A Game of Thrones

 Unless you have lived in a mountaintop monastery in the Far East, you are familiar with George R. R. Martin's series, A Song of Ice and Fire, of which "A Game of Thrones" is part one. This fantasy novel sets the stage for the mythical land of Westeros, introducing many, many characters, their various holdings, castles, retainers, wives, children, and bastards. Of prime importance in this first novel are the Starks, who are honorable, loyal, brave, and dutiful; and the Lannisters, who are deceitful, ambitious, and cold-hearted. Upon first reading the novel, one is quickly over-whelmed by the numerous characters, their ancestors, and their children and siblings. In fact, I found it so over-whelming that I was wishing for a list of characters at the beginning to keep them straight. Well, I cheated, and wanted to know if the book ended as the HBO series did, and looked at the back pages. Ah, ha! There I found hiding "An Appendix," full of family trees, and back stories. I struggled all the way to page 613 before I found it. This amazing book is otherwise well-written with strong, well-developed characters, and changes of vivid locale enough to maintain one's interest. There is intrigue galore, epic battles, kidnappings, and heartbreak. This first novel (of seven total) introduces the grand stage upon which an epic drama will play out. The HBO series is faithful to Martin's vision, a testament to the quality of the writing. Beyond the many characters, it is a true page-turner. The cliff-hanger ending leaves one with the irresistible desire to read on and find out what happens to some of the younger characters. The second novel is "A Clash of Kings" and I'm eager to find out what happens to Sansa and Arya Stark, Jon Snow, Princess Daenerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister (the "Imp"), and so many more. I'm hooked!