Why you should read A Song of Ice and Fire

Welcome back to the final installation of “A Blog of Ice and Fire!” Today I want to summarize all of the things that I have talked about over the past weeks and make my final case for why you should pick up these books. Obviously I won’t be able to examine every single aspect of the series, so if you’re wondering about something that I haven’t/ didn’t mention, feel free to ask questions! So here are my top reasons why you should read A Song of Ice and Fire:

 

1. World Building 

As I’ve shown in the past, George R.R. Martin created a vast and complex world to set his story in. Personally, I love this because it gives me another reason to be invested in the books: in addition to wanting to know more about the characters and the plot, I also want to know more about the setting. To me, a new, vast world enhances my reading experience, so if you’re like me in that regard, then this series is perfect. 

 

1. The politics, drama, and action 

Or, in other words, the plot. However, I feel like just calling the storylines in the series “the plot” implies that the story follows a cookie cutter kind of way of developing (like rising action, climax, falling action, denouement). Instead, stories just develop, and they don’t follow any set way of developing. Furthermore, I think a plot implies that there’s an ultimate goal for characters to achieve. I’m not sure that’s the case here. Some characters have clear goals that they’re trying to attain. Others just live their lives, and events unfold around them, which I find to be equally interesting. So if you want a story that will draw you in (but maybe doesn’t have a definitive end point), then pick up these books. 

 

1. The parallels to real life

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about the ambiguity and the violence and the religions and other stuff contained within the world of A Song of Ice and Fire. One thing that’s clear is that all of these aspects mirror what real life is like. So even though it’s a fantasy series, it’s still pretty easy to suspend your disbelief and immerse yourself within the world. Furthermore, this allows for the books to make legitimate commentary about the world around us. It can make you stop and think, which I always feel is a characteristic indicative of quality literature. 

 

1. Dragons!

Need I say more? 

 

1. The writing 

Obviously, a book is only as good as it’s author. And I will concede that there are times where the writing slows down and drags on for a bit. Nevertheless, the writing in this series is outstanding. When you combine well thought out plots, fascinating characters and their developments, and insightful details, you have not only an entertaining and engaging book, but also a quality one. Martin’s writing only enhances the premise of the series.

 

Of course, to show that I am an objective critic, I will highlight a drawback to reading the books: the series isn’t finished! Martin is currently working on the 6th book, but there’s also plans for a 7th book that hasn’t been started. So in all seriousness, if you need to read something with some sort of resolution, these books may not be for you, especially if you’re impatient (like myself). Nonetheless, I’d like to thank you all for reading this blog post and my past posts. I hope they provided some insight, and I hope they inspire you to pick up these books. Thank you!