And So Begins My Latest Addiction!

Books have been the cause of many great films and television series over the years. In recent years, the Harry Potter novels have proven exceptionally popular, as have the film adaptations of the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. “The Chronicles of Narnia” have been produced both as a successful series of television-based stories and a fairly successful film series (that sadly lost its way with each adaptation). They’ve also given us plenty of terrible shows as well. Disney’s direct-to-DVD adaptation of “A Wrinkle in Time” was just plain bad.I’ll admit that I was completely unfamiliar with George R.R. Martin’s body of work before HBO announced that they would be producing a series based on his “A Song of Ice and Fire” series. Not having HBO, I never took the time to seek out any episodes of the series. However, I did finally manage to catch snippets of a few of the early episodes, but not enough to convince me that the hype surrounding the franchise was well-earned.

Finally, in June of this year, I had the opportunity to watch most of the current season’s episodes and fell in love with the show. I decided that I would dive head first into “A Game Of Thrones,” the first book in the series, to give myself a better understanding of what had unfolded before my eyes up to that point.

The book was excellent. Martin has managed to weave a story of intrigue, deceit, honor, vanity, cruelty, and a tad bit of magic. There are multiple characters with multiple reasons for every action they take in this book. The reader will almost immediately hang their heart on certain characters (and it will be different for each reader) and have a growing hatred for others. To say that a certain character is good or evil is hard to pinpoint, since most of these characters have traits that can be perceived in multiple ways. For instance, Catelyn Stark seems to be a likeable character, and many of my friends who have watched the show (and not read the books) like her very much. I personally don’t like her because of one simple thing she does to another character that I really love.

Also, don’t get too attached to some characters (no matter how large their role in the novel is), because death can come quickly and with a lot of violence as well.

The story centers primarily around the families of House Stark and House Lannister, but there are other families in the mix as well. Something cold and evil is on the way, and the many families in this story struggle with one another to gain power, justice, or revenge. Another family, the ancient House Targaryen, is quietly forming up to reclaim the power that it once held. All of these plots and subplots intertwine to form one brilliant story that will keep the reader interested and hungry for more.

Now, as far characters go, there are a ton of them. There are literally too many to list in this review, but a few of them have won either my heart or my hatred. I think that most people would agree with me that the “big four” in this particular book are Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, Arya Stark, and Tyrion Lannister. These four characters take very different paths in this tale, and I love them all for different reasons. Jon Snow is a boy without a true House. He’s the illegitimate son of Eddard Stark, and when Eddard becomes the Hand of the King, Jon is sent to the Wall to become a member of the Night’s Watch. Jon matures with each high and low that he experiences in this novel, and I cheered him from the first time I read his name. Daenerys is a young lady who, along with her brother, is the last of her family. Her character undergoes massive changes in this novel, and she proves to be one of the most intriguing characters of all. Arya is a kid, a tomboy, who winds up in the middle of a terrible nightmare involving her father, Eddard, and the rest of her family. While she doesn’t necessarily undergo a lot of personal changes in this tale, those around her go through quite a bit, and it slowly starts to form her into something that will definitely become more interesting with each successive book, I’m sure. Tyrion is an unlikely “bad boy” in this book. He’s bluntly honest and has no problems attempting to talk or buy his way out of any sort of trouble. Deep inside I know he’s much more than the Lannister name that is attached to him, and I can’t wait to see the character blossom in future books.

Now, with the first book under my belt I am ready for the second novel, “A Clash of Kings.” If it is even remotely as good as “A Game of Thrones,” it will be brilliant. George R.R. Martin has a true classic on his hands with these books, and I’m determined to read them all before watching anymore of the television series.

Highly recommended!