The first book in George R.R. Martin’s epic A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series, A Game of Thrones, was first published in 1996, and in those twenty-plus years, it has become iconic, especially with the recent television series airing on HBO since 2011. If you’re wondering what all the hype is about (or you’re just ready to jump on the bandwagon since Season 7 has just begun), the Aurora Public Library District is here to help you get started!
A Game of Thrones follows three different storylines simultaneously, introducing numerous important characters and plots in which families fight for control over the Iron Throne. In the first book, we are introduced to the Stark and Lannister families, Jon Snow, Prince Joffrey, Princess Daenerys, and more; each character has his or her own agenda. Families are split apart, alliances are made, and characters are forced to make decisions that test their characters. And hanging over all the plots and subplots is the fact that winter is coming with no end in sight. The series is filled with high fantasy scenes with dragons and magic, vivid descriptions of guts and gore, and human characters who fall into a category of grayness in which even the villains are not entirely evil.
The Aurora Public Library District owns the first five books in the series both as physical copies and as digital copies on the Indiana Digital Download Center. We also have the audiobook versions of the series, but it can definitely get confusing to listen to and keep track of all the different characters.
The television series is said to be fairly faithful to the books, although the timelines of certain plot points are a little off. The Aurora Public Library District owns Seasons 1-6 housed at the Aurora Public Library that you can check out for one week. DVDs cannot be renewed, but you can bring the DVD back into a branch to check back out to yourself. If you are a Dillsboro patron, you can also request that the DVDs to be sent to the Dillsboro Public Library for you to pick up at your convenience.
Happy Reading (and Watching)!
