|
How did you experience the book? Beyond whether you simply liked it or not, what were your initial reactions to it?
I had a positive reaction to the book, and I know I'm not alone. However, my own experience is that of one returning to the fantasy genre after a long absence, in addition to a specialized honours English degree in between. I had feared that I was ruined by in-depth studies of Chaucer, Shakespeare, poetry throughout the ages, literary theory, and the English Romantics.
I had picked up a few of the books I read as a teenager and was discouraged. These were the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance books, which I find are too cheesy when it comes to the action and humour. I picked up A Game of Thrones on the recommendation of my good friend, who happened to read it while earning his Ph.D. in poli-sci. I figured if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me. I was right. It's not Chaucer, but it's certainly popular fiction I can read and enjoy
Are the characters convincing? Who are your favourites? Least favourites? What were your favourite actions? Motivations? Feats of valour? Turns of deceit?
The characters are believable. I found them to be realistic, as opposed to flawless/overpowered heroes and villains. My favourite characters are Jon Snow, Arya Stark, and Tyrion Lannister, for various reasons, which I hope to discuss later.
With the exception of Tyrion, I generally loathe those fucking Lannisters. Martin does a great job creating an enemy family with diverse members. I loathe them each for different reasons. I found the most unsavoury and loathsome character to be Viserys, however. He is weak and a coward, which also makes him dangerous.
I now realize that these questions are rather loaded, so I'll stop it right there for now.
What is the central conflict? What are the major themes running throughout?
It's difficult to pinpoint a central conflict in a book that runs on multiple viewpoints as this one does. However, I can generally say the central conflict is obviously the battle over the control of the throne. The themes are, again generally, the question of trust in allegiances, rights to power, family loyalty, and personal duty. More on this below, I imagine.
What do you make of the plot? How do the events unfold and fit together? What drives the book?
Martin really is a master of complex plotting through multiple viewpoints. The book is largely character driven, but due to the number of viewpoints, plotting is necessarily strong as well. This is a discussion unto itself, and so I hope much of our focus will be on this aspect.
What do you make of Martin's world? What resemblances do you see?
I can see Martin is heavily influenced by Arthurian legend. This is evident in much of his take on valour, law, and justice in his world. In more practical terms, it is also evident in terms of the social structure and level of technology, namely, castles/keeps and weaponry. This would put Martin's world to a parallel with Europe's (England's) 6th to 10th centuries (Early Middle Ages). I wasn't too keen on making this connection as I was reading, and so this is in hindsight. If anyone has evidence that perhaps there are some elements of later periods than that, then I'd be happy to be pointed to them.
I'm also keen on having a discussion about the overall geography, which is actually quite fascinating when you think about it. (Especially the way the seasons work.)
At this point, I'm uncertain about the supernatural/fantastical elements of the world. I know there are wraith-type beings (the Others), highly intelligent ravens, and dragons, but the first book doesn't have much of this stuff. I'm guessing more is to come in later books.
Is the ending satisfying? Was it predictable? How well does it set up the rest of the series? Are you hooked?
In a nutshell: the end was very satisfying, and I'm motherfucking hooked. I'll be starting A Clash of Kings either tonight or tomorrow.
__________________
Knowing that death is certain and that the time of death is uncertain, what's the most important thing?
—Bhikkhuni Pema Chödrön
Humankind cannot bear very much reality.
—From "Burnt Norton," Four Quartets (1936), T. S. Eliot
|