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Listen here to The Game of Thrones audiobook for free. It is the debut fantasy novel from the audiobook series A Song of Ice and Fire that tells the unfolding story of a medieval realm through political intrigue, power, and war. It’s dark and gritty, but high fantasy.
The man behind the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire upon which the Emmy Award-winning HBO television show Game of Thrones is based is the accomplished George R R Martin. The publisher of A Game of Thrones audiobook is Random House Audio Group, a division of Random House Inc.
The master of contemporary fantasy originally conceptualized A Song of Ice and Fire as a trilogy, but it’s currently slated to comprise 7 novels with 5 volumes already published.
The epic series includes A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. The other 2 books set to conclude the series are The Winds of Winter and The Dream of Spring.
Here’s everything you need to know about A game of Thrones audiobook.
Table of Contents
About the author George R R Martin
George Raymond Richard Martin (GRRM) is a best-selling American novelist, screenwriter, and television producer. GRRM has a great body of work that predates A song of Ice and Fire, including teleplays and screenplays that have never been produced
His writing career has spanned several genres. But it’s specializing in science fiction that made George R R Martin a success. Martin was already a successful fantasy and sci-fi author and TV writer before the A Song of Ice and Fire book series, which shot him to international fame.
His readership was relatively small and he was growing frustrated over TV production limitations and other screen-related things. This pushed GRRM back towards books where he did not have to worry about compromising the size of his imagination.
The author is renowned for his prowess and manipulation of readers in almost all his books. Critic reviews mention that his work features complex storylines, and fascinating characters with elements of tragic heroes and antiheroes in them.
GRRM’s first novel, Dying of the Light, set the tone for some of his future work. It occurs in a mostly abandoned and almost uninhabitable world with sprawling unhappy characters holding on to idealistic standards in an otherwise chaotic and ruthless world.
Battling with their own self-seeking or violent actions takes them down a dangerous yet enthralling path and is part of the reasons A Game of Thrones audiobook has become a cultural phenomenon. For a typical reader, escapism is the other reason.
The fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire receives praise for its diverse portrayal of complex women characters, religion, and realism. Even when the story is told from a character’s subjective point of view, A Song of Ice and Fire’s morally ambiguous world doesn’t guarantee their survival or win.
George R R Martin has won numerous befitting awards in the science fiction and fantasy genres together with honors, such as the Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. The novel version of the A Game of Thrones audiobook has sold millions of copies worldwide and won awards such as the Nebula Award, Locus Award, and world fantasy award, and gotten rave reviews across the globe.
The great stories of Book 1
As the title of the novel suggests, the story features a “game of thrones.” This audiobook series unfolds in the fictional world of Westeros (the main continent) and Essos (another mysterious continent to the east). Here, the lives of characters that live in each kingdom are interlinked with one another.
Years before the novel’s events, the Kingdoms of Westeros were united under the ruling Targaryen dynasty for 300 years. Aegon I Targaryen was the 1st Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and King of the Iron Throne. Aerys II Targaryen was the 17th and last member of the Targaryen dynasty to sit on the Iron Throne. He was killed and overthrown in a civil war by Lord Robert Baratheon, who was proclaimed King.
This sets up the audiobook nicely for the beginning of the captivating and richly imagined story where15 years have passed since Robert’s rebellion, and the political center no longer holds. Three main parts of the stories interweave as Martin recounts events from various points of view, including the plotlines of Westeros’ noble houses, the Wall, and the Targaryens.
In the Seven Kingdoms, the epic tale chronicles a dynastic war among Westeros’ great Houses for its control. Following the mysterious death of his senior adviser Lord Jon Arryn, King Robert Baratheon turns his eyes North to his close friend and now Lord of The North, Eddard Ned Stark, to replace Arryn as Hand of the King.
Following Robert’s death, his heir apparent 13-year-old tyrant Joffrey is proclaimed King through a scheme by his mother, Queen Cersei Lannister.
When Lord Eddard Stark catches wind of the plot plus the fact that Joffrey is the product of incest between Cersei and her twin brother Sir Jaime Lannister, he attempts to unseat Joffrey as leader of the kingdom, leading to his arrest. During the power struggle, 2 of the Kingdoms attempted to gain independence from the Iron Throne.
The House of Stark warns that winter is coming. When Ned is executed for treason, this sparks war that leads to the North’s independence, where Ned’s eldest son Robb is proclaimed “King in the North.”
The rising threat of the supernatural others increases to the far north of Westeros. The account is told from Jon Snow’s point of view. Snow is Eddard Stark’s “bastard son” who joins the Watch at a tender age. The Night’s Watch is a sworn brotherhood of men who patrol “the Wall” that shields the Seven Kingdoms from the northern wilderness.
Joining the Watch is still considered an honor because any man can rise through the ranks regardless of criminal past or illegitimacy. As Jon rises through the ranks, he learns of his father’s execution. His attempt to join Robb against the Lannisters doesn’t bear fruit as he’s persuaded to remain loyal to the Watch.
The book takes us across the narrow sea to the east on the continent of Essos lives the exiled daughter of the deposed King Aerys II Targaryen. Her brother, Prince Viserys, schemes to reclaim the throne of Westeros at the expense of his innocent sister Daenerys by marrying her off to a powerful warlord of the nomadic Dothraki. Daenerys is initially timid and obedient, but she slowly gathers confidence and followers, establishes dominance, and becomes a formidable conqueror and ruler.
Her rise to power is made possible with her weapons of war, the three dragons she was gifted. Her ambitions clash with many people, but she has to do what she can to make the Dothraki army swear allegiance to her.
In A Game of Thrones audiobook, nothing is sacred and no one is safe.
Who narrates Game of Thrones audiobooks?
This masterpiece is a relentless binge of compelling narration. The Late Roy Dotrice takes us through an intense reading for 33 hours and 46 minutes of this audio to show how the character’s worlds intertwine in fascinating storylines, revealing human nature as it is rather than what we’d like it to be.
The ever-impressive actor and narrator are famed for his portrayal of John Aubrey in the record-breaking solo performance of Brief Lives. Roy Dotrice provided the incredible voice narration for all 5 audiobooks currently in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.
He currently holds the Guinness World Record for the most characters (224) voiced in a single audiobook by an individual. Roy Dotrice also played a guest star role in its hit series aired and produced by HBO.
The narrator’s unparalleled performance lends voice to each fully dimensional character in the Game of Thrones audiobook. Fans of the fantasy genre will enjoy listening to the narrator and the audiobook deep into the late-night hours.
Are the Game of Thrones audiobooks good?
Once you’ve listened to the unfolding drama of A game of Thrones audiobook, you’ll definitely yearn for more. To listen to the Game of Thrones audiobook free, you’ll need to purchase it from the Audible website at $0 and access it on your desktop or mobile device before you can begin listening.
Set up your Audible account using the same email you use for Amazon, search for the book you want, add it to the cart, and complete the checkout process. The other audiobooks from the series, which are just as good, are all available online.