chaseasimon's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in looking both behind the curtain and at a larger picture.
psylencing's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is a very jam-packed book, you can’t stop paying attention for a moment because every single sentence is full of much-needed facts to understand the next. I wouldn’t plan on binge reading this volume, if that’s your intent. I found that an hour a day (for about a week and a half) was a pretty steady pace in order to comprehend but remain efficient.
If you’re only interested in Westeros, the second half of the book is unnecessary info. But wow! That second half is stunning. GRRM put so much thought into this universe, it makes me realize that Game of Thrones only scratched the surface. This is fantasy at its richest and most complex.
Even though information about the far east is reserved for the last 20 pages or so, that part was my favorite. Asshai-by-the-Shadow is a more dark and sinister place than I ever knew, and it only makes me more intrigued to learn about Melisandre in The Winds of Winter / A Dream of Spring. I do home GRRM finishes the main series and has time to visit these far off and mysteries places in novellas and chronicles.
For the reader looking to be an expert on ASOIAF, this book is an absolute must-read. I also highly recommend pairing the print book with the audiobook, it gives the reading a lecture-like feel when you follow along with the narrator. I also found it helped me comprehend better and stay focused.
Overall, this is a diverse fantasy volume loaded with information and world-building that is truly unique in its complexity, creativity, and intellect.
If you’re only interested in Westeros, the second half of the book is unnecessary info. But wow! That second half is stunning. GRRM put so much thought into this universe, it makes me realize that Game of Thrones only scratched the surface. This is fantasy at its richest and most complex.
Even though information about the far east is reserved for the last 20 pages or so, that part was my favorite. Asshai-by-the-Shadow is a more dark and sinister place than I ever knew, and it only makes me more intrigued to learn about Melisandre in The Winds of Winter / A Dream of Spring. I do home GRRM finishes the main series and has time to visit these far off and mysteries places in novellas and chronicles.
For the reader looking to be an expert on ASOIAF, this book is an absolute must-read. I also highly recommend pairing the print book with the audiobook, it gives the reading a lecture-like feel when you follow along with the narrator. I also found it helped me comprehend better and stay focused.
Overall, this is a diverse fantasy volume loaded with information and world-building that is truly unique in its complexity, creativity, and intellect.
tirnom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Will forever be in awe of grrm's vast imagination.
The prose wasn't anything close to extraordinary, the narrative is written from a mostly detached point.
All in all, it was an illuminating read!
The prose wasn't anything close to extraordinary, the narrative is written from a mostly detached point.
All in all, it was an illuminating read!
lary_s's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
hyunjin's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
fuck all the targaryens
vishnu_r1's review against another edition
3.0
This works best as a coffee table book, which one looks at for all the beautiful illustrations, but doesn't really take seriously as a must-read book. I knew what I was getting into when starting this book - look at all the beautiful illustrations, and skim over the general history presented here. But it still didn't stop me from being a little disappointed with page over page of A killed B and C, D plotted against E, etc.
3 starts mostly for the illustrations.
3 starts mostly for the illustrations.
sarkiste's review against another edition
5.0
Definrivno jedna od mojih najdražih knjiga ikada. Isoreija Vesterosa mi je interesantnija nego istorija našeg sveta da budem iskrena. Sa tim u vezi smatram da ukoliko nista veliki fan serijala, već prosto samo volite knjige ova knjiga vam ne treba i nije nužna za razumevanje knjiga. Za prave fanove seirijala ovo je knjiga koju morate da imate i da volite :)
thearbiter89's review against another edition
4.0
Not all that much to say about this one, as its appeal is strictly limited to ASOIAF fans who obsess over the little details of the world that Martin has created (I'm one myself, on occasion). This is strictly a book-only companion; HBO show-watchers should not buy this with the expectation that it serves as 'canon' to the TV series.
The book, which is broadly guided by GRRM but is actually written by two longtime fans, Ello Garcia and Linda Antonsson, is essentially a chronicle of the history of Westeros from the Dawn Age to the "present" day of the books. It is written from an in-universe perspective, as a tome written by Maester Yandel and presented to King Tommen I, with an inscription at the frontispiece wishing his realm "thousandfold prosperity" (heh). Apart from that, the book also explores the lands beyond Westeros; Essos, Sothoryos and even exotic locales that are never mentioned in the books themelves, with such fanciful names as "the City of Winged Men" and "the Plains of the Jhogos Nhal", where nomadic warriors ride zorses and reave the surrounding cities.
There are a couple of great things about this book. First are its many beautiful illustrations, specially commissioned for this book. They just about make the book worth its sticker price (about SGD 40). The book itself is also quite well-done, with the cover page suggesting a leather or hide-bound texture, befitting its in-universe nature. It makes a good coffee table book, but with actually interesting information (to me, at least), within its pages.
The second great thing is how it really deepens and lends texture to the world of GRRM. The book essentially introduces a world vastly older, creepier and more mysterious than the main books suggest. It is littered with mysterious hints of long vanished civilizations that predate humanity, that left monuments littered all over the world "made of black, oily stone". Whispered legends tell of isolated tribes who worship bloodthirsty subterranean gods and fish-people who live in underwater palaces. The book is not intended to answer questions, but to generate them, with the fanciful descriptions being symptomatic of the Maesters' limited knowledge of what exists beyond the horizon. In addition, the book also incorporates hints that are germane to the plot going forward. It's led to a great deal of theorizing on fan forums, revitalizing a fanbase that, while waiting on the sixth book, has long been running endless, tiresome circles over the same old fan theories over and over again. And that's a relief.
I give this tome: 4 out of 5 Seastone Chairs
+ Great illustrations
+ Lends texture and historical depth to the world
+ Revitalizes fanbase
- I wish there were more illustrations of exotic locales
- Lack of maps. There's a Lands of Ice and Fire collection of maps, but I thought more maps, especially of Essos, could have been included
- Some of the material can get repetitive, especially the endless chronicles of battles, betrayals and kings in the Westeros history section.
The book, which is broadly guided by GRRM but is actually written by two longtime fans, Ello Garcia and Linda Antonsson, is essentially a chronicle of the history of Westeros from the Dawn Age to the "present" day of the books. It is written from an in-universe perspective, as a tome written by Maester Yandel and presented to King Tommen I, with an inscription at the frontispiece wishing his realm "thousandfold prosperity" (heh). Apart from that, the book also explores the lands beyond Westeros; Essos, Sothoryos and even exotic locales that are never mentioned in the books themelves, with such fanciful names as "the City of Winged Men" and "the Plains of the Jhogos Nhal", where nomadic warriors ride zorses and reave the surrounding cities.
There are a couple of great things about this book. First are its many beautiful illustrations, specially commissioned for this book. They just about make the book worth its sticker price (about SGD 40). The book itself is also quite well-done, with the cover page suggesting a leather or hide-bound texture, befitting its in-universe nature. It makes a good coffee table book, but with actually interesting information (to me, at least), within its pages.
The second great thing is how it really deepens and lends texture to the world of GRRM. The book essentially introduces a world vastly older, creepier and more mysterious than the main books suggest. It is littered with mysterious hints of long vanished civilizations that predate humanity, that left monuments littered all over the world "made of black, oily stone". Whispered legends tell of isolated tribes who worship bloodthirsty subterranean gods and fish-people who live in underwater palaces. The book is not intended to answer questions, but to generate them, with the fanciful descriptions being symptomatic of the Maesters' limited knowledge of what exists beyond the horizon. In addition, the book also incorporates hints that are germane to the plot going forward. It's led to a great deal of theorizing on fan forums, revitalizing a fanbase that, while waiting on the sixth book, has long been running endless, tiresome circles over the same old fan theories over and over again. And that's a relief.
I give this tome: 4 out of 5 Seastone Chairs
+ Great illustrations
+ Lends texture and historical depth to the world
+ Revitalizes fanbase
- I wish there were more illustrations of exotic locales
- Lack of maps. There's a Lands of Ice and Fire collection of maps, but I thought more maps, especially of Essos, could have been included
- Some of the material can get repetitive, especially the endless chronicles of battles, betrayals and kings in the Westeros history section.
corily14's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5