Today, I just finished reading, “A Game of Thrones”, the first book of “The Song of Ice and Fire” series, which the TV show on HBO is adapted from. Of course, the TV show turned me onto reading the book, and I’m glad I get into the book. It’s a medieval fantasy story, but to warn you, this is no ordinary medieval story. It’s not like all the other medieval stories you see in the books and the movies.

The story is set in the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. In Westeros, the seasons can last for years. For example, Winter can last a lifetime. The story tells of Lord Ned Stark of Winterfell who is a loving family man and he vows to protect his family from evil. Kings and queens, knights and renegades also fight for control of a throne. It tells different stories about different characters of the Seven Kingdoms. The story is like part Western and part Fantasy together. It is also a romance story.

Ned Stark is the main character of the whole story. He and his wife Catelyn both has five children and a bastard son together. Ned’s young daughter, Arya, has an obsession with learning how to fight with a sword so she gets herself a trainer to learn how. A midget character named, Tyrion Lannister is being blamed for trying to murder Jon Arryn. Bran has an obsession with climbing and he fell during one of his climbs. The book also tells the bizarre romance between Princess Daenerys and Khal Drogo. There’s a lot of different stories to go through in this book.

I’ve been watching the TV show, “Game of Thrones” on HBO, and so far, the TV show follows the book perfectly. Never left anything out.

As I said before, this is no ordinary medieval story, it’s not for everyone. The stories can get really harsh. It is gruesome, very sexual, and the gore can get very graphic. Yes, there are plenty of sexual content in the book and the TV show didn’t leave any of that out either. There should be a few more episodes left of “Game of Thrones”, because the TV show is almost at the end of the book already.

I don’t want to go into detail with the plot ’cause there are surprising twists in the story, I don’t want to reveal. George R.R. Martin is one writer who has a lot of balls to write what he writes. He just writes whatever he wants, just like Stephen King. While Stephen King can get gruesome and very graphic at times, his writing can’t even come close to George.

This is the most realistic medieval fantasy story I’ve ever read. These books are very addicting. You can’t put them down. I just couldn’t stop reading. What is so strange is that I’m not into reading fantasy fiction that much. I was just drawn into “Game of Thrones” for whatever reason. Most fantasy stories are about some hero trying to save a woman from dragons or other monsters, but not this story. This one is totally different. This book was a pretty electrifying read, and I look forward to reading the next one, “Clash of Kings” part 2 of the “Song of Ice and Fire” series. If you’re watching the TV show, start reading the books now! You will be hooked!

Kev