Book Review of A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

George R.R. Martin has stated that he based his stories on the English Wars of the Roses.

The geography of Westeros, in A Game of Thrones, is recognizably England.  At least, it's inspired by the country.  There's even a wall, which is patently based on Hadrian's Wall, in the north.

Winterfell is Northumbria, with an option on Yorkshire too.  Dorne is an amalgamation of Cornwall and Devon. Riverrun read like a description of Cheshire.  The story doesn't take us to Casterley Rock, but I'm expecting the Marches. Its rulers certainly act like the Norman Marcher Kings.

Even the races living there can be ethnically allocated.  The Andals are the English.  The First Men are the Celts (with a bit of Viking thrown in for good measure). Yet the folklore and customs are used so interchangeably, that it's probably better not to try and superimpose reality over the top.

For all of that, this is not Britain, unless it's set in some parallel world.  It's as close as Tolkien's Middle Earth is to the same; and owes more of its inspiration to Lord of the Rings, than it does to actual history and folklore.

There's a common recommendation that, if you like Tolkien's work, you will like George R.R. Martin's work.  That's fair enough and I'll repeat it here.

I was warned before reading that I might find the stories to be very male-centric.  This was not a problem. Men and boys make up 50% of my species and I quite like them. 

But I was also warned that the book series was anti-females.  This was going to be more of an issue. 

Having now read book one, I have to say that I don't agree that Game of Thrones is at all sexist. The etiquette and culture of the world appears to view women as second class citizens.  The first choice for monarch is always the sons.

That isn't the same as saying that it's an anti-female story.  Some of the strongest personalities in the tale are female.  Even where their station in life seems second place, some of these ladies take their opportunities and succeed.

Yet it's not one of those stories where gender makes much odds. There are annoying women, weak women, strong women, ordinary women.  It's a tale where realism wins out every time.

For those worried about such things, there should be a warning here that there is sex and violence in A Game of Thrones.  Sometimes even at the same time.

It's not gratuitous.  Martin doesn't linger on every thrust with obscene abandon, but it does serve to underscore the realism.  People get hurt.  People die.  People make babies.  Some sacred cows are also slaughtered, in instances of incest.

However, much of this is also left to the imagination of the reader. We are usually not inside the mind of the person or persons that it's happening to.  Onlookers will see that execution and we get their emotional reaction too.

It's not a story which glorifies the darker side of humanity, but nor will it whitewash it out of existence.