For years, people have been telling me that I should be reading A Game of Thrones. I’ve mentioned before that I”m not as big a fantasy fan as I used to be, so I just wrote it off as another twenty part fantasy series that I wouldn’t be interested in. But with the HBO show just around the corner, I started thinking that I should read it before the series starts in April. And then, when my boss suggested a cross country trip for a meeting, I knew I’d have the time to read it. And all I have to say is that if there were more fantasy like this, I’d be reading more fantasy. So, let’s find out what the book is about, because winter is coming.

Lord Eddard Stark is mourning the death of his old friend Jon Arryn, the Hand of King Robert and married to Eddard’s wife’s sister, when he finds out that King Robert is coming to visit him. The King offers Eddard the position of Hand and, since he knows Eddard will be reluctant, the offer is sweetened by a promise of marriage of Prince Joffrey to Eddard’s oldest daughter Sansa. Eddard packs up half his children to take them to the court and leaves his wife, Catelyn, and other children back in their castle. When Catelyn’s sister (and widow of Jon Arryn) sends a letter that she has fled into hiding since she believes that Jon was murdered, Eddard knows he’s up against more than he thought.

The palace intrigue gets deeper as Eddard dives into the mystery that Jon Arryn was investigating before he died. When he realizes the Queen’s family secret, Eddard and his family at court is put into danger. Meanwhile, Catelyn barely saves her middle son from an assassin and travels in secret to tell Eddard and then goes to see her sister. Catelyn’s actions on the road and Eddard’s investigation start a chain reaction across the land that could plunge the land into another war.

Across the sea, the last surviving children of the deposed king are working to get their way back and avenge their father. Viserys is marrying his sister Daenerys off to a leader of a band of warriors in exchange for an army that he can use to take back the crown. But when native customs delay the army, Viserys risks letting his temper get the best of him. And Daenerys is led to believe that her son will unite the warriors together she might get her family crown back or lose it all.

The book is high, epic fantasy. But it is not wizards and barbarians. This is more like an epic movie about war and kingdoms in the Middle Ages. There is magic and fantastic creatures, but at it’s heart, it’s a struggle for money and power. The book is the start of the series and has a scope that is huge. There are dozens of characters wandering in and around the land and interacting with one another in one way or another. This isn’t Tolken, but a completely different type of fantasy.  It’s amazing and well worth the extended read. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series (and yes I know about the wait for book five). Highly recommended and I’m looking forward to the HBO series as well.

This post is part of the thread: Song of Ice and Fire Books – an ongoing story on this site. View the thread timeline for more context on this post.