21 some characters that readers are bound to sympathize with more than others, very few are traditional heroes or villains. Eddard Stark, for all his honour, is naïve to the point of being stupid. The handsome, dauntless Jaime Lannister (the Queen’s brother) is, on the surface, to be reviled. Dig slightly deeper though, and he doesn’t seem quite so bad. Tyrion Lannister, Queen Cersei’s ugly midget brother has consistently remained my favourite character because he provides a sardonic and often downright hilarious perspective about everything, whilst technically being on the side of the bad-guys. Martin has invested a wealth of detail in the construction of each noble family and soon every name evokes a gamut of emotions. And in the midst of this faux-feudal setting, is the story of Daenerys, the exiled daughter of the Mad King. She and her brother are in the eastern continent, Essos, laying plans to reclaim the Iron Throne from the Usurper by forging alliances. This part, replete with savage tribes and peculiar rituals, is vaguely reminiscent of Mongol culture. Here, Martin strays from typical fantasy fare making the books acutely memorable. Yes, there’s a derisive dwarf who is exceedingly clever, an ugly wench who could defeat nine men out of ten in combat, a wicked queen whose beauty no man can resist, and a honourable bastard who feels ill at ease owing to the ignominy of his birth. Yes, there are inns which exist for the sole purpose of witnessing brawls and jousting tournaments that are described at length only to see the mighty fall. Yet, the story, for the most part, is so exhilarating that one is willing to look past the clichés. Good does not always triumph over evil and Martin has a curious penchant for brutally executing major characters. My one contention with Martin’s writing is its unevenness. In a few parts, the turn of phrase is beautiful, the imagery vivid and the dialogue edgy. In others, the writing is littered with hackneyed platitudes about honour and love, sacrifice and betrayal. In some, the style is anachronistic relative to the rest. The narrative flags on occasion and sometimes, entire chapters seem pointless. Not since Harry Potter have so many of my friends been hooked on to the same series at the same time as I have. Call it nostalgia, but it’s nice to be able to heatedly discuss characters and theories with people in the college café.
A Song of Ice and Fire is not, in my opinion, a masterpiece. Nor is it a benchmark of modern fantasy literature. Yet its books have the inimitable ability to shock me to speechlessness with well-stationed red herrings. While it is certainly not the most original or inventive set of fantasy books in the fray, it is gripping to the point of being sleepdepriving. And here I make the specific assumption that that is, at the end of the day, what most readers are looking for. - Malini Bose, Economics (2009-12)
on Your Face. Deaths And Entrances. Do not go gentle into that good night. Dream Deferred. Fast rode the knight. Frost At Midnight. I carry your he
