A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was raw, gritty, barbaric and downright crass at times…and I loved every damn minute! This was an ancient, epic adventure that consumed my thoughts. In fact, I just spent $100 to download seasons 1-5 of the HBO series after finishing this audiobook because I loved it so much.
I’m still trying to wrap my mind around everything that took place and who everyone is. This book had an extremely robust cast of characters and a complex, multifaceted storyline. Don’t get too attached to anyone either, as Martin has no qualms about killing off a few characters, even those that seem critical. I’ve lost a couple of my favorite guys already, and this is only the first book. On the upside, some got what they had coming and I couldn’t have been happier.
As much as I loved the story, if I had it to do over, I wouldn’t have listened to the Audible version. Now that I have though, and I’ve managed to get everything straight in my head, I’ll probably continue in that format. The narration was fabulous, but the story was simply too complex for me to keep up with in that format for the first book.
I tend to listen while doing other things that require some of my attention, like driving or housework. This is not a book that you can do that with. I had to back up the story several times because I’d get lost or have trouble remembering who somebody was.
That is the only reason that I gave this book a 4-star and not a 5-star rating. It might have rated higher if I’d read the Kindle version. It was just too hard to keep everything straight at times. So many people and so many stories being told. I needed a cheat sheet to keep things straight.
I don’t want to spoil anything, because I think these stories need to be experienced firsthand. I’m completely hooked on this series now. I’m on to the next one, ASAP.
Book Addict Haven 
Fantastic review! I love, love, love GoT! I have most of the audiobooks, but have never listened to them. I watch the series on HBO instead. How is the narration? Do all the characters blend together or sound different?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved the Audible audiobooks. I watched the series after listening to help clarify some things. The narration is wonderful, but the story is so complex that I got lost at times. I tend to listen when doing other things. This is a series that needs your full attention because there are so many moving parts. I had to rewind a few times to listen to certain parts again after allowing myself to get distracted. 🙂 xoxo
LikeLike
I also multitask while listening to audiobooks, unless I’m traveling. I love listening to books on long road trips! I’ve already watched the HBO series, so hopefully that will help me follow along. Did you find the TV version to be true to the books? Or did the books have way more details?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I found that the series stayed pretty true to the books at first and then strayed some toward the last two seasons. However, both were great. I liked watching the series after finishing the book to clarify things. It is such a complex story, it was easy to lose details and hard to keep characters straight. The visuals helped me keep things straight. 🙂 xoxo
LikeLiked by 1 person