A Game of Thrones is a knockout, a bullseye, a touchdown, a home run. A gargantuan fantasy saga set in a world where seasons last years, it earns the right to be called an epic by virtue of its sweeping and engrossing story, and the most believable and human cast of characters to populate a fantasy. Sure, it's a bit of a chore to keep track of all of them, but Martin rewards stalwart readers with the kind of story most fantasy writers can only dream of pulling off. Multiple plotlines abound, intrigues pile upon intrigues, and virtually none of it flags or falters despite the book's nearly 900-page length. While many fantasy authors seem to think that all you have to do to write an epic novel is make it really, really long, Martin knows you've gotta fill all those pages with a narrative that keeps your readers glued.
Martin's epic is set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, on a world in which summers can last a decade or more, and winters nearly a century. 
Eddard Stark is lord of the Keep of Winterfell, who finds himself hosting a surprise visit from his old friend and king of all the realm, Robert Baratheon. Eddard aided Robert in an uprising against the ruling Targaryens, and only he seems aware just how dangerous Robert's queen, Cersei Lannister, and indeed the entire Lannister House, really is. Cersei has designs upon the throne for her snot of a son, Joffrey, and will evidently stop at nothing to achieve her ends. King Robert asks Eddard to take the position of King's Hand — sort of like his prime minister — as the previous hand, Jon Arryn, has met with an untimely death. Eddard accepts only out of duty, for his wife Catelyn has told him that her sister, Arryn's widow, is convinced Queen Cersei is behind his poisoning. Robert, though he dislikes his wife, remains blissfully ignorant of the extent of her intrigues.
Eddard's appointment begins under a cloud. One of his youngest sons, Bran, nearly dies in a horrible fall that leaves him paralyzed and comatose, and which we know was no accident. Bran has inadvertently stumbled upon one of Cersei's darkest secrets, and nearly pays with his life. After Eddard is miles away from Winterfell, at court in King's Landing, Bran awakens from his stupor, and though he cannot remember what it was he saw, Catelyn and the eldest Stark son, Robb, are now convinced that the Lannisters are up to absolutely no good. Catelyn hurries off to King's Landing to warn her husband, leaving Robb in charge of Winterfell, a 15-year-old boy suddenly thrust into the position of Lord.
A host of brilliantly drawn characters brings the saga to life. Among the more memorable are Tyrion Lannister, the black sheep of the Lannister clan, stunted by dwarfism. At first the one member of Cersei's family remotely sympathetic to the Starks, he finds himself swept up in the growing turmoil between the two families until all of his skills at conniving must be brought to bear simply to stay alive. Jon Snow, a bastard son of Eddard's, rejected by Catelyn, joins the Night's Watch, a legion whose duty it is to guard an immense wall far to the north, beyond which lies a fearsome supernatural threat to the Seven Kingdoms. And in a fascinating subplot, we meet princess Daenerys Targaryen, one of the last surviving heirs to that unseated regime. Living in exile in a land far across the ocean (the book doesn't even provide a map to it) and having been wedded to a savage but noble warlord, she dreams of returning to her homeland one day and seeing the Targaryen name and its power restored.
Martin has an ability to go for the gut that most of his contemporaries in the fantasy genre simply lack, because they also happen to lack his character development skills. Whether in its bloody and violent battle scenes or in its intimate portrayal of the bonds of family and brotherhood, A Game of Thrones has a raw emotional force that hits you where it counts. Much of the time you do feel you're being manipulated — there are certain characters you simply want to see die in the most agonizing possible way, and occasionally Martin pays off — but it's being done so well you really don't mind.
There is an exhilarating quality to this story that has been absent in fantasy, which has in turns been stultifed by literary pretensions or hamstrung by recursive, self-referential humor, for who knows how long. Martin's tale mostly dispenses with such post-Tolkien clichés as wizards and elves and spells and dark lords, turning its focus to real people and only hinting at supernatural or mystical goings-on behind the scenes. In spite of its length, the tale rarely flags in its pace. Martin's conceit of finishing most of his chapters with a cliffhanger keeps you wired, athough the multicharacter and multiplot nature of the story can make it terribly frustrating when you're presented with a shocking turn of events only to be suddenly thrust into another scene, without being able to get any sort of resolution for another 60 or so pages. But mostly, Martin balances his story well, leaving, in the end, only a few characters' narratives lacking closure — a situation successfully calculated to have you clamoring for the next book.
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
Dazzling in the scope of its legendry and in its heartfelt humanity, A Game of Thrones signals the onset of perhaps the most significant work of fantasy since Bilbo found the One Ring. True, that is a claim that critics and readers have made time and time again about virtually every fantasy saga to see print, but until now, in all honesty, it's been hyperbole. With A Song of Ice and Fire, it may well be true. This is one that will go beyond the status of bestseller into honest-to-goodness classic.
Welcome to Wonderland. A world meticulously crafted by the minds of Forgive Durden, lies, deceit, greed, and lust lay within. The picture of Wonderland is painted with vivid lyrical imagery provided by Forgive Durden in their debut full-length. In one of the most diverse records to come out in recent memory, Forgive Durden brings their own musical style to several different musical genres, including takes on country, tango, and pop. But intertwined into all these styles is a distinctive sound that the band has made for themselves. Showing influences from Gatsby’s American Dream, Wonderland is full of accented off-beats and chromatic progressions, adding another band from Seattle who follows in Gatsby’s tech-rock footsteps. But the comparisons should end there. While listeners may hear similarities in certain chords or guitar stylings, virtually 
every song on Wonderland contains a chorus and Forgive Durden takes their musical exploration far beyond the expected scope.
Wonderland begins with a bang with the quickly paced “Ants” and the now revamped version of “Beware the Jub Jub…” Not only are these two songs full of memorable choruses, but they both provide depictions of corporate greed. “Beware the Jub Jub…” contains a distinctive progressive crawl with a resonating chorus that continues the theme of Wonderland. Lines like “I want to sink my teeth into/skin I can’t see through” are metaphors for real situations, and it starts to become evident that Wonderland is a depiction of our modern day society, painted in a unique limelight by Forgive Durden.
Aside from the fantastic lyrics, the musicianship is exceptional. This first manifestation occurs on “Ear to Ear,” a blast of tech-rock complete with horns, saxophones, a mandolin, and start-stop downbeats, all transitioning into a nice, poppy chorus. The verses are exceptional and completely unpredictable – this song is one of many on Wonderland that takes unexpected turns, and while each song contains a chorus, the timing and overall structure of songs will leave listeners guessing. “Ill Tango Della…” contains verses written in tango style while providing a deep lyrical story. It’s just another example of how clear a picture Forgive Durden paints – the song speeds up while escalating into an emphatic percussion solo to end the song. While there were teaser animations made to promote the release of Wonderland, songs like these have convinced me that Wonderland could easily be the soundtrack to a musical. One can’t help but visualize actual events happening while listening to the music. This quality alone sets the record apart from the pack, and that’s just the beginning.
Wonderland refuses to lose steam after the halfway point, as “The Great Affair is to Move,” marches forward with emphatic downbeats and hand-claps. “For a Dreamer…” is a brilliantly crafted pop song that is instantly contagious, with excellently layered backing vocals in both the verse and chorus. While the song begins with the appearance of pop-rock, Forgive Durden refuses to be predictable as midway through the song a complete transformation occurs. A punching chromatic ascension builds with cries of “Extra! Extra! Read all about it...” Wonderland winds down nicely with the absolutely stunning track “I’ve Got a Witch Mad at Me…” This somber track uses piano and crescendos to build into an emotional chorus once again filled with lyrical imagery. “Cue the Sun” concludes Wonderland with another somber song that sweeps into a grandiose finish to a superb album.
There are very few flaws to Wonderland. It is a tad bit short, as the journey seems like it’s over before it even began. The last two songs are fantastic but are both slow and seem slightly out of place next to each other. That being said, this is a completely different band from their previous work. Thomas’s voice has matured greatly and is smooth and confident, the songwriting is years ahead of their time, and the production is easily Casey Bates’ finest work to date – not overdone, but has enough bells and whistles to help Forgive Durden achieve their story telling.
Wonderland is one of those albums that people will be talking about for years. Forgive Durden is a band, much like Gatsby’s American Dream, that stands out from the scene with their unique approach. Technical, diverse, ambitious, and addicting, Wonderland will make Forgive Durden a buzz band in the community. Buckle up and prepare for quite the journey. Welcome to Wonderland.