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A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin – Discussion Questions 1. What was your first impression of the Others? Did they scare you? 2. Which character(s) do you find most compelling? Admirable? Repulsive? Did you have a favorite? Why? 3. You get a sense of the Starks’ opinion of the Lannisters before any Lannisters themselves appear in the book. What are your own first impressions of Cersei, her brothers, and her children when they finally arrive to the story? 4. Cersei’s first lines, not even directly quoted, are “the dead would wait.” For those who have seen the TV series, do you think this is foreshadowing? 5. Many of the women in the novel are objectified, with many of the men considering a woman’s greatest asset to be her ability to forge alliances and raise armies through marriage and childbearing. However, do you think the female leads—particularly Catelyn, Daenerys, Arya, Sansa, and Cersei—are vulnerable or weak? How would you describe these characters? 6. Eddard is portrayed as perhaps the most honorable character in the book, and yet his fate is one of the cruelest. Do you think Ned was foolish to be so honorable? 7. “Winter is coming,” the words of House Stark, are often uttered ominously. What meaning does this saying have throughout the novel? What omens do you feel like they portend? 8. Is Catelyn’s coldness toward Jon justified or understandable? She “love[s] her husband with all her heart,” but cannot “[find] it in her to love Jon.” Jon had no choice in the matter of his conception and birth, so why does Catelyn direct such animosity toward him? 9. “The south is a nest of adders I would do better to avoid,” and “My father went south once, to answer the summons of a king. He never came home again,” Ned says in the book’s first chapters. Do you think Ned should have trusted his instincts and remained in the north? 10. What did you make of Bran’s discovery in the broken tower? What of the consequences of this discovery? 11. Mycah and Lady are the victims of what should have been a simple spat among children. How did these scenes affect you and your views of the characters involved? 12. When Bran finally wakes, his first words are to name his direwolf Summer. Why do you think he chose this name? 13. When Littlefinger tells Catelyn that the dagger meant to kill Bran belonged to Tyrion, were you surprised? Not long after, Jon Snow and Tyrion are shaking hands on the Wall, calling each other “friend.” 14. “Let them see that their words can cut you, and you’ll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, and make it your own,” Tyrion tells Jon Snow. How does Jon make “Lord Snow” his own? 15. In what ways do Dany and Jon’s personal journeys (becoming a true khaleesi, becoming a man of the Night’s Watch, respectively) mirror one another? 16. Littlefinger tells Eddard that “distrusting [him] was the wisest thing [Eddard had] done since [he] climbed down off [his] horse.” Do you trust Lord Baelish? 17. Why do you think the Hound revealed the origins of his deformity to Sansa? He threatens to kill her should she repeat it, so why tell her, of all people, in the first place? 18. Whose story about the dagger do you believe: Littlefinger’s or Tyrion’s? Or are you reluctant to believe either? 19. King Robert wants Daenerys and her unborn child killed to save Westeros from another war and countless future deaths; Ned does not, as she is but a child herself who poses little threat of crossing the Narrow Sea. Whose side do you take in the argument? 20. Were you surprised to learn that the father of Cersei’s three children is Jaime? 21. Should Ned have told Robert the truth of Cersei’s children before the king died? Did he do the right thing in withholding the information? 22. Ned refuses to seize Cersei’s children, per Lord Renly’s advice. He refuses to heed Littlefinger’s advice to install Joffrey as king and Cersei’s advice to bend the knee and return home. Is Ned’s honor getting in the way of common sense, or do you agree with his decisions? 23. Did Littlefinger’s betrayal of Ned surprise you? Or had you, unlike Ned, heeded Littlefinger’s counsel not to trust him? 24. Do you blame Sansa for doing as Cersei bid and writing letters to her family proclaiming Ned’s treason? 25. Varys is an enigmatic and oft distrusted character. Do you distrust him? He claims he only serves the realm and peace. Do you believe him? 26. Varys asks Eddard, “Why is it always the innocents who suffer most, when you high lords play your game of thrones?” Can you answer his question? 27. Dany would do anything to save Drogo. Was allowing Mirri Maz Duur to perform her bloodmagic worth the price? 28. Were you surprised by Eddard’s demise? 29. In Sansa’s last chapter, she thinks, In life, the monsters win. How has Sansa changed over the course of the book? Do you agree with this sentiment? 30. Do you see Sandor Clegane as a sympathetic character? 31. In the game of thrones, there are many reviling characters. Who reviles you most? 32. Joffrey takes Sansa to see her father’s head mounted on a spike. As they’re walking, she has the opportunity to push him from the walkway to his death, but the moment passes, and she takes no action. There are many opportunities like this in the book, split-second decisions that can change the course of history: Catelyn taking Tyrion, Jaime pushing Bran from a tower window, Eddard refusing Lord Renly’s assistance. Did you notice any other moments like this? What affect did they have on you? 33. Dreams feature prominently in the books. The Stark children—not just Bran—have vision-like dreams, as does Daenerys. What role do these dreams play in the book? 34. Mirri Maz Duur’s magic only saves the shell of Khal Drogo, at great cost to Daenerys. Dany, betrayed, says that she expected more from the bloodmage for saving her life. Do you think Dany truly saved Mirri’s life? Or is the bloodmage correct when she scoffs, “Look to your khal and see what life is worth, when all the rest is gone”? 35. “Is it so far from madness to wisdom?” Dany asks. For those who have seen the TV series, what does this question portend? 36. List of characters with points of view chapters: Arya Bran Catelyn Daenerys Eddard Jon Sansa Tyrion Why do you think George R.R. Martin chose to highlight these characters over any of the others? Is there a character whose POV you wish he had written? .

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