Book Recommendations (with spoiler-free reviews)

A Song of Ice and Fire ~ George R. R. Martin

A Game of Thrones

A Clash of Kings

A Song of Swords

A Feast for Crows

A Dance with Dragons

The Winds of Winter (TBR: hopefully in 2017)

A Dream of Spring (TBR: hopefully before I have grandkids)

I finished this series last year. It took me 3 whole months to read it. Each book is really long so clear up your schedules before starting this. Also, this is my review of the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, NOT Game of Thrones. For the record, I absolutely hate Game of Thrones. The first couple of seasons were good, but then they went and butchered everything. It's a stupid, misogynist TV show that doesn't deserve all the fame it's getting.

You might be familiar with the story. Here is a brief overview. Well, as brief as it can get. Settle in, this is gonna be long:

ASOIAF is set in a fictional world. We can divide the world into two parts. Westeros and Essos.

Westeros is made up of 7 areas that were previously 7 separate kingdoms but are now ruled by one king, who sits on a famous throne called the Iron Throne. The extreme north of Westeros is separated from the rest by a huge wall made of ice (and magic). It's called The Wall and was built a long time ago by a famous builder. Legend has it, he made it to protect Westeros from enemies that live in the extreme north (a land of perpetual snow). These enemies are called White Walkers. Not many people in Westeros believe they exist, except the northerners. The Wall is guarded by an order called the Night's Watch. It's men vow to remain unmarried and childless and always set their duties first.

The rest of Westeros is pretty interesting. It's shaped like Britain. At the north, below the Wall, is Winterfell. The south-most kingdom is Dorne. At the east is King's Landing, the capitol, and so on. The setting is pretty much like medieval Britain. Horses, swords, arranged marriages, and all that. Then there are families, called "Houses". There are many Houses in total but the most famous and renowned ones are Stark (from Winterfell), Martell (from Dorne), Lannister (from Casterly Rock) and Baratheon (from Storm's End; right now, the rulers). In Westeros, the climate is really weird. Each season lasts for several years. At the start of the books, an unusually long summer is ending, so people are preparing themselves for an unusually long and brutal winter.

In Essos, the situation is quite different. It's kind of like the Middle East in ancient times. There is no set ruler. There are Free Cities, with their own governors and such. They trade with each other and with Westeros. Essos and Westeros are separated by a narrow stretch of sea called the Narrow Sea. Essos is mostly rugged and sandy while Westeros pretty much has everything: forests, deserts, islands, plains, hills etc.

On to the history of Westeros: about 15 years prior to the book's start, the House ruling Westeros was the Targaryens. They had been the rulers for years and years. The king was Aerys Targaryen. People called him the Mad King, because he had a few loose screws, yeah. The Targaryens are a weird family. They prefer to keep their blood pure by marrying their siblings. This incest leads to all Targaryens having unusual silver-colored hair and purple eyes, along with some of the Targaryens being born mentally deranged. That was the case with Aerys and it was getting worse as he aged. His eldest son, Prince Rhaegar became infatuated with Ned Stark's younger sister, Lyanna Stark when he saw her in a tourney (like a tournament). Lyanna was betrothed to Robert Baratheon (Ned and Robert were best friends). Being the entitled asshole Rhaegar was, he kidnapped Lyanna. Lyanna's father and eldest brother Brandon went to King's Landing and challenged Rhaegar. Aerys felt slighted so he ordered them both to be killed on the spot in the most brutal way. This started a rebellion headed by Robert and Ned. The Targaryens were known assholes so many Houses sided with Robert and Ned. Robert and Ned's forces won and Robert got the Iron Throne. Rhaegar was killed in battle. And Aerys was killed by Jaime Lannister, a member of his own Kingsgaurd (7 warriors vowed to protect the king with their life). But when the war ended and Ned finally found Lyanna in a secluded tower in Dorne called the Tower of Joy, she was all alone, lying in a bed soaked with blood. She had a fever and died in Ned's arms. But before dying, she said to Ned "promise me." And he did. Now, we don't know what that promise was or the details of what happened. But when Ned returned to Winterfell (the seat of the Starks) from the war, he had a baby with him. He told everyone the baby was his bastard son. Now, having a bastard isn't really a big deal for highborn lords but for Ned Stark, it was. He was known all over Westeros for his loyalty, truthfulness, honesty and most importantly, his honor. Everyone was shocked. Ned named his son Jon Snow (Snow being the last name bastards are given in the North to remind them of their worthlessness (it's a horrible custom, I know). In Dorne, it's Sand; in the Riverlands, it's Rivers and so on). Ned never said anything to anyone about who Jon's mother was. Not even Jon knows.