Tuesday 5 March 2013

Artful Readers Club February ~ Sophie

I have no idea what possessed me to think it was a good idea to read my longest Artful Readers Club book during the shortest month of the year when half term was also going to be happening! I finally finished 'Game of Thrones - A Song of Ice and Fire' by George R. R. Martin on Saturday.

I wasn't sure how I would get on with this book.  I have watched the first season of the TV series and loved it so I thought that might influence my feelings about it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the book and TV series very very much in alignment - it does annoy me when TV/films change plots!

So the actual book.....'Game of Thrones' is an epic fantasy, set in a land which has similarities with ours and yet is also very different.  Seasons are long, lasting years and their is a hint of magic and magical creatures which I imagine will be expanded upon through the series.  This first instalment introduces us to many characters and the prominent families to whom they belong.  There is also a lot of extra information in the form of maps at the beginning and family history sections at the back of the book to help understand the different characters and families' relationships to each other and status within the kingdoms which is helpful. The book is structured so that each chapter is focused on a particular character.  I liked this as it helped me get to know the characters but I think there was also a downside in that I would start to get into a particular characters viewpoint and story and then the book switches focus and at times I found myself losing interest because of that.  The last part of the book however became much more enthralling so I raced through it at the end.
 
What I enjoyed most about the book was how much understanding I gained about different characters motives and intentions.  Almost all the characters have good and bad in them and although it's a fantasy of Kings, Queens, Lords and Ladies, there are no heroes as such.  The behaviour of a lot of the characters can be seen to be a direct result of their own experiences which in turn leads to bitterness and pain for other characters and I ended the book thinking 'what a mess this lot are in!' All the time they are fighting amongst themselves and we are being shown that the real threats are elsewhere.  I did really enjoy reading this and will probably go on to either read or listen to the audio books of the rest of the series at some point.  At the moment I'm waiting for the second TV series to land on my doormat so will probably cheat with that for a while!
 
This is the artwork I ended up with....
 
 
 
....I wanted to show the dangers being shown to us from 'Ice and Fire' and the families somewhere in between. In the end, after a few messed up attempts at trying to get all the family banners drawn small enough, I cut them out of the information sections :)
 

5 comments:

  1. This isn't a series I'm drawn to - not sure why as I've read lots of good things about it. My Dad has the series (I think) in both book and DVD form so I may be like you and cheat a bit first ;)

    Love the artwork - especially those eyes and all those layers.

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  2. Enjoyed the review, and your artwork is intriguing, a lot to see in it. It's not the kind of program or book I like to watch nowadays, though I'm sure I would have eaten it up once, but now I just like to be escapist.
    I love the artwork, and the sort of battle between ice and fire, like a conflict between good and evil perhaps. Especially the ice section is great, with those cat's eyes and the icicles dripping down. Quite mesmeric.

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  3. I'm almost at the end of the first book now - it is a meaty one huh?? :) I am LOVING it so far. I haven't seen the TV show as I prefer to read the books first and form my own mental picture of all the characters. I will watch season 1 though once I have finished the book (any day now) and then read book 2. That's the plan anyway.

    Your artwork is stunning and spot on - I quite fancy doing a journal page or two based on the book too one day even though I'm not reading it for Artful Readers Club

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  4. Cool -or hot?- Art work! ♥
    I have bought these books for my E-reader, just haven't found time to start reading yet... :)

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  5. I have this in my ARC list to read at some point this year and I also have the first series to watch when I start maternity leave at the end of the month - so glad you enjoyed it! Great artwork too. x

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