A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Whether they like it or not, everybody knows what a fairytale is. A story with a good guy, a bad guy, and a problem. The good guy has to solve the problem and defeat the bad guy - or, conversely, defeat the bad guy in order to solve the problem. The ending is always sickeningly good - the good guy saves the day and invariably manages to get the girl, hence the literary term "a fairy-tale ending."

Unfortunately for all those good guys out there, life is not a fairy tale, and neither is A Game of Thrones by contemporary fantasy master George R. R. Martin. The unnerving realism of Martin's Thrones is the key to this novel, offsetting it from other fantasy epics: rather than a straightforward adventure or quest, the novel follows instead the escapades of three families during a period of political unrest, just before and just after the death of the middleaged king.

The majority of the plot revolves around a few central characters, though my personal favorites are Jon Snow and Daenerys Tarragon.

Jon Snow is the bastard son of one of the main characters, who was brought up in his father's household along with the legitimate children. Though he has the strengths and complexities of a leading character, he is described as homely bordering on ugly. Despite his less-than-heavenly looks and his status as illegitimate, though, Jon is tough as nails and more determined than any other common-born young men, even the legitimate ones. Raised as one of his father's sons, he is actually even a little spoiled - a fact thrown into his face by his commander, who forces him to grow up a little.

Another character I love, Daenerys Tarragon, is another character whose coming-of-age also figures prominently in Thrones. She begins the novel as a cowed young girl who is beaten, ridiculed, and likewise abused by her older brother, who "sells" her into marrying the chief of a nomad clan. The novel becomes slightly graphic while describing Dany's relationship with her husband, but it serves to highlight the difference between her gentle and loving husband, a courageous leader, and her cowardly puke of a brother. Eventually, her husband gives her a confidence all her own, creating in her the "dragon queen" that she was meant to become.

A Game of Thrones is at once a book about politics and a book about human nature, well-crafted by its artist to hone each detail of life in the Seven Kingdoms. Readers will find themselves immersed in the realistic middle-ages lives of the characters, living and dying in a natural pattern that spares none for goodness or nobility.

Critic's Conclusion: Readers of high fantasy will love Martin's modern classic. However, this novel is not for the young or for the casual reader, and those looking for a fairy-tale ending are sure to find themselves disappointed.