I'm on a quest to reread all of my favourite epic fantasy series. A Song of Ice and Fire is my second planned conquest (having obliterated The Wheel of Time for a second time last year).
A Game of Thrones starts out rather slow. Looking back now, it's easy to see why I had two false starts into the book. Being an experienced fantasy reader now, the writing style seems almost too easy. I could easily have read the entire thing in two days.
A Game of Thrones has always been more character than plot-based. But here, you begin to see the makings of a really complex plotline. There's a lot of interwoven histories, unfinished business between royal houses, and a lot bad blood that goes hundreds of years back in time. There's magic, but not a lot of it. Infact, all magic is reduced to the barest minimum here. In its place is a well-detailed cache of cultural elements from the different peoples in the world. The author has especially done a fantastic job with world-building. All of the foundations for plot and world expansion are right there.
The multiple POVs is one of the first of its kind in the subgenre. The way it's employed by the author ensures that readers will get as broad a picture of the already vast scene, while at the same time guaranteeing that readers will almost unconsciously begin choosing favorites. It's the perfect setup for the notorious character-killing trend that Martin is so well known for.
Even from the onset, it's obvious Martin's characters have so much passion, so much zeal. Whether dumb stupid like Sansa, or foolish honour like Eddard, the characters draw you in, making you laugh and cry along with them, make you feel exactly what it is they're feeling.
The multiple POV writing makes one appreciate the characters more. The very course of the plot is heavily reliant on the understanding of the nature of the characters and the things that drive them as humans.
It's a very fine read, with a lot of lessons as well as surprises.
