This is an intriguing collection of essays, but both the subject matter and the quality of writing are completely all over the place. Stand-out essays were, from my perspective, those by Alyssa Rosenberg, Susan Vaught, and Caroline Spector. I read the book cover to cover, but in general my recommendation would be to check out the essays whose titles interest you and let the rest be.

I have to be honest. I skipped through a few chapters, like the one where they talked about creating the game and that last one about Martin going beyond the genre standards. However, the parts I read... The chapters that examined romanticism, PTSD, etc were excellent and very interesting to me.

To each their own, but this was worth the $1.99 I paid for it.

A great collection of essays that are perfect for a superfan (like me!) of George R. R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire.

I received a free copy of this ebook from Netgalley! (4/3/14)

It's an interesting book indeed. It covers different ways to read and to watch A Song of Ice and Fire. But do not expect to much regarding the depth of analysis.

I was really excited to read this book, because I knew it would validate the geekery I feel about the Song of Ice and Fire books. Beware if you haven't read them all, though. If you're coming from the TV show only, you will encounter lots of spoilers for future events in the series. It's funny to read essays from well-known (in their fields, at least) authors on the subject of a fictional world, when so much of the scientific literature I read (for work, of course) is so grounded in reality. But that's part of the magic of Martin''s work: he makes it real. He created a rich world ripe for discussion, and that's what this book does. Here we have articles on feminism (or the lack of it) in the books, and how Martin portrays characters that would be diagnosed with PTSD in our world. There are also a couple of essays for the uber-nerd (I read them just as voraciously as the others, so no judgement there): how to collect ASOIAF books and how to adapt them to graphic novels. If you've ever found yourself falling down the rabbit hole of ASOIAF-related wikis and forums, you'll enjoy this book. There's so much to speculate on in Martin's works, so this set of essays can only examine so much, but it's a well-researched, in depth set. Geek out and enjoy.

I received this as a digital ARC via Netgalley and the publisher.

READ IN ENGLISH

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I received a free copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!



*Insert Game of Thrones Intro*



WARNING: This book expects you to have actually read the books, if you're following the HBO series, stay clear from this book because you will find spoilers the size of the Wall!



In preparation for the fourth season of Game of Thrones, I thought this book would be very interesting. And as it goes with collections of - in this case - thoughts about certain aspects of A Song of Ice and Fire, some were very interesting, some were not.



I find it somewhat ironic that there is a piece on superstition and how people always want to find a reason why things happen, and at moment when reading this book I felt that people were indeed trying to find reasons for what happens in the books, when sometimes I think they just happen. It's a book after all, things can happen just because the author wanted it. This doesn't naturally mean there is a statement behind it.



I liked the pieces on psychopathy and PTSD best, there was also one on the prices of first editions, I couldn't care less about.



It's not something to read in one go, but if you're looking for an excuse to return to A Song of Ice and Fire, and perhaps want to read about some different aspects, this could be a very enjoyable read.

I have read innumerable accounts on TSOIAF; comparisons, fan fictions, what with free internet and rampant blogging but reading a descriptive analysis by famous authors of the same genre is pure bliss. Why?
Read an account of GRRM's perfect grasp of PTSS or maybe a talk on the inclusion of the exclusive and you would get to know.
I never could tell an academic dissertation apart from plain textbook knowledge but after this book, I think I am a step closer to getting the hang of it.
I am a big fan of the series and with my analytical grasping abilities, the pleasure of being a true fan somehow got lost due to my arrogance. This account brought into light just how much input has been made into creating the series and how the best of its fans perceive it. Truly humbled. I look forward to read some more of such delights.
Till then, ciao!

4 stares for some of the most insightful articles I have read so far about a song of ice and fire, though there are others that were tedious and the book would have been much better without them.

There were some essays in this collection that were somewhat boring or weirdly written (I do not know whether the typos were the author or the publisher's fault), but overall it was an enjoyable read.

I generally like these kinds of books, but this one left me cold and I DNF it right near the end, where one of the contributors managed to write about feminism in ASOIAF and had nothing interesting to say about Sansa. If you're thing is, 'unlike Arya, Sansa is passive and doesn't try to take back her power!!' you are so badly missing the point, that you and the point aren't even on the same planet. Sansa and Arya are two sides of the same coin, that's the whole point. Arya is no more prepared for her experiences post-A Game of Thrones than Sansa and if you missed that, well, maybe you should reread the books and try again.

Also the article about PTSD refers to Theon as 'pathetic', which if you really think that about a trauma survivor you probably shouldn't be writing about PTSD or trauma b/c that's horrifying. (Also an example of somebody Missing the Point in an impressive way. Theon's situation is horrific and unbearable, but at no point does GRRM try to make you think he's "pathetic". He's doing what's required to stay alive.)

Oh and the article that managed to talk about the ways that fantasy fiction has traditionally ignored many marginalised identities and didn't even MENTION race was...interesting. ASOIAF isn't great on race but pretending race isn't something fantasy has a problem with by not mentioning it is...well, like I said, interesting.