As you know, we had a bit of a heat wave over the holidays. I didn’t have much to do except sit in front of the air conditioner and read. I had a lot of time on my hands, so I thought: this is probably a good time to dive into the Game of Thrones series. Of books.
Now, I haven’t see the TV series – which I hear is a touch full on (and most definitely unsuitable for you younger ones). I have refused to watch it for a few reasons. Firstly, because I don’t deal well with onscreen violence (of which there’s quite lot) and secondly, because I always prefer to read the books first.
A lot of students have been asking about whether they should read the Games of Thrones books. Reading them is quite a commitment; each book is about 700 pages and there are five books. With two more to come.
My verdict? I loved them! But they won’t be for everyone. Let me tell you why:
These books fall into the ‘epic’ fantasy/historical fiction category. Be prepared for lords and ladies, knights and peasants and lots and LOTS of characters to keep track of. It can be hard going if you’re not used to reading this type of fiction!
Many people have found George R. R Martin’s writing style hard to read, in the sense that each chapter is from the point of view of a different character. The difficulty is that the reader has to keep track of about eight different key narratives. However, I love this because it’s what makes these books so great. Martin’s characters are all pretty complicated. No one is a total ‘baddie’ or a total ‘goodie’. In fact, just when you think you’ve got the measure of a character, Martin does something that makes you completely question who they really are. I’ve just finished the fifth book and my opinion of some characters is completely different to what it was in the first.
Oh yeah – he likes to kill off characters too. So don’t get too attached!
My absolute favourite character – Tyrion Lannister (played by Peter Dinklage in the TV series)
I have to warn you that these books contain some pretty confronting themes. There’s a lot of violence, swearing, sex and some very morally ambiguous characters. They are definitely adult books and not to be picked up lightly. If you’re not sure whether you should read them, come into the library and have a chat with me and hopefully I’ll be able to give you enough information to help you make a decision.
Now, I’m eagerly anticipating the release of the next book in the series. And steeling myself to watch the TV version.
Happy Reading!
Ms White 🙂
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