A to Z Challenge 2015: A - A Song of Ice and Fire/A Game of Thrones

Happy April 1st, all you amazing A to Z Challangers! Today is the official beginning of the 2015 April A to Z Blogging Challenge, so welcome, welcome one and all!

As I revealed in my theme reveal, I'm switching it up a bit from the themes I have used in the past, and just focusing on great stories.

I like to focus more on visiting new blogs and meeting new bloggers than I do on my own posts, so I'll be keeping mine short and sweet, and just sharing a few details about some of my favorite stories that correspond with the letter of the day. So here we are, today's 2015 April A to Z Blogging Challenge story for the letter A:

A Song of Ice and Fire/A Game of Thrones

Technically, the name of the whole series is A Song of Ice and Fire. A Game of Thrones is the name of the first volume in the series, but Game of Thrones is also the title of the TV adaptation, so I've included it in the title of this post to avoid any confusion.

I love this story, obviously, but these challenge posts are the place to really go off about why, so I'll just include the plot synopsis from Wikipedia:

The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world in which seasons last for years on end. Centuries before the events of the first novel (see backstory), the Seven Kingdoms on the continent Westeros had been united under the Targaryen dynasty. As A Game of Thrones begins, it has been 15 years since the feudal lords led by Robert Baratheon killed the last Targaryen ruler and made Robert king.

The principal story chronicles a power struggle for the Iron Throne of Westeros after King Robert's death in A Game of Thrones. Robert's son Joffrey immediately claims the throne with the support of his mother's family, House Lannister. When Lord Eddard Stark, King Robert's "Hand" (chief advisor) discovers that Joffrey and his siblings are the offspring of incest by siblings Jaime and Cersei Lannister, Eddard is executed for treason and Robert's brothers Stannis and Renly lay separate claims to the throne. Several regions of Westeros attempt self-rule: Eddard Stark's eldest son Robb is proclaimed King in the North, while Balon Greyjoy re-establishes an independent Kingdom in his region, the Iron Islands. This so-called 'War of the Five Kings' is in full progress by the middle of the second book, A Clash of Kings.

The second story takes place on the northern border of Westeros, where an eight-thousand-year-old wall of ice defends Westeros from the Others. The Wall's sentinels, the Sworn Brotherhood of the Night's Watch protect the realm of Westeros (land of the seven kingdoms), whereas the "Free Folk" or "wildlings" are humans living north of the Wall. The Night's Watch story is told primarily through Jon Snow, who is introduced as the bastard son of Eddard Stark,[5] and who joins the Watch, rising quickly through the ranks. In the third volume, A Storm of Swords, this story becomes entangled with the civil war.

The third story is set on an eastern continent named Essos, and follows Daenerys Targaryen, isolated from the others until A Dance with Dragons. On Essos, Daenerys rises from a pauper sold into marriage, to a powerful and intelligent ruler. Her rise is aided by the birth of three dragons from eggs given to her as wedding gifts: used initially as symbols, and later as weapons.

Author: George R.R. Martin

And for the TV Show, here is the summary from IMDB:

Several noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros.

Creators: David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
Stars: Lena Headey, Peter Dinklage, Emilia Clarke

That's it! Hopefully the rest of these won't be so long. Be sure to visit my A to Z Challenge 2015 Assistants: Sylvie from Life from An Optimist's Point of View, and Carrie-Anne Brownian/Ursula Hartlein from Welcome to My Magick Theatre, and then I'm off to visit all the blogs!