This book provides a brief scholarly introduction to  A Game of Thrones , the first volume of George R. R. Martin's ongoing series  A Song of Ice and Fire.  The book examines Martin's novel as a shrewd, genre-literate utilization of commonplaces and imperatives of its genre. Young focuses on various aspects of Martin's worldbuilding, as well as his use of fantasy to manage and utilize narrative tension. The overall polemic thrust of the book will be that Martin's novel displays his ability to manage the inherent tension between literary convention and innovation, producing something that is both an admirable essay in genre and a strong platform for distinctive author.