A Game of Thrones

Bus Reads

I'm almost done!  Almost done with A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin.  And I have to say, I am hooked.  I've been going back and forth whether to pick this up or not but one day at Barnes and Noble, I closed my eyes and picked the first book I touched and this was it.  And even then, I was choosing among the mass paperback cover, TV tie-in cover with the awesome Sean Bean on it, and the trade paperback edition.  In the end, I didn't want to look like a bandwagoner by getting the tie-in and cost won over my preference of reading a bigger book so I picked up the mass paperback with the blue cover.

I do have a blog dedicated to book reviews: Reading Good Books.  Please check that out for good reads and my take on them.  But for now, here are my first impressions:

• My favorite characters to follow are Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen.
• Reading about Catelyn and Sansa Stark are not so enjoyable because they come across whiny and naive.
• I saw the first two episodes of season 1 of the HBO show prior to reading this.  I enjoyed it but didn't follow through with the rest of the show.  While reading this, I expected to picture the characters while reading but that didn't happen, to my surprise.  Usually, when I read or re-read something that has a screen version, say LOTR, I picture the actor saying the dialogue or doing the action.  That never happened to me here.  Not even for Sean Bean as Ned Stark.
• It was never slow.  LOTR has its dragging times but this one kept its pace and it was always interesting.

Since reading, I've caught up with the first season.  I have another book to finish before going into the second book and season.  So far, I am absolutely enjoying the show especially Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen.  And their actors.  Sean Bean already is one of my favorite actors so there's that.  The Stark children are great and give entertaining interviews.  Peter Dinklage is amazing... just so amazing.  Also, Viserys Targaryen?  What a character!  And the way the book is interpreted on screen is so well done although I developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for it after reading the books.  I guess one of the reasons why I didn't watch after season 1, episode 2 was because I felt a bit overwhelmed.  And it reminded me of The Pillars of the Earth, another epic favorite, that I loved so damn much.

 If you haven't seen this show yet, please do.  If you're an avid reader, pick the book up as well.

Hear me roar,