Game of thrones Question

Cafe Society
1

I’m reading Game Of Thrones, and not really understanding the season cycle, I’m only halfway through the first book. when they talk about the long summer and winter are they talking about mini Ice ages?

I’m a bit hesitant to google it, because the last time i googled something about the book, I happened on a plot spoiler…

So can someone explain me how the seasons work in Game of thrones?
With out spoiling the plot?

Thanks in advance

2

Their seasons aren’t tied to their year, like ours are. Summer and Winter can both last for multiple years. IIRC, they haven’t seen a Winter for at least seven years (I think the last Winter was before Bran was born). I don’t believe it has been explained how that works, geophysically, in the rest of the series to this point.

I don’t think I twigged to the way the seasons worked until the one conversation that Tyrion has with the captain of the party that’s journeying to the Wall, about how many winters he’s seen. I had to reread that section about four times before I realized what was going on, that there was something weird about the seasons on this world.

3

FWIW don’t bother thinking in terms of orbital mechanics; Westeros is just fantasy land and let it go. It’s just that summer and winter can last several years but no one really can be certain how long the season will be until it starts to turn.

4

I saw someone give up on this book recently, partially because of the unrealism of winters that last for years. She couldn’t get past the question of why people didn’t starve to death.

5

But supernatural Others, giants, zombies and dragons didn’t bother her?

6

Presumably people stockpile food during the years long summers.

7

thanks

8

Since she gave up in the first half of the book, she never really got to any of that stuff. If I remember correctly, once you’re past the prologue there isn’t actually much magic in the story for a long time. It reads a lot like medieval historical fiction. I guess she wanted her world-building to include some economic data - maybe a paragraph about stockpiling would have satisfied her, or at least made her complain about something else.

9

I have a theory that the seasons are the way they are because of an imbalance between Ice and Fire, and that part of the conclusion of the series will include the restoration of a “normal” seasonal structure.

10

Also, I get the impression that capital-W Winter is only an issue in the North. The kingdoms of the South should still have growing seasons and be able to trade foodstuffs to the North.

That would also be an explanation for why Stark lands are about the same area as the rest of Westeros combined, but much more thinly populated.