In Review: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
Publisher: Bantam
Format: Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-0553386790
Winter Is Coming. It's the tag line that has been all over television, the next much anticipated HBO show, but what is it really about? Well, its not for the faint of heart, that's for sure. The first of seven planned books, is pretty much amazing at every step.
Westeros is a world wrapped in fantasy where no one is safe, not even our heroes, make the scheming of Rome look like ameturish child's play. The prose is amazing, and my goodness there is blood. Death comes quick and leaves a lasting impression.
Knights are abound, and there is enough chivalry to choke a direwolf, but there is so much heart to the story. There is so much depth to the characters that they leap off the pages. The story centers around Eddard Stark of Winterfell and his family. He's an honest man, called to be the King's chief councilor, the Hand of the King, after the previous one dies. Stark suspects he was murdered and that his king is now in danger, but he isn't the only one in trouble, especially not when his top suspect is the Queen.
But trouble comes from all direction, as they say when it rains, it pours, and it's about to pour. In the North trouble is coming from the fabled Others, and the men that guard the Wall are no match for the otherworldly creatures. And in the South, the former ruling family the Targaryens are aligning themselves with the Dothraki in preparation of an all out war to take the kingdom back.
The plot is well written, the intrigue is drawn out in the most delicious of ways, making the reader beg for more. This first book makes it impossible not to read the rest. Throughout the story the characters mature and grow. And it really breaks the mold on how a fantasy novel should be written.
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