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Cover of A Game of Thrones

Fiction · 2011 · R

A Game of Thrones

by George R. R. Martin

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die

NOW THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES—THE MASTERPIECE THAT BECAME A CULTURAL PHENOMENON Here is the first book in the landmark series that has redefined imaginative fiction and become a modern masterpiece. A GAME OF THRONES In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the North of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. S

For17+GenreFictionLength694 pagesRead time~18 hours

This analysis was generated by AI from publicly available reader reviews, literary criticism, and book discussions. It has not been verified by a BookLens community reviewer and may contain errors. Be the first to verify →

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What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.

Violence

Very heavy

Very strong; battle violence, torture, beheadings, and murders of major characters throughout; the Red Wedding's precursor dynamics begin here; Martin does not protect his protagonists

Language

Some

Moderate; the language of a medieval court and its soldiers; some profanity

Sexual Content

A lot

Strong; multiple explicit scenes including incest; Daenerys's forced marriage and its consummation; sexual violence is part of the world Martin depicts

Substance Use

Some

Moderate; feasting and drinking as part of court life; Tyrion's heavy drinking is established

Emotional Intensity

Very heavy

Very strong; honor as liability in a world without honor; the machinery of political betrayal; what it costs your children to be who you are; Martin's refusal to reward virtue in the short term

What this book is about

George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is the opening volume of the A Song of Ice and Fire series, set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros where noble families compete for control of the Iron Throne. Following multiple viewpoint characters — including Eddard Stark, a man of honor in a world that punishes honor; his children; the dwarf Tyrion Lannister; and the exiled Daenerys Targaryen — Martin builds one of the most elaborately plotted fantasy worlds in the genre. The novel is famous for killing significant characters without warning and for treating political violence with unusual realism.

Notes for sensitive readers

Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.

Graphic violence including character executions

Explicit sexual content including incest

Sexual violence

Major protagonist deaths without warning

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