If anyone has HBO, this was a new series last year "Game of Thrones". I actually watched the whole first season before picking up this book. I wish I had read the book first! It was fantastic! (and the series is excellent too! And follows the book very closely)
Anyone who likes King Arthur, Lord of the Rings, and other epics will enjoy this series. I believe there are 5 books so far.
There are a number of characters and at the beginning it can be confusing who is who, and how all the stories mesh together. Hang in there, it is worth the read. It is also a long book (864 pages!!), and once you are hooked it will be hard to put down!!
I have just downloaded the Book Two (1040 pages!!). I was considering waiting and watching Season Two on HBO (April 2012), but decided I couldn't wait. It will also be a good test, to see if I like seeing the series after reading the book.
If anyone else has read this series, I would be interested who your favourite character is. I have a few - Jon Snow, Eddard (Ned) Stark, Arya, Tyrion, and Daenerys. I could keep going too ... A great host of villains too!
It is hard to say too much about the book without ruining some of the plot and surprises within. There are many twists and turns, and big surprises. I am hoping the 2nd book is as good ... maybe better!
Stay tuned for more on this series ....
p.s. the HBO series is also helpful with how to pronounce the character's names as well
p.p.s there are a few different book covers for this book ... but I like this one as it depicts Eddard Stark from the series
I read the whole series before I watched the HBO. I didn't want to spoil it in case the HBO was bad. Turns out, it was as you say, faithful to the novel.
ReplyDeleteThe books are all great. The characters are all great. There are a few places in the series where the author almost loses control of the huge complexity of characters and stories and tends to rush closure a bit or forgets it entirely.
I love Tyrion Lannister. He's my favourite. His brother will grow on you as you see him show his true colours. The maiden of Tarth (I forget her name at this moment) is also fantastic.
Stick with it. It's slow sometimes. Disappointing often. But a good read all around.
Thanks Marcus! Now I am curious about Jaime Lannister and I will have to figure out who is the Maiden of Tarth. I am about 1/3 through the 2nd book. Have you read the Bernard Cornwell series? If not, you would probably enjoy them too.
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