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An American writer George R. R. Martin has created a fantasy saga that is going to consist of seven parts, according to the plan. The five books have appeared on the publishing market: ‘A Game of Thrones’, ‘A Clash of Kings’, ‘A Storm of Swords’, ‘A Feast for Crows’ and ‘A Dance with Dragons’. ‘The Winds of Winter’ and ‘A Dream of Spring’ are the last two titles which are still being written.
The novel’s place of action is Westeros, a fictional continent. The Seven Kingdoms are powerful united monarchies, functioning within that territory. For three centuries, they had stayed under the rule of Targaryen family. The plot begins during the reign of the next dynasty. Its progenitor was Robert Baratheon. When the man was young, he commanded the rebellion. This event led to death of Aerys II, the last king of Targaryen dynasty. His descendants, prince Viserys and princess Daenerys, were banished to another continent, Essos. They desire to return to their family kingdom and take back the authority.
Although the fall of the Targaryens is the plot’s basis, the whole saga consists of many important elements. While Viserys and his sister are striving to achieve their goals, the Seven Kingdoms divide. The rulers have their own influence zones, announcing claims to the throne. Every chapter presents different point of view, of a different character.
The first volume was published in 1996. The author received many rewards for his first works. His next books have been higly valued, as well. In 1998 ‘A Game of Thrones’ appeared in Poland. It was published by Zysk i S-ka publishing house; translated by Michał Jakuszewski and Paweł Kruk.
‘A Storm of Winter’, ‘A Feast for Crows’ and ‘A Dance with Dragons’ were all divided into two parts, because of the story’s length. George R. R. Martin wrote also short stories based on the plot of ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. Their titles are: ‘Blood of the Dragon’, ‘Path of the Dragon’, ‘Arms of the Kraken’. Already in 1980, a book ‘The Ice Dragon’ was published. It was written especially for younger readers. Some literary critics consider it to be a part of the universum.
Westeros is different from the world known to people. First of all, it is a fictional place. The continent reminds about the Medieval reality. There are Barbarian peoples, famines, epidemics. Every legend might be the truth in the Seven Kingdoms. Everybody has heard about dragons. They exist in ‘A Game of Thrones’, being the Targaryens’ main strength. Some people might have supernatural abilities or visions of the future. Even seasons are different from the Earth climate.
‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ universum was the base for ‘Game of Thrones’ series. The first season was released the April of 2011. The places of production were mainly Northern Ireland and Malta. The Seven Kingdoms are also places of action in many computer games. ‘Game of Thrones: Winter Is Coming’ (a production for browsers) belongs to them, just like ‘Game of Thrones – A Telltale Game Series’ (a role-playing game).
Popularity of the series is still exceeding all the expectations. It was an inspiration for creating a card game, comic book, board games and even a cookbook, titled ‘A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook’.
Readers are able to identify themselves with the characters presented in ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’. People always feel the same emotions, no matter in what era they live. They have determination during the fight for power. The series shows what such a person is able to do, achieving goals. A lot of people desire to provide decent living conditions for themselves and their families. Others struggle with lonelyness or unrequired love.
Westeros is a world where the border between good and evil disappears. A good decision usually is not obvious, or even does not exist. There is a possibility that all the people sometimes are in such situations. A reader is able to find out how the Seven Kingdoms’ inhabitants deal with this kind of problems.
Text and English Translation: Natalia Chojnowska
Polish version here.
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