On a Song of Ice and Fire!

The dark brown furnishings and the dim, dull orange lights adorn the popular hangout for jaunty friends, somnolent students, workaholics, literature freaks, lovers or simply coffee-lovers. I happen to be none of these. Yet I ended up at GJC (Gloria Jean’s Cafe) snuggled up on a comfortable sofa with an aromatic fragrance in head and a book in hand: A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: PART V.

As I flipped through the last few pages, a parallel universe seemed to be coming to an abrupt halt. It had become a part of my living, for the better part of the last one semester. Yes, I have spent countless hours going endlessly through the magnificent series of books by G R R Martin, popularly identified by ‘A GAME OF THRONES’, a TV series based on it. The reading exercise was accompanied by re-living the epic in my head, wowing at the grandiose of the kingdoms and castles, hero-worshipping Tyrion’s witticism, laughing with the Stark victories, brooding over their dead, cursing the dishonest, taking lessons from honourable men, hoping for an end to the Lannisters and praying for triumphs to the Starks. Having spent so much time being a part of this fictional world, I decided to attempt a fair appraisal of the series through a dedicated blog post.

A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE may best be described as violent annals of fight for power and kingdoms, closely replicating historical episodes of times when kings and warriors fought for lands, wealth, power and glory. It is an honest narrative of the struggle for survival, a portrayal of the ‘survival of the fittest’ law, a marker of the unending nature of human lust. It is a sorrowful recital of woes engulfing mankind, of the evil and the way most of it is not repaid in kind.

It draws a close similarity to our contemporary society where “common people pray for rain, healthy children, and a summer that never ends. It is no matter to them if the high lords play their game of thrones, so long as they are left in peace. They never are;” they are blatantly exploited by politicians for their own mean, lustful ends.

Most of all, it is an elegant account of human civilizations and cultures whose imaginative nature does not fail to capture the exquisite character of human relationships. It demonstrates how civilizations flourish, nurture and prosper to bind themselves with common threads of belongingness and patriotism. Every proud patriot can relate to the supporters of ‘King in the North’ and ‘King beyond the Wall’; for it is the common thread of customs and traditions, woes and tragedy, war and blood that binds them together.

The series also has its share of devout sermons, scientifically inexplicable phenomena left to the disposal of one’s beliefs, unbelieving coincidences and unseemly, unacceptable tragedies that leave you feeling lost and helpless.

The most unique feature of the book is the presentation of each chapter from different characters’ perspective, allowing the reader to walk in the shoes of each character for a while. It is little wonder then, that a work so bereft of excessive sentimentalism can make you smile, laugh and weep with its most loveable characters.

The story takes wild turns ever so frequently that the voluminous set of books keep you engaged and enthralled from start till end. While TV fans seem to find these tragic twists most appealing, there seems to be a general dissatisfaction with the level of detailing the episodes are able to accomplish. The books however boast of minutest detail.

The colourful descriptions of glorious houses, their histories and sigils; the due attention paid to formal heraldry, allow the readers to live the grandeur of these times. Detailed accounts of social and religious orders; languages and literature; and the fine detailing of customs and traditions of different cultures chronicling superstitious beliefs and orthodox practices make this parallel universe of men wholesome and realistic. Laws of trade and political systems have been adhered to and exemplified at work. This along with the justice done to every single character be it a non-consequential septon with only his faith for sword and sermons for armour or a warrior introduced just before his doom; clearly attest the tremendous efforts that have gone behind the conceptualization and scripting of the series.

Although the enormity and unrestrictive nature of its scope, its appealing and engaging flow, the perfection with which tragedy, thrill, adventure, philosophy and magic have been combined into one and the magnanimity of diligence suffice to make this heroic series one of best literary works of our times, there is much more in store!

This towering epic is richly ornamented with strength of dialogue manifested by Tyrion’s reply to Jaime’s suggestion that it might be a mercy to kill a cripple, “I beg to differ. Death is so terribly final, while life is full of possibilities,” or when Bran is answered for, “Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?” with “That is the only time a man can be brave;” and philosophical ramblings such as, “A ruler who hides behind paid executioners soon forgets what death is.”

The diverse nature of human society sketched by myriad shades of men—kind-hearted and sadists, honourable and cunning, industrious and witty, strong and feeble, pious and ungodly allows everyone to relate to the book, strongly.

Reading between its lines brings home several important lessons of life. While a popular joke is that none of the characters ever die of natural causes in GoT, the series does highlight that one thing that is deadlier than capricious females, is the fickle-mindedness of life! It may stand strong one moment and decide to turn against you the next. It is best not to tend to it tenderly in hopes of holding it safe but to make good use of it before life slips like sand against a tightly clenched fist.

The series preaches courage and bravery through little Arya Stark; honour and duty through the ‘Grandfather’, Ser Barristan Selmy and Brienne; patience and persistence through timeless longing and struggle for attainment of love, dreams and passions, for success of plots, for vengeance! And it will hopefully end with a strong case for benevolence when Daenerys is paid in kind for her righteousness.

A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE is by far the most beautifully painted web of mankind, its threads running across time and distance to connect the seemingly unconnected dots on the global canvas of space and time. So add this colourful sketch of humanity to your wish-lists and carts at your earliest convenience, because it deserves much more than being stuck with a 9.4 rating on IMDB. It deserves every reader that can reach it! For works like it come along but once in a thousand years!