Review: Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones
George RR Martin
Fantasy 

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. 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.

I finally finished this! This massive and sometimes wonderful book has been with me for half a year and traveled three continents with me. Yes, I watch the show. But I'm only on the fourth season so don't tell me anything beyond what's been spoiled already.

So what did I think? My first observation was that the TV show is SUPER FAITHFUL to the book. Like every line, every detail. Season one ends exactly where book one ends. It was very gratifying but also surprisingly hard for me for this reason- I watched the series first. The crazy plot twists are GoT's strong suit, so if you know them in advance it can be a little disappointing. I actually stopped reading for a time at a point where I knew everything is downhill from here.

But that said, when I got back into it I loved it! I'm not sure why, probably because of superb writing and fantastic characters.

The characters are a definite pro of reading the novel. More depth, thoughts and feelings. Also, the simple thing of REMEMBERING who everyone is easier when it's written down, at least for me.

What more can I say? You already know how famous and popular this series is. If you don't watch but are a reader, I can confirm that the world of GoT is well-built, complex, and quite simply brilliant. Love!