Latest Read: A Game of Thrones

Here are the basics ...
Book: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice, #1)
Author: George R. R. Martin
Website: http://www.georgerrmartin.com/
Category: Fiction - Fantasy




My thoughts ...
Short summary: In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing.  At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.  (taken from Amazon)

The good: I swear I didn't just copy & paste the summary because I was lazy.  I just didn't know how to summary this book into a few sentences because there is just SO much.  So many characters, mythology, elaborate details.  It's a very dense book and there's a lot to take in.  Usually when I like a book, I speed through it wanting to read that last page as soon as possible.  But with this, I found myself taking my time and just taking it all in.  The book has eight different point of views (yes, eight!) and there are three main plots going on (which should give you a sense of how rich the story is).  But I'll be honest, I only really liked five POVs - Arya, Daenerys, Eddard, Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister.  

The bad: Probably just the POVs I didn't like.  But that's not necessarily a bad thing because I don't think we're supposed to like these characters anyway.  At least I don't think we're supposed to! I will forewarn you that one of the daughters in the book (Sansa) is pretty dumb and I disliked her chapters the most.  

Do I recommend?:  Yes I do! And if you've already watched the show, I wouldn't let that discourage you from reading the books. I watched the entire first season before reading this and if anything, having watched beforehand helped me to keep track of all the characters & details.   I also have a whole new appreciation for the show because they were so faithful to the book (not to mention the actors they cast - perfect!). 

Happy reading!