Reader Review:  A Song of Ice and Fire, by George R.R. Martin
Reviewed by Leticia Flores
 
I just flew through the 5 tomes of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series “A Song of Ice and Fire” (SIF; Game Of Thrones is the first book in the series), and boy are my arms tired. Really- these books are huge!  But they are well worth the bicep and hand strain one develops to hold and keep the books open, as they immerse you fully into a rich and magical parallel world full of complex characters and dark intrigue.  While there are plenty of uni-dimensional characters in the stories, Martin manages to create several major characters throughout this epic fantasy who induce in the reader alternating feelings of compassion, revulsion, wonder and even admiration. I think this may be why the “SIF” series has captured the mainstream population where other fantasy books have usually failed: like the “Lord of the Rings” series, readers come to identify with these characters’ universal struggles even as they are set against a make-believe world.  When describing them to people, I say it’s like “Lord of the Rings” meets “The Sopranos”.
Of course, the world Martin creates in his series is a feast for the imagination in itself.  Dragons and Wights and Direwolves, oh my!  The many isolated lands of Martin’s world are characterized by their environments and the elements: for instance, Winterfell’s land and its people are cold, harsh and unsentimental; the Dothraki Sea is actually a vast expanse of grasslands, and its nomadic people incorporate the horse in its culture as well as its livelihood.  King’s Castle, where much of the first book takes place, is a walled city full of brothels and stockades.  From Martin’s descriptions, you imagine that everyone from the Queen to the child vagabonds are constantly caked in soot and riddled with fleas.
The series places itself in medieval times, and Martin apparently does an intense amount of research on medieval traditions and history. For instance, his descriptions of feasts in the series are impressive to this foodie- I keep hoping that “Chopped” will use lamprey as an ingredient one day. Each land has its version of a “royal family”, with accompanying lords and subjects. There are dueling religious sects, politics surrounding who is the true ruler of certain lands, and arranged marriages to secure and maintain power over land. Perhaps the most compelling piece of the series for me involved the status (or lack thereof) of women in Martin’s world. He does often veer into what others may describe as misogynistic portrayals of women in his books, but I generally don’t share this perception. He is an equal opportunity creator of weak, ignorant and licentious characters (Theon Greyjoy, Gregor Clegane, Tyrion’s Shae, Lysa Arryn). He avoids being stereotyped as a typical fantasy writer who can’t write women characters by creating the wonderfully complex characters of Cersei, Arya, Brienne and Daenerys.  In reading the series, I was often reminded of AMC’s “Mad Men” series, where the women characters seek to find power, autonomy and recognition in a time and world that is not ready to grant such things.
It is the specific people that inhabit Martin’s fantasy world who draw you in and keep you reading.  Tyrion, the youngest son of the powerful nobleman Tywin Lannister, is one of the most enjoyable characters I have come to know in a long time.  He is an unattractive little person with an incredible mind and wit.  He is alternately cruelly taunted by most because of his small stature (he is often called “Imp” by his sister Cersei), yet he can almost always bend forces to his will if need be by his incredible wealth and family power.  He is capable of kindness as well as great cruelty, and so my opinion of him is constantly shifting.  Arya Stark is my favorite character in the series.  Arya is a small, dirty whip of a girl who wants nothing more than to become a master swordsman who never has to do another lame embroidery piece with her much prettier and more graceful older sister again.  When everything is taken from Arya, again and again, she perseveres, albeit with grave psychological and emotional scars.
The “SIF” series has garnered many new fans and a lot more critical review since HBO’s video series for the first book came out last year.   Many of the criticisms have some merit, but I disagree with the central premise that the series simplify such large notions of gender and race. Ten HBO Game Of Thrones episodes do not equal a 5 book series.  And, this series is all about identity and identity politics. The overriding theme I kept picking up on in the books, and which kept me reading, is that in order for any character to survive (and many of them don’t), s/he had to change in fundamental ways.  Identities had to bend- and sometimes break apart and be re-formed- in order to get through one day and see the next. The symbols of change can be seen in all surviving characters- body parts are broken, scarred or amputated; hair is shorn, colored or burned off; names, behaviors and instincts are unlearned.  Characters learn hard truths about what they are made of and what they are capable of doing- and that makes for a very compelling read.
As with “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” series, my last series favorite, there is a great deal of violence against humans and animals.  “SIF” will take you to some ugly, hard places.  But you can also meet dragons, fantasy-infused zombies, people who live so long they become trees, and “changelings”, people who can slide into the skin of other people and animals. There are some really wonderful, rich personalities in the book, with plenty of characters to love, hate and generally marvel at. I’ve enjoyed the ride, and can’t wait to see series 2 on HBO, beginning April 4.