A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

Title: A Game of Thrones
Author: George R. R. Martin
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: 23rd December 2010
Genre: Dark Fantasy

Summary: 
In the Land of Westeros Winter is coming and the struggle for the Iron Thorne has begun.

Review:
I was not sure what I was expecting when I was persuaded to start reading this series but I did not think it was going to be as good as it actually is.

It is awesome and it is easy to see why it has become so popular.
I was a bit nervous as I have to admit it did take me a while to get into it as I felt the story did not really start to get interesting a good 100 pages in. A factor which was not helped by the boring prologue which completely confused me! However, after somone had explained what had happened to me and I carried on reading; it soon picked up pace!

However, what I really liked about the book and Martin's writing is the fact that you never know what was completely going on. Just when you think you know what is going on; he takes the plot in a complete u-turn and kills a major character. What I also quite like about his writing style is that there is no clear protagonist as the plot follows, and is revealed through, several different characters and their opposing perspectives. I really liked this as it helps you, as a reader, weave together all the different events in the plot and the different perspectives from the opposing sides.

One of the things I was a bit apprehensive about was the battle scenes. However, there was a nice balance between the other aspects of the plot and the fighting scenes. Also, instead of focusing on the death and fighting aspects of the battles; Martin instead focuses on the politics, families and logistics. This was something that I really liked as it showed a great level of understanding, knowledge and research behind the book.

If the first book is anything to go by, this series is going to be awesome and I cannot wait to read more.

Rating: 10/10. It is awesome. Read it now.

You can buy A Game of Thrones from Amazon here.