Book review: Game of Thrones

I'm coming late to the party, but I've just started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. I tried once, a few years ago when A Game of Thrones first came out, to try to read it but I had a hard time dealing with the head hopping in the writing and I put it down.

I picked it back up after seeing a few episodes of the HBO series "A Game of Thrones". The series was interesting, but I didn't understand why the characters were doing what they were doing. I checked A Game of Thrones out from the library but I had to return it before I finished it. Later, I found four of the books at the local used bookstore so I bought them. I've finished A Game of Thrones and I've now started A Clash of Kings.

I found it hard to follow the book in the beginning. It was the same problem I'd had with it when I first tried to read it a few years ago. The head hopping was very distracting and I had a hard time following along with the story when he kept switching between people and places. As I continued reading this time, instead of giving up after the first few chapters, I grew invested in the characters. I wanted to know more about what was going to happen to them, what their world was like, what their fates were going to be.

My two favorite characters are Daenarys Targaryen and Arya Stark. As you progress through the books, their stories become more interesting. But I found myself looking forward to Daenarys' chapters in A Game of Thrones.

The writing was well done. Once I got into it I was transported into the characters' world. It got a little long winded in places but for a book the size of this one that's to be expected. I found I didn't care as much for certain characters as I did for others. I will admit I skimmed the chapters of the ones I didn't care about. I read enough to know what was going on and then I moved on.

The book was well written, the story for the most part is engaging, and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.