A Game of Thrones

No real reason. This book represents a divergence from the genres I normally would pick up on my own, but I was pleasantly surprised... enough to begin work on my own fantasy novel.

Game of Thrones, right? This author has created so many characters that fit this category, and they all handle their situations in a different manner. I love the three major ones, Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen, who could not be more different from each other. Sansa and Arya have grown up in privilege, but one scheme to be a pampered lady, and the other would be happy sleeping in the kennel with her dire wolf.

Daenerys has been hidden much of her childhood to protect her, and suddenly, she is thrown into the game with her arranged… show more.

As an editor, I don’t really get much time to read for fun. The ASoIF series had come highly recommended to me, and I was captivated. The cast is large, but I found it easy to keep track of who was who and part of what house. It also helped that there is a “dramatis personae” in the back of the book, which I referred to a few times.

I loved the idea of Ned Stark as a protagonist - not your young adventurer, but a father who gets wrapped up in a mystery. Being presented with different points of… show more.

As one of the first books that introduced me to the world of dragons, this is very near and dear to my heart. The intricate world-building drew me in, and while I did find myself far more attached to Dany and her dragons than anyone else, I cannot express how deeply I feel for each character. 

Like the other books on my list, there is nothing I can say about this series that hasn’t already been said by everyone else on the internet. But what I liked most about it is the intricacies of the family histories and how lineage drives the enthralling narrative. 

Of course, ‘most’ of the characters are fascinating, and their individual journeys, which sometimes intertwine, will keep you glued to the pages throughout this fantasy epic.

There are two things I love about the books in this series. Characters and lore. George RR Martin weaves a dense tale in both, sometimes to extremes. It’s a template I’ve followed (albeit more simply) in my own Songbird series, and attempting it only gave me an exceedingly deep admiration for how Martin pulled it off. Maintaining consistency in the lore from chapter to chapter and book to book when juggling dozens of different characters is a hugely complicated task.

All the characters also have distinctively different voices, giving you insight into their motivations and an inkling into where they… show more.

There is a reason the TV series performed as well as it did. Even though this book series hasn’t been and may never be finished, please let me tell you why I think you should read it anyway.

The story that captivated the world and put epic fantasy back on the map is even better in bookish form. Yes, the world-building of Westeros is iconic, but the use of each character’s perspective left me awestruck. Throughout the story and across the different perspectives, the “truths” of the world are revealed in their own intricately conflicting ways—a subtle reminder that history… show more.

A medieval world with dire wolves, dragons, and John Snow.

But seriously, Daenerys was a favourite of mine in that series. I have mentioned earlier that I love when the underdog wins – well I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but in my mind, that young woman who came from a place of being bullied by her crazy brother, pursued by a vengeful enemy on the iron throne, challenged by Dothraki, and judged by almost everyone else, grew in confidence, strength and courage to become a force to be reckoned with. She earned the title "Mother of Dragons."… show more.

I absolutely love this book because it explores one of my deepest philosophical questions: What blindspots in our subjective humanity allow for such violence and depravity when the power to engage in such things is granted to us?

As a veteran and long-time student of war, I am fascinated by the ever-fluctuating value of human life when it comes to power, wealth, and empire. 

I love elements of fantasy in the fiction I read, but I would generally consider myself slightly allergic to dragons and zombies. What I like about George R. R. Martin is the way he combines the supernatural stuff with characters who feel more three-dimensional than most actual humans.

I also love his world-weary wit and the absence of any morally perfect heroes. Greed, cruelty, lust, ambition, and tribalism are not the preserve of the ‘evil’ characters in Westeros; they are simply part of what makes us all human. And the massive success of A Song of Ice and Fire is… show more.