News Archive

Good Reads

Books we're reading at the station and recommend to you.When we're not on-the-air or at our desks, we like to pick up good books. Most of us here at the station are, in fact, avid readers. In the style of NPR's "What We're Reading" (an excellent weekly guide) we, too, decided to share what we've been reading. Here's a list of books recently read by WKMS staff members, student workers and volunteers.Interested in a book on our list? Follow the Amazon link beneath the picture. A small percentage of your purchase of anything on Amazon through this link goes right to WKMS at no additional cost to you!

Good Read: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

WKMS | By Tracy Ross

Published June 27, 2012 at 12:14 PM CDT

Product Description:

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Tracy Ross says:

In 2005 Time magazine famously called George R.R. Martin “the American Tolkien” based on his A Song of Ice and Fire series. After one reads A Game of Thrones, it’s clear that Martin deserves at least that much praise. Tolkien’s chief talent as a writer was his ability to build worlds. Martin shares Tolkien’s talent for creating an expansive world that his readers can and will get lost in. However, whereas Tolkien’s characters were quite clearly good or evil, Martin’s occupy the rather large grey area that exists between the two extremes. As you read this book, you’ll be transported to the world of Westeros, where the seasons last years rather than months, and powerful families wrestle for control of a great iron throne made from the melted swords of the conquered enemies of a long-dead king. Martin does not treat his characters well. There’s plenty of incest, rape, betrayal and murder to be found in Westeros, but also a surprising amount of honor, courage and duty. In short, the characters in A Game of Thrones talk and act like real human beings. Characters commit horrible acts out of self-interest and self-preservation rather than to fulfill some grand evil plot. Finally, don’t assume that your favorite characters will be around at the end of this series. Martin has consistently shown the willingness to kill any character at any time if it advances the greater story. And what a story it is; once you start reading A Game of Thrones, your biggest challenge will be putting it down long enough to work and sleep.

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