The Game of Thrones
US hardcover (first edition)
|
|
| Author | George R. R. Martin |
|---|---|
| Audio read by | Roy Dotrice |
| Cover artist | Steve Youll |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | A Song of Ice and Fire |
| Genre | Political strategy, epic fantasy |
| Published | August 1, 1996 |
| Publisher |
Bantam Spectra (US) Voyager Books (UK) |
| Pages | 694 |
| Awards | Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (1997) |
| ISBN | (US hardback) (UK hardback) |
| OCLC | 654895986 |
| 813/.54 | |
| LC Class | PS3563.A7239 G36 1996 |
| Followed by | A Clash of Kings |
A Game of Thrones is the first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published on August 1, 1996. The novel won the 1997 Locus Award and was nominated for both the 1997 Nebula Award and the 1997 World Fantasy Award. 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 and reached #1 on the list in July 2011.
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".
A Game of Thrones follows three principal storylines simultaneously.
At the beginning of the story, Lord Eddard "Ned" Stark executes a deserter from the Night's Watch, who has betrayed his vows and fled from the Wall. On the way back, his children adopt six direwolf pups, the animal of his . There are three male and two female direwolf pups, as well as an albino runt, which aligns with his three trueborn sons, two trueborn daughters, and one bastard son. That night, Ned receives word of the death of his mentor, Lord Jon Arryn, the principal advisor to Ned's childhood friend, King Robert Baratheon. During his own visit to Ned's castle of Winterfell, Robert recruits Ned to replace Arryn as the King's Hand. Ned is reluctant, but agrees to go when he learns that Arryn's widow Lysa believes Queen Cersei Lannister and her family poisoned Arryn. Shortly thereafter, Ned's son Bran inadvertently discovers Cersei in coitus with her twin brother Jaime Lannister, who throws Bran from the tower to conceal their affair.
...
Wikipedia