A Song of Ice and Fire is a popular series of fantasy books written by George RR Martin that have sold more than 90 million copies around the world. The first in the series, Game of Thrones, gave its name to the hugely successful TV programs that serialized the novels.
The work is often praised as a fine example of the art of storytelling. It has an epic scale, a complex narrative and a broad range of characters that interact with each other. Important characters are killed off, often at surprising and unpredictable moments. But while the story is complex, it is still possible for ordinary readers to follow.
And that raises an interesting puzzle. Given the sheer number of characters — over 2,000 of them — how do readers keep track of them all? And how does the author of this sprawling tale stop it becoming hopelessly complex and confusing?
