I just finished reading Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  Game of Thrones is book one of the epic saga, A Song of Ice and Fire.  As you may have guessed, it is a story told from different points of view from people with different ambitions to obtain, uphold, or thwart the power of the king.

George R. R. Martin does an excellent job of developing the characters and telling the story from each of their perspectives.  At first I was a bit confused because some of the characters go by different names.  For example, one of the primary characters goes by the name of Ned, Eddard, or Lord Stark.  At times, it was also difficult for me to follow because there are so many characters and so much going on.  But within a few chapters, I had a grip on the story and couldn’t put the book down.  The wealth of characters and different stories are all linked in one way or the other.  Game of Thrones wouldn’t be the captivating story that it is without its complexity.

In this story, Robert is king.  And he became king by usurping the dragon king and killing nearly all of the dragon king’s family.  Ned, Lord Stark of Winterfell and the north, is his friend.  Ned is an intelligent man with a big heart.  He always tries to do right by others, which in itself can be a weakness.  Robert had the makings of a good king but over the years he became indulgent and let his overambitious wife have her way.

The story is also told from the point of view of some of Ned’s children as well as his wife.  A dwarf brother of the overambitious queen also tells his story, as well as a long lost descendant of the dragon king.

While the story unfolds around the political intrigue surrounding the throne, there is also a silent danger from sinister monsters who inhabit the bodies of the dead.  These monsters live in the haunted forest north of the Great Wall.  There are also large wolves called direwolves, adventures along the Great Wall, different cultures beyond the sea, and epic battles.

I loved Game of Thrones so much that as soon as I finished reading it, I purchased the three sequels, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, and a Feast for Crows.  There is a fifth book out just released called A Dance with Dragons.  All these are part of the epic series of A Song of Ice and Fire.

If you are interested in reading Game of Thrones or any of the other books in A Song of Ice and Fire epic series, visit our Amazon.com affiliated store and click on George R. R. Martin.