The Art of George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire

by various artists, 189 pages

As I mentioned in my post about A Feast  for Crows, I just read and enjoyed the first book of art inspired by A Song of Ice and Fire. As usual, some of the best images are of Jon Snow, the bastard son of Ned Stark, and his dire wolf, Ghost. Jon becomes part of The Night's Watch in the first book, A Game of Thrones, and is sent to the great Wall in the North to serve the realm.

The images in the book are varied in style, and most are wonderfully rendered studies of many of the characters and settings in the books. I was surprised at the number of European artists involved. The artists' bios at the end of the book lead you to their websites for further exploration. A second volume has just been published, so there will be more scenes of the Seven Kingdoms and beyond to peruse at your leisure. Well, you have to do something while you're waiting for Season 3 of A Game of Thrones on tv.

Game of Thrones

Volume 1 of A Song of Ice and Fire

by George R.R. Martin, 694 pages

I started this a while ago on a friend's recommendation, but got distracted. With Sean Bean starring in the debut of the HBO tv series, I had more incentive to finish it, and I am glad I did.

Martin has created vivid settings and varied cultures, and a byzantine plot line. The Tudors and Borgias don't have anything on the corrupt rulers of the Lannister family. Opposite them you have the flawed but compelling characters of the Stark family, Lords of Winterfell in the icy North. One of the Stark mottoes is Winter Is Coming, which doesn't quite evoke the dire warning it is. In the Seven Kingdoms, the seasons can last a dozen years or more. As the novel opens, summer is waning, and winter is coming.

Someone told me that Martin was inspired by the War of the Roses in Britain, and the houses names sound similar, Lannister for Lancaster and Stark for York. The armies clash, plots are hatched, rulers dispatched while up in the far north beyond The Wall, a malevolent force is on the move...south.

I enjoyed the complexity of the plot--you are never sure which characters will prove true-hearted or not. I am already into the next book, A Clash of Kings. One warning: the series isn't finished yet, and Martin is famed for keeping his fans waiting....and waiting.