was already a mature and accomplished writer
(especially of short fiction) before he began this series in 1996, but I feel
that his prose has matured significantly since A Game of Thrones. His dialogue
is memorable, the characters are complex and fascinating (this volume is famous
for making one of the most hated characters of the first novel into a fan
favorite), and surprises abound. The world-building is amazing, and Martin
clearly has a detailed history for this world and a thorough understanding of
how its politics and economics work. The supernatural elements are especially
fascinating, as magic is rare but immensely powerful.
My one complaint (I always have at least one) is that some of the
characters' movements seem a little random. One character in particular has been
bouncing back and forth through the middle of Westeros for nearly two-thousand
pages. There have been some good sub-plots along the way for her, but it
doesn’t feel like there’s a clear aim or purpose for her character.
This is one of the best fantasy novels I’ve read, and I’ve
really come to love this series. I know that it gets more frustrating from
here, with the waiting and the awkwardly split novels. There’s no way I can’t
keep going after this entry though.
Grade: A
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