An author who's been proclaimed as the modern American Tolkien does not go unheeded. I simply had to see what this guy had to offer. And I've got to say, he has exceeded my expectations. A Game of Thrones has both a dark and cynical feel presented throughout many parts of the story. I loved this book mostly because the book isn't the cliche "...happily ever after" that most authors tend to aim for; instead, Martin replaces it with a tragic ending where anyone can meet their downfall, good or bad. With him, the good guys are hardly ever triumphant.
I'm warning anyone who reads this now that this is a brief description of what the book is about so I'll try to be as vague as possible and TRY not to add any spoilers.
"Winter is Coming". Summer, after 10 long years, is finally coming to an end and the people of Westeros fear of the ensuing winter that is right around the corner. In the South, the king is losing the faith of the people he rules and at the heart of this omnipotent kingdom lie the Starks of Winterfell. Lord of Winterfell and the Warden of the North, Eddard stark is greeted by his old companion, the king of Westeros, Robert Baratheon. In this meeting, the king convinces 'Ned' to come to the South back with him to rule as the King's Hand. From there, events start to unfold as lords and ladies, soldiers and assassins join together to win the deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.
I could go on and on about this book, but I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who are interested. This book was a real page-turner which was a surprise to me seeing as there are 7 books in the series and very close to 1000 pages for each one. Martin has a way of wrapping his literary finger around the reader in such a way that when the slightest hint of boredom is starting to creep into our minds, he knows just how to snap us back into the exciting parts of it.
There are some cons to this story as well. Although I like the fact that Martin alternates between different characters each chapter to provide insight on the good and bad sides, I believe that there are way too many characters for a reader to follow. There are so many names presented in the book that it feels like I have to take notes to remember which is which and I try hard not to confuse them with someone else. Another flaw, which I seem to contradict myself in, is that there is literally no happy parts to this story at all. Although I do appreciate that it strays from the repetitive happy ending's, I would AT LEAST like some kind of good fortune coming from the good guys. It is very explicit in detail, and when I saw explicit, boy do I mean it.
In conclusion, it was an amazing book that I would highly recommend for medieval fantasy lovers. Again, if anyone is in the least bit interested in this book, please take my advice and consider it. You will not regret it.
Check out George RR Martin's Website for more info about the author!
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