A Song of Ice and Fire

I think this may be my first post on here about a book. Which might imply that I don't read much. That implication would not be entirely true, nor would it be entirely false. What is true, is that when I'm enjoying a book, I rip through it. I think I recently proved to myself a fact that I've probably known for a very long time- I really enjoy reading fantasy novels. A good fantasy has me searching for time to read between other life events, waking up a bit earlier to read a chapter before work, lunching alone with my book...

After hearing some recommendations about George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, as well as learning that HBO plans to make a miniseries of the novels, I decided I should give them a shot. I read the first installment, "A Game of Thrones," in about a week. Maybe less. All 800+ pages of it. I'm already halfway through the second novel, "A Clash of Kings" and I've only had it for a few days.

Martin's series is a bit lighter on the magic side (at least so far) and heavier on machinations of humans vying for power. Martin piles intrigue upon intrigue and I could see some people having a hard time keeping track of who's who and what the various allegiances are. The other thing Martin seems to have mastered is the unexpected. These aren't your formulaic fantasy with clear protagonists and heroes. Characters that you expect to succeed fail, sometimes even die. Characters you cheer one moment turn out to be evil the next. In short, Martin seems to have a solid understanding of humankind and what the struggle for power does to people. Which leads to some awesomely entertaining reading.