So I've switched from my usual reading routine of plowing through the classics and the famous names (Tolkien, Hemingway, Capote, etc.) and taken up a totally different style. I bought an audio book of George R. R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. Personally, I think this is ideal if you just want to enjoy a book but if you're more into analyzing writing style (which I have become) it gets a bit boring. However, it's easier to picture the story in your head without having to read the book.
But of course, what everyone (including myself) will talk about concerning this book is the controversy. Yes, there's a lot of gore and a lot of sex. I expected that coming in because I had already watched most of the TV series. But as I got farther and farther into the book I realized that none of it was unnecessary. Sure, the story could have done without so much graphic gory detail or descriptions that were borderline pornographic but I feel like it would have lost something. The detail that Martin committed to every scene was astounding, and with the more uncomfortable scenes came a sense of authenticity. It drives home the point that life in this made-up world is hard, you have to be tough and gritty to survive. Because of it I was easily drawn in, the world became more believable.
One of the most remarkable things about this story though, is the storyline. Even before I'd watched the show or knew the story I knew it was complicated. Complicated doesn't even cover it. It's astounding to me how so much story can fit inside one person's head. I mean, I thought J.K. Rowling's creation of an entire wizarding world was incredible, and even she had an entire real world to build off of. This story is completely made from scratch, with countries and cities and people that seem so utterly real. They have desires and wishes but their behavior isn't so straightforward like it is in other writing. It seems more human and believable. How any writer can pull that off is beyond me.
Over the summer I hope to read more of these books (like, actually read) because his writing style is interesting as well. It can be easily observed that a lot of thought and research went into this book by the way he describes the settings, clothing, and mannerisms. Every detail is purposeful, and sometimes even the tiniest thing can end up being the most important.
If I were to take away one thing from his writing I would definitely say the storyline. While his prose is beautiful, it can become a bit hard to read. This is why the audio book is good because you don't end up stuck on one line and it gives you more opportunity to focus on the story in its entirety. This may be why I found it so astounding because not only does he jump focus from one end of the world to the other, but he keeps it all in context. One minute he might be talking about Robb Stark in the north and his plans to fight the Lannisters and then it will jump to Tywin Lannister thinking about defeating Robb and then John Snow and his beef with the Lannisters for killing his father and then Daenerys Targaryen in the far south planning to overthrow the family currently holding the throne which just so happens to be...you guessed it...the Lannisters!
His breadth of characters and setting is amazing and anyone looking to improve their character building or fixing their plot holes should definitely read this book. That being said, if you're looking for an easy read this is not it. But if you're looking for something incredibly fun and engaging this is definitely the book for you!
