By Andrea Guzmán
The popular saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, by writer George R.R. Martin, could be considered an authentic masterpiece in terms of sheer volume, to the point where some call him the American Tolkien. Taken jointly, these books represent just about the best the fantasy genre can offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill their pages to transport the reader to a world both surprisingly different and magically relatable to any you could have imagined.
Maybe George R.R. Martin never thought his medieval fantasy books would amount to such success as a television series. Yet, somehow, it happened. Now we not only have an excellent book series, but a TV show deemed one of the best and most successful of the century as well: Game of Thrones.
Next we present a brief outline of each of the five books comprising A Song of Ice and Fire.
1. A Game of Thrones
The first book virtually bears the name of the show itself, A Game of Thrones. It tells us that, a long time ago, a supernatural event destabilized the world's seasons. In a land where summers can last decades and winters entire lifetimes, problems are brewing. Cold is coming, and north of the frozen wastes of Winterfell, dark and sinister forces are gathering beyond the Wall.
Right in the eye of the conflict we find the Starks from Winterfell, a family as tough and inflexible as the land they were born in. Here's a story of lords and ladies, soldiers and wizards, assassins and bastards, who all come together during a time of very dark omens.
2. A Clash of Kings
In the exciting sequel for A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin created a work of vision, power, and imagination. A Clash of Kingstransports us to a world of rivality and vengeance, witchcraft and war like none other. From the ancient citadel of Dragonstone all the way to the forbidding coasts of Winterfell, chaos rules the land. Six factions fights for control of a divided realm and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms.
It is a tale in which brother plots against brother, and the dead rise to walk during the night. Here, a princess disguises herself as an orphan, a knight of the mind prepares poison for a treacherous witch, and wildlings descend from the mountains to strike against the countryside. In a context filled with incest and fratricide, alchemy, and murder, victory can only go to those men and women who possess the strongest iron and the coldest hearts. Because when kings clash, the whole land trembles.
3. A Storm of Swords
Out of the five contenders for power, one is dead while another is disgraced, and yet warring continues as violently as always, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, from House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the awkward ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His bitterest rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and dishonored, victim of the jealous witchcraft that keeps him enslaved.
But young Robb, from House Stark, still rules the North from Riverrun Fortress. He conspired against his despicable Lannister enemies, even as they keep his sister as hostage in King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne itself. Meanwhile, making her way through a continent soiled in blood, there is the exiled queen Daenerys Targaryen, master of the last three dragons. As the future of the land is at stake, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have broken in a veritable storm of swords.
4. A Feast for Crows
After centuries of bitter fighting and fatal attraction, the seven powers struggling for the land have forced each other into an uncomfortable truce.
But, as happens after any climactic battle, it doesn't take long before the survivors, the outlaws, the renegades, and the vultures come back together again, picking the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of future kills. Now, as the crows meet around an ashen feast, new bold storylines and dangerous alliances are being forged in the Seven Kingdoms, while surprising faces—some familiar, some new—emerge from the shadows of battles past to face the challenges of the future.
5. A Dance With Dragons
In the fifth book of A Song of Ice and Fire, following a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once more, with new threats emerging from all directions. In the East, Daenerys, the last of House Targaryen, governs with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death.
In the North stands Jon Snow, the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, and he is facing his biggest challenge yet—as he has powerful enemies not only within The Watch, but beyond, deep in the land of ice creatures.
The final book in the series, the one to conclude the whole storyline, is not yet available. However, HBO's Game of Throneswill air its eight and final seasonahead of the book's release, paving the way for George R.R. Martin to finish A Song of Ice and Firewhen the time is right.
Translated by Oliver G. Alvar
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