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===In the Seven Kingdoms===
===In the Seven Kingdoms===
At the beginning of the story, Lord [[Eddard Stark|Eddard "Ned" Stark]] executes a deserter from the Night's Watch, the main force for keeping out the dangers north of the Wall, a huge structure of ice, stone, and magic that protects the Seven Kingdoms. On the way back, he and his men discover six direwolf pups, the animal of his sigil. There are three trueborn male wolf pups and two female wolf pups, as well as an albino runt, which matches his family of three trueborn sons, two trueborn daughters, and a bastard. That night, he receives word of the death of his mentor, Lord [[Jon Arryn]], who had been a close advisor to Ned's childhood friend, King [[Robert Baratheon]]. During a subsequent royal visit to Ned's isolated northern castle, [[Winterfell]], Robert recruits Ned to replace Arryn as the King's Hand. Ned is at first reluctant, but agrees to go when he learns that Arryn's widow [[Lysa Tully|Lysa]] believes Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] and [[House Lannister|her family]] poisoned Arryn. Shortly thereafter, Ned's son [[Bran Stark|Bran]] inadvertently discovers Cersei [[incest|having sex]] with her twin brother [[Jaime Lannister]], who throws Bran from the tower to conceal the secret. Ned and his daughters [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]] and [[Arya Stark|Arya]] depart for the royal capital of [[King's Landing (A Song of Ice and Fire)|King's Landing]], while his wife [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn]], a comatose Bran, and their other sons [[Robb Stark|Robb]] and [[Rickon Stark|Rickon]] remain at Winterfell.
At the beginning of the story, Lord [[Eddard Stark|Eddard "Ned" Stark]] executes a deserter from the Night's Watch, the main force for keeping out the dangers north of the Wall, a huge structure of ice, stone, and magic that protects the Seven Kingdoms. On the way back, he and his men discover six direwolf pups, the animal of his sigil. There are three trueborn male wolf pups and two female wolf pups, as well as an albino runt, which matches his family of three trueborn sons, two trueborn daughters, and an illegitimate child. That night, he receives word of the death of his mentor, Lord [[Jon Arryn]], who had been a close advisor to Ned's childhood friend, King [[Robert Baratheon]]. During a subsequent royal visit to Ned's isolated northern castle, [[Winterfell]], Robert recruits Ned to replace Arryn as the King's Hand. Ned is at first reluctant, but agrees to go when he learns that Arryn's widow [[Lysa Tully|Lysa]] believes Queen [[Cersei Lannister|Cersei]] and [[House Lannister|her family]] poisoned Arryn. Shortly thereafter, Ned's son [[Bran Stark|Bran]] inadvertently discovers Cersei [[incest|having sex]] with her twin brother [[Jaime Lannister]], who throws Bran from the tower to conceal the secret. Ned and his daughters [[Sansa Stark|Sansa]] and [[Arya Stark|Arya]] depart for the royal capital of [[King's Landing (A Song of Ice and Fire)|King's Landing]], while his wife [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn]], a comatose Bran, and their other sons [[Robb Stark|Robb]] and [[Rickon Stark|Rickon]] remain at Winterfell.


During the journey south, a physical altercation between Arya and Robert's son, Prince [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]], to whom Sansa has been betrothed, increases both the tension between the Starks and the Lannisters and the sibling rivalry between Arya and Sansa. Arya's direwolf Nymeria attacks Joffrey to protect her; Arya chases Nymeria away to protect her from the Lannisters' wrath, and so Sansa's direwolf Lady is executed in Nymeria's place. Meanwhile, at Winterfell, an assassin hired by an unknown party attempts to kill Bran, and Catelyn departs for King's Landing to bring word of this newest complication to Ned. Shortly thereafter, Bran awakens as a [[paraplegic]], and with no memory of the circumstances of his fall.
During the journey south, a physical altercation between Arya and Robert's son, Prince [[Joffrey Baratheon|Joffrey]], to whom Sansa has been betrothed, increases both the tension between the Starks and the Lannisters and the sibling rivalry between Arya and Sansa. Arya's direwolf Nymeria attacks Joffrey to protect her; Arya chases Nymeria away to protect her from the Lannisters' wrath, and so Sansa's direwolf Lady is executed in Nymeria's place. Meanwhile, at Winterfell, an assassin hired by an unknown party attempts to kill Bran, and Catelyn departs for King's Landing to bring word of this newest complication to Ned. Shortly thereafter, Bran awakens as a [[paraplegic]], and with no memory of the circumstances of his fall.

Revision as of 22:20, 24 January 2015

This article is about the novel. For the TV series, see Game of Thrones. For derivative works of the same name, see A Game of Thrones (disambiguation).
A Game of Thrones
US hardcover (first edition)
AuthorGeorge R. R. Martin
Cover artistSteve Youll
SeriesA Song of Ice and Fire
GenreFantasy, political strategy, epic fantasy
PublishedAugust 6, 1996 (Bantam Spectra/US & Voyager Books/UK)
Publication placeUnited States
ISBN[[Special:BookSources/ISBN+0-553-10354-7+%28US+hardback%29%3Cbr%3EISBN+0-00-224584-1+%28UK+hardback%29%3Cbr%3EISBN+0-553-57340-3+%28US+paperback%29 |ISBN 0-553-10354-7 (US hardback)
ISBN 0-00-224584-1 (UK hardback)
ISBN 0-553-57340-3 (US paperback)]] Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character
OCLC654895986
813/.54
LC ClassPS3563.A7239 G36 1996
Followed byA Clash of Kings 

A Game of Thrones is the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of high fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 6, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award[1] and was nominated for both the 1997 Nebula Award[1] and the 1997 World Fantasy Award.[2] The novella Blood of the Dragon, comprising the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel, won the 1997 Hugo Award for Best Novella. In January 2011 the novel became a New York Times bestseller[3] and reached #1 on the list in July 2011.[4]

In the novel, recounting events from various points of view, Martin introduces the plot-lines of the noble houses of Westeros, the Wall, and the Targaryens. The novel has inspired several spin-off works, including several games. It is also the basis for the first season of Game of Thrones, an HBO television series that premiered in April 2011. A March 2013 paperback TV tie-in re-edition was also titled Game of Thrones, excluding the indefinite article "A".[5]

The title phrase surfaces at various points in the book and its sequels.

Plot

A Game of Thrones follows three principal storylines simultaneously.

In the Seven Kingdoms

At the beginning of the story, Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark executes a deserter from the Night's Watch, the main force for keeping out the dangers north of the Wall, a huge structure of ice, stone, and magic that protects the Seven Kingdoms. On the way back, he and his men discover six direwolf pups, the animal of his sigil. There are three trueborn male wolf pups and two female wolf pups, as well as an albino runt, which matches his family of three trueborn sons, two trueborn daughters, and an illegitimate child. That night, he receives word of the death of his mentor, Lord Jon Arryn, who had been a close advisor to Ned's childhood friend, King Robert Baratheon. During a subsequent royal visit to Ned's isolated northern castle, Winterfell, Robert recruits Ned to replace Arryn as the King's Hand. Ned is at first reluctant, but agrees to go when he learns that Arryn's widow Lysa believes Queen Cersei and her family poisoned Arryn. Shortly thereafter, Ned's son Bran inadvertently discovers Cersei having sex with her twin brother Jaime Lannister, who throws Bran from the tower to conceal the secret. Ned and his daughters Sansa and Arya depart for the royal capital of King's Landing, while his wife Catelyn, a comatose Bran, and their other sons Robb and Rickon remain at Winterfell.

During the journey south, a physical altercation between Arya and Robert's son, Prince Joffrey, to whom Sansa has been betrothed, increases both the tension between the Starks and the Lannisters and the sibling rivalry between Arya and Sansa. Arya's direwolf Nymeria attacks Joffrey to protect her; Arya chases Nymeria away to protect her from the Lannisters' wrath, and so Sansa's direwolf Lady is executed in Nymeria's place. Meanwhile, at Winterfell, an assassin hired by an unknown party attempts to kill Bran, and Catelyn departs for King's Landing to bring word of this newest complication to Ned. Shortly thereafter, Bran awakens as a paraplegic, and with no memory of the circumstances of his fall.

At King's Landing, Ned meets the King's main advisors, including Petyr Baelish, known as Littlefinger, the royal treasurer, and Varys, the master of secrets. Ned soon assumes effective royal power, while Robert devotes his time to sensual pleasures. Upon Catelyn's arrival in King's Landing, she is brought to Baelish, who was a childhood friend of hers, who identifies Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf brother of Cersei and Jaime, as the owner of the dagger used against Bran. He agrees to help Ned investigate the possibility of Lannister treason. During her return journey to Winterfell, Catelyn meets Tyrion by chance, arrests him, and takes him to her sister Lysa Arryn's stronghold. Tyrion demands trial by combat and regains his freedom when his champion, a sellsword named Bronn, is victorious. In retaliation for Tyrion's abduction, his father Lord Tywin Lannister sends soldiers on violent raids across Catelyn's family lands.

Ned eventually discovers that Robert's legal heirs, including Joffrey, are in fact Cersei's children by Jaime, apparently the secret that Jon Arryn had died for. Ned offers Cersei a chance to flee her certain execution before he informs Robert, but she uses his attempt at mercy to arrange for Robert's death in a hunting accident. Ned, made lord-regent by Robert's will, enlists Littlefinger's help to secure the loyalty and assistance of the city guards when he eventually challenges Joffrey's claim on the throne. But Littlefinger betrays him, resulting in Ned's arrest, the death of his men and Sansa's imprisonment by the Lannisters. They attempt to capture Arya as well, but she flees the castle. Joffrey is crowned King of the Seven Kingdoms. Ned eventually agrees to swear fealty to Joffrey, accept exile and join the Night's Watch in exchange for Sansa's safety. A petulant Joffrey has him beheaded anyway.

Robb Stark has gathered an army and marched south in response to his father's arrest; upon learning of Ned's death, he moves to raise further support from and aid his maternal grandfather, Lord Hoster Tully's, besieged castle at Riverrun. To reach the Tully lands, he agrees to a marriage pact with House Frey, who control the intervening territory at the river crossing. Robb proves victorious in an eventual confrontation between his army and Jaime Lannister, whose father Tywin is left in a vulnerable position. Tywin decides to withdraw to the southern border of the Tully lands, sending Tyrion to King's Landing to keep the unstable Joffrey under control. Robb, electing not to ally himself with Robert's brothers Renly and Stannis, who have both made claims to the throne, is hailed by the southern and northern lords alike by his family's ancestral title, King in the North.

On the Wall

The Prologue of the novel introduces the Wall: an ancient barrier of stone, ice and magic, hundreds of feet high and hundreds of miles long, shielding the Seven Kingdoms from the Northern wilderness. The Wall is manned by the Night's Watch, an order of warriors sworn to serve there for life, forgoing marriage, titles, property and children. North of the Wall, a small patrol of Rangers from the Night's Watch encounter the Others, an ancient and hostile race of beings thought long extinct or mythological. All of the Rangers are killed except a single survivor who flees south and is later executed by Eddard Stark for desertion.

Jon Snow, the bastard son of Eddard Stark, is inspired by his uncle, Benjen Stark, to join the Night's Watch, but becomes disillusioned when he discovers that it is little more than a penal colony meant to keep "wildlings" (human tribesmen in relative anarchy north of the Wall) in check. At the Wall, Jon unites the recruits against their harsh instructor, and protects the cowardly but good-natured and intelligent Samwell Tarly. Jon hopes that his combat skills will earn him assignment to the Rangers, the military arm of the Night's Watch, but instead is made a steward to the leader of the Watch, Lord Commander Jeor Mormont, who sees command potential in Jon. Meanwhile Benjen, who had led a small party of Rangers beyond the Wall, fails to return. Nearly six months later after Benjen's disappearance, the dead bodies of two of the Rangers from his party are recovered beyond the Wall; their corpses soon re-animate as wights, which kill six men and threaten Mormont, who is saved by Jon.

When word of his father's execution reaches Jon, he attempts to join his half-brother Robb against the Lannisters, but is prevented by his comrades and persuaded by Mormont to remain loyal to the Watch. Mormont then declares his intention to find Benjen — dead or alive — and to investigate the disappearance of many wildlings and the dark rumors surrounding "the King-Beyond-the-Wall," a deserter from the Night's Watch known as Mance Rayder.

In the East

In Pentos, a city-state of Essos, a continent to the east of Westeros, Viserys Targaryen, son of the king overthrown by Robert Baratheon, betroths his sister Daenerys to Khal Drogo, a warlord of the nomadic Dothraki, in exchange for use of Drogo's army to reclaim the throne of Westeros. Illyrio, a wealthy merchant who has been supporting the penniless Targaryens and brokered the marriage, gives Daenerys three petrified dragon eggs as a wedding gift. Jorah Mormont, a knight exiled from Westeros, joins Viserys as an adviser. Initially terrified of her powerful new husband and his alien people, Daenerys eventually settles into her place as Drogo's queen. When Drogo shows little interest in conquering Westeros, Viserys tries to browbeat his sister into coercing Drogo, but the previously tractable Daenerys refuses. When a frustrated and imperious Viserys publicly threatens the pregnant Daenerys, Drogo executes him. Viserys wanted "a gold crown" in return for Dany, and he got just that, when Drogo killed him by pouring molten gold on Viserys's head. As the last Targaryen, Daenerys takes up her brother's quest to reclaim the throne.

An assassin seeking King Robert's favor attempts to poison Daenerys and her unborn child, and a vengeful Drogo agrees to help her conquer Westeros. While sacking villages to fund the invasion, Drogo is wounded, and Daenerys commands a captive folk healer to save him. Drogo does not believe in the folk healer, so he does not listen to her instruction. When he is beyond saving, the healer, angered by the Dothraki raids, sacrifices Daenerys' unborn child to power the spell which she promised would save Drogo's life, which restores Drogo's health but leaves him in a vegetative state. Most of the Dothraki army departs to follow a new leader. Daenerys smothers Drogo with a pillow, and orders the healer tied to Drogo's funeral pyre. She places her three dragon eggs on the pyre, enters it herself, and emerges unscathed with three newly hatched dragons suckling at her breasts. The few remaining Dothraki and Jorah Mormont, awe-struck, swear allegiance to her.

Viewpoint characters

Each chapter concentrates on the third person limited point of view of a single character; the book presents the perspective of eight main characters. Additionally, a minor character provides the prologue. Chapter headings indicate the perspective.

In the later books certain viewpoint characters are added while others are removed.

Editions

The novel has been published in multiple editions in hardcover, paperback, audio book and e-book form. In June 2000 Meisha Merlin published a limited edition of the book, fully illustrated by Jeffrey Jones.[6]

Adaptations

Main article: Works based on A Song of Ice and Fire

A Game of Thrones and the subsequent novels in the A Song of Ice and Fire series have been adapted in a HBO television series, a comics series, several card, board and video games, and other media.

Reception

A Game of Thrones has received much critical acclaim. Lauren K. Nathan of the Associated Press wrote that the book "grip[s] the reader from Page One" and is set in a "magnificent" fantasy world that is "mystical, but still believable."[7] Steve Perry told readers of The Oregonian that the plot is "complex and fascinating" and the book is "rich and colorful" with "all the elements of a great fantasy novel".[8] Writing in The Washington Post, John H. Riskind commented that "many fans of sword-and-sorcery will enjoy the epic scope of this book" but felt that the book "suffers from one-dimensional characters and less than memorable imagery."[9] Phyllis Eisenstein of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote that although the book uses many generic fantasy tropes, Martin's approach is "so refreshingly human and intimate that it transcends them." She described it as "an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal."[10] John Prior, writing in the San Diego Union-Tribune, called Martin's writing "strong and imaginative, with plenty of Byzantine intrigue and dynastic struggle" and compared it to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time books, "though much darker, with no comedy or romance to relieve the nastiness."[11]

Awards and nominations

References

  1. ^ a b "1997 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  2. ^ "2004 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  3. ^ Taylor, Ihsan. "New York Times bestseller list, 2 January 2011". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
  4. ^ Taylor, Ihsan. "New York Times bestseller list, 10 July 2011". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-07-04.
  5. ^ "Coming Next Month". George R.R. Martin. February 13, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  6. ^ Martin, George. "Frequently Asked Questions". Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  7. ^ Nathan, Lauren K. (November 10, 1996). "`Game of Thrones' fit for a king". The Associated Press.
  8. ^ Perry, Steve (October 13, 1996). "Writer leaves TV to create epic fantasy". The Oregonian.
  9. ^ Riskind, John S. (July 28, 1996). "Science Fiction & Fantasy". The Washington Post.
  10. ^ Eisenstein, Phyllis (August 11, 1996). "Near the frozen north, where dragons awaken". Chicago Sun-Times.
  11. ^ Prior, John (September 12, 1995). "Chilling 'Decline' a feminist vision of confrontation between the sexes". San Diego Union-Tribune.
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