Bradley K. Brown

Since it was first published in 1996, A Game of Thrones has been one of my favorite books, and the start to one of my most-anticipated series ever. With each new volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, I find myself excited, and anxious to return to the world of Westeros that author George R.R. Martin has created.

When the HBO series Game of Thrones started in 2011, I found myself interested in re-reading the Ice and Fire saga for two reasons: It had been well over a decade since I'd first read it, and many of the specifics of the story had been lost to me over time; The second, and most importantly is the impending publication of the fifth book in the series, A Dance With Dragons, due out in July. It has been six long years since the last time I delved into the lands of Westeros, so found a refresher necessary.

I've since learned that catching up on the Ice and Fire saga is no simple task. With over 3,000 pages making up the series so far, A Game of Thrones was just a small leap into the series. But alas, I did read Thrones again, and here are my thoughts:

The seat of Winterfell is harsh and cold, with little ornamentation or fanfare. Fortunately, the same can't be said of author George R.R. Martin, who does an amazing job of bringing this fictional world to life. The reader is immediately drawn in, with descriptions of evil tidings taking place beyond the Wall. And what a Wall it is! An ingenious setting, the Wall actually becomes a character in itself, imposing and inhospitable. Martin makes the reader actually feel bad for the men of the Night's Watch, as they have this enormous weight standing over their heads; they surely must feel as if the world stands on their shoulders.

Though the novel is long, it never feels tedious or bogged down. The use of so many viewpoint characters helps to keep readers interested, and the plot flowing along nicely. Indeed, with so many characters, it would typically be difficult to keep up with them all, but Martin miraculously prevents this from happening. Where so many authors fail in introducing new characters, Martin shines brilliantly. The story truly revolves around the four main houses: Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, and Targaryen. Hundreds of other houses are introduced, and play their role, but Martin keeps them in their place, as required, and the novel excels because of it.

Memorable characters, landscapes, and events fill A Game of Thrones from beginning to end, and though this is a series based in a mythical kingdom, in a world where summers last years, and winters a lifetime, there is little that is unbelievable; it's a book about real people, with real ambitions, and political scheming, as those with power vie for even more. So much of history is made up of stories like this that the events in the book are not only believable, but plausible as well.

Upon reading through a second time, I actually found the novel more entertaining that the first read-through (or at least I believe so, the first having been more than a decade ago.)  The story is eminently enjoyable and enthralling, ending with a bang. I can't recommend A Game of Thrones highly enough, and thoroughly look forward to reading through the other books of the series for a second time.

The Martian Tales Trilogy is, as described, actually three books, now combined into a single volume. Comprised of A Princess of Mars, The Gods of Mars, and The Warlord of Mars, all written by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs is responsible for other classics such as Tarzan of the Apes.

Since the books in The Martian Tales Trilogy were published nearly a century ago, there's nothing I could write that most likely hasn't already been said. It is my intention therefore, to put my own thoughts down, for the purpose of this review.

Though written long ago, I was impressed by the language within. Other novels written in older timeframes are often fairly hard to read, since the language often is quite different from modern publications and style. During the course of the novels, the prose does seem to affect some type unusual phrasing, but it's still immensely readable.

The story of John Carter is nothing if impossible, but that doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the story, as it sweeps from pole to pole of Mars, known as Barsoom to its inhabitants. Once you put aside what we currently know about our red neighbor, the story captures the imagination of the reader. When the story was first published, back in 1914, one can only imagine what readers were capable of believing. Very little was known about Mars at that time in history.

Throughout the three novels of the Trilogy, John Carter's heroics are chronicled, as he strives to rescue his Martian wife from the evil clutches of numerous creatures. Written in first-person, from John Carter's view, it does grow a tad tiresome to hear his boasts of swordsmanship and courage, when his story describes no such skills while he's on Earth. Of course, the facts of his magical appearances on Mars, and his seemingly immortal character is also so fantastical that one can only accept it as part of the story.

In all, I thoroughly enjoyed the stories, and was mildly disappointed to reach the end. Certainly, Burroughs could have written much more about the events surrounding John Carter, and continued those marvelous adventures, but alas he did not.

The Martian Tales Trilogy can be described as one of the first science-fiction novels, in a new and upcoming genre of that area. Though I had my doubts about the story before beginning, I quickly cast aside my preconceptions and enjoyed the work.

It's a marvel that this was never turned into a movie or series of films. I highly recommend it for fans of all literature–not just science-fiction. It's more of a fantasy than science-fiction and it does not disappoint.

Whitley Strieber's The Grays is an interesting read from front to back, and never disappoints. In fact, it's hard to know what to expect at any time throughout the novel, as the author provides enough twists and turns to keep readers constantly guessing.

On the surface, The Grays at first appears to be a fairly typical alien-abduction story, but quickly expands to a cataclysmic scale, and the author's imagination provides for some unique ideas, and an interesting climax.

On the whole, The Grays is extremely successful in weaving a complex plot around a fantastic and believable set of characters. From the uber-genius child, to the militant fanatic, to the ailing relationship of the parents, to the unique capabilities of the Grays, the book succeeds on all levels.

The story builds nicely to the climax and resolves pretty much all of the plot elements. It's a book that defies expectations, but does not leave the reader disappointed.

The third book of the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Storm of Swords continues events in Westeros, and holds nothing back. Ned Stark's murder in A Game of Thrones proved that no character is safe, but Swords takes that ideal to the next level, removing no less than six major characters from the story, some in rapid succession, leaving the reader's head spinning.

Not only do deaths abound in A Storm of Swords, but major and surprising events take place at every turn. The book's pace is relatively lazy during the first half of the novel, but once the first of those major deaths mentioned earlier occurs, the second-half of the book turns into a rapid page-turner that leaves no stone unturned.

The story picks up almost immediately after events of A Clash of Kings. With Winterfell burned, one would think that the Starks' could imagine life no more cruel, but they would be wrong, as readers will learn by the end of Swords. It would be easy to spoil events by revealing who lives or dies, but it would ruin the surprise of the story.

The most intriguing portions of Swords have to deal with the politics and betrayal that the reader will mostly likely never see coming. Littlefinger, largely absent, becomes an even more enigmatic player when his role in events is revealed. Clearly, he is a character that has been vastly under-estimated.

Events in Westeros are far more important to the story this time around, and the plight of Daenerys takes a backseat to what's happening on the other side of the Narrow Sea. Still, there are some truly surprising scenes involving Daenerys and her faithful servants, some of which turn out to be less faithful than she'd been led to believe.

With the twists and turns, deaths, and surprising events in A Storm of Swords, it's easily not only the longest of the series, but by far the most superb. Martin has a special skill for storytelling, and for making us care about his characters–and not just the good ones.