Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2003 4:22 pm
Okay I recently finished Game of Thrones and have started Clash of Kings. In general I thought this an excellent book, with the second one shaping up as equally fine.
The "world" is exceptionally rich and compelling. I find that too often writers in medeviel milieus shy away from the more brutal aspects of such. For example, rules of evidence--there were some, but few folks understood them and generally they bore zero resemblence to what we call the same. Likewise other things we take for granted--the scientific method, the ideal of racial tolerance, literacy--simply don't belong there (unless accounted for). Not so Martin. He shows all the grime and casual cruelty, the genuine danger and (usually) brutal punishments, amid sloooooow communications and desperate circumstances.
Yet at the same time I love the heightened nature of the background. Winterfell is a perfect example. Here's a huge, ancient castle built around a grove of trees! The grove is a kind of shrine, and Winterfell itself sits atop hot springs to keep it relatively warm. Underneath are thousands of years of Stark Kings. Atop is a labyrinth of towers and roofs worthy of Gormenghast. It really is a character in the story, as is the Red Keep with its secret passages and the Arryns' Eyrie far atop a mountain (its prison cells are especially vivid).
And frankly, I'm also pleased that the story itself is so very real. No one has all the answers. Figuring out who's "right" and "wrong" is nowhere near as easy as it seems at first. Plus I enjoy any story that manages to consistently surprise me without veering off into the realm of illogic and deus-ex-machina.
So I am sooooo glad the folks here convinced me to read this series!
Zahir
The "world" is exceptionally rich and compelling. I find that too often writers in medeviel milieus shy away from the more brutal aspects of such. For example, rules of evidence--there were some, but few folks understood them and generally they bore zero resemblence to what we call the same. Likewise other things we take for granted--the scientific method, the ideal of racial tolerance, literacy--simply don't belong there (unless accounted for). Not so Martin. He shows all the grime and casual cruelty, the genuine danger and (usually) brutal punishments, amid sloooooow communications and desperate circumstances.
Yet at the same time I love the heightened nature of the background. Winterfell is a perfect example. Here's a huge, ancient castle built around a grove of trees! The grove is a kind of shrine, and Winterfell itself sits atop hot springs to keep it relatively warm. Underneath are thousands of years of Stark Kings. Atop is a labyrinth of towers and roofs worthy of Gormenghast. It really is a character in the story, as is the Red Keep with its secret passages and the Arryns' Eyrie far atop a mountain (its prison cells are especially vivid).
And frankly, I'm also pleased that the story itself is so very real. No one has all the answers. Figuring out who's "right" and "wrong" is nowhere near as easy as it seems at first. Plus I enjoy any story that manages to consistently surprise me without veering off into the realm of illogic and deus-ex-machina.
So I am sooooo glad the folks here convinced me to read this series!
Zahir
