I approached this story with some trepidation. Sure, I’d heard the warnings, I knew George R. R. Martin had a tendency to murder his darlings as they say. That’s hard for me. When I read fantasy, I love getting to know characters and rooting for them. I’ll be honest, I was nervous.

Now that that’s out of the way. Don’t listen to anyone else who expresses this concern! Trust me, just read it anyway. It is a breathtaking story with an enormous scope of the world. The imagery is some of the best I’ve read in years. A wide berth of cultures, races, and languages; and all very well executed.

He does kill characters, rather a lot of them, in fact. If you have even a slight love of history though, you will still love this book. It feels like a real story, magic doesn’t save the day, and betrayal knows no bounds. But there are many other characters, and all are just as worth getting to know. Even when you hate them, and you will.

As the title suggests, the series starts with a kingdom that has had peace for some time; one on the verge of disaster. The King of the realm has grown soft, fat and happy as they say. In the world of politics though, softness looks weak, and Kings have many rivals. The book very much is a game of thrones. Martin’s writing will have you both cheering and snearing with equal intensity. I was drawn into the world right from the start. I highly recommend this book.

Tags: book review, Fantasy

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