An absolutely fantastic book! I cannot wait to read the next one! This book has everything - adventure, betrayal (lots and lots of betrayal), romance, and the characterization is excellent! I didn't feel like this book read like fantasy either. Aside from talk of dragons and The Others, it felt more like I was reading historical fiction. My favorite thing about the book is the way that each chapter is told from the viewpoint of a different character. It gave so much more insight into the characters and their way of thinking. Characterization is a very important part of a book for me. Also, no matter what I thought was coming, I was surprised! Sometimes, not pleasantly. It appears that Mr. Martin doesn't have a problem with letting you get attached to a character and then killing them off. That's okay though. It made for a very interesting read. Here's a synopsis copied from Amazon.com:
In a world where the approaching winter will last four decades, kings and queens, knights and renegades struggle for control of a throne. Some fight with sword and mace, others with magic and poison. Beyond the Wall to the north, meanwhile, the Others are preparing their army of the dead to march south as the warmth of summer drains from the land. After more than a decade devoted primarily to TV and screen work, Martin (The Armageddon Rag, 1983) makes a triumphant return to high fantasy with this extraordinarily rich new novel, the first of a trilogy. Although conventional in form, the book stands out from similar work by Eddings, Brooks and others by virtue of its superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness. Although the romance of chivalry is central to the culture of the Seven Kingdoms, and tournaments, derring-do and handsome knights abound, these trappings merely give cover to dangerous men and women who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals. When Lord Stark of Winterfell, an honest man, comes south to act as the King's chief councilor, no amount of heroism or good intentions can keep the realm under control. It is fascinating to watch Martin's characters mature and grow, particularly Stark's children, who stand at the center of the book. Martin's trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes, including Hugos, Nebulas, Locus Awards and a Bram Stoker. He's probably going to have to add another shelf, at least.
My progress in the 100 Book Challenge so far:
1. An Idiot Girl's Christmas - Laurie Notaro - 142 pages
2. The Missing - Chris Mooney - 360 pages
3. All the Numbers - Judy Merrill Larsen - 269 pages
4. The Quickie - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge - 274 pages
5. The Darkest Evening of the Year - Dean Koontz - 354 pages
6. Plea of Insanity - Jilliane Hoffman - 598 pages
7. When Madeline Was Young - Jane Hamilton - 274 pages
8. Sunshine - Robin McKinley - 405 pages
9. Spying in High Heels - Gemma Halliday - 318 pages
10. I Am Legend - Richard Matheson - 312 pages
11. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer - 563 pages
12. Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City - Kirsten Miller - 380 pages
13. The Husband - Dean Koontz - 415 pages
14. Kiki Strike: The Empress's Tomb - Kirsten Miller - 369 pages
15. Plum Lucky - Janet Evanovich - 166 pages
16. Blood Rites - Jim Butcher - 372 pages
17. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - 245 pages
18. Let the Right One In - John Ajvide Lindqvist - 513 pages
19. The Spellman Files - Lisa Lutz - 368 pages
20. Little Stalker - Jennifer Belle - 333 pages
21. Watchers - Dean Koontz - 352 pages
22. Lost and Found - Carolyn Parkhurst - 289 pages
23. Dead Beat - Jim Butcher - 396 pages
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25. Bright Lights, Big Ass - Jen Lancaster - 385 pages
26. Curse of the Spellmans - Lisa Lutz - 407 pages
27. Bleeding Kansas - Sara Paretsky - 431 pages
28. Dead Witch Walking - Kim Harrison - 416 pages
29. The Abstinence Teacher - Tom Perrotta - 358 pages
30. The Good Guy - Dean Koontz - 493 pages
31. The Double Bind - Chris Bohjalian - 368 pages
32. Dork Whore - Iris Bahr - 216 pages
33. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer - 629 pages
34. Monkeewrench - P. J. Tracy - 404 pages
35. Diablerie - Walter Mosley - 180 pages
36. After Dark - Haruki Murakami - 191 pages
37. Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella - 389 pages
38. The Haunting of Hill House - Shirley Jackson - 246 pages
39. Heart Sick - Chelsea Cain - 324 pages
40. Dearly Devoted Dexter - Jeff Lindsay - 292 pages
41. Ice Trap - Kitty Sewell - 340 pages
42. The Bad Place - Dean Koontz - 381 pages
43. All We Know of Heaven - Jacquelyn Mitchard - 310 pages
44. The Dollmaker - Amanda Stevens - 376 pages
45. Shakespeare's Landlord - Charlaine Harris - 214 pages
46. The Senator's Wife - Sue Miller - 306 pages
47. The Crimson Petal and the White - Michel Faber - 895 pages
48. Dexter in the Dark - Jeff Lindsay - 303 pages
49. Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips - 293 pages
50. Earthly Pleasures - Karen Neches - 311 pages
51. Proven Guilty - Jim Butcher - 406 pages
52. Such a Pretty Fat - Jen Lancaster - 379 pages
53. Obedience - Will Lavender - 287 pages
54. The Fifth Vial - Michael Palmer - 372 pages
55. 2060:The Newton Prophecies - Keith Katsikas - 338 pages
56. The Lace Reader - Brunonia Barry - 392 pages
57. White Night - Jim Butcher - 407 pages
58. Mordred, Bastard Son - Douglas Clegg - 260 pages
59. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini - 372 pages
60. Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - 412 pages
61. The Magician's Nephew - C. S. Lewis - 106 pages
62. The Gunslinger Born - Stephen King, Peter David, Robin Furth, Jae Lee, Richard Isanove - 240 pages
63. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J. K. Rowling - 312 pages
64. Curves - Gary Heavin & Carol Colman - 334 pages
65. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon - 850 pages
66. Night - Elie Wiesel - 83 pages
67. What Dreams May Come - Richard Matheson - 278 pages
68. Dragonfly in Amber - Diana Gabaldon - 947 pages
69. Voyager - Diana Gabaldon - 1059 pages
70. Naked - David Sedaris - 291 pages
71. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - 230 pages
72. Morrigan's Cross - Nora Roberts - 326 pages
73. Big Stone Gap - Adriana Trigiani - 269 pages
74. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden - 503 pages
75. Tuesdays With Morrie - Mitch Albom - 192 pages
76. Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach - 127 pages
77. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger - 536 pages
78. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer - 756 pages
79. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis - 90 pages
80. I Feel Bad About My Neck and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman - Nora Ephron - 137 pages
81. Drums of Autumn - Diana Gabaldon - 1010 pages
82. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini - 371 pages
83. Dragonsong - Anne McCaffrey - 202 pages
84. The Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum - 535 pages
85. Fearless Fourteen - Janet Evanovich - 310 pages
86. Sign of the Beaver - Elizabeth George Speare - 135 pages
87. American Gods - Neil Gaiman - 592 pages
88. All the Pretty Girls - J. T. Ellison - 411 pages
89. The Appeal - John Grisham - 358 pages
90. Dance of the Gods - Nora Roberts - 316 pages
91. The Neverending Story - Michael Ende - 396 pages
92. Valley of Silence - Nora Roberts - 323 pages
93. Dragonsinger - Anne McCaffrey - 264 pages
94. A Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin - 835 pages
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