A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die."

Even though George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones is 800 pages long, it is easily the best book that I've read in the past year. Even though I haven't read too many great books in the last year, that list does include: All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Murder on the Orient Express and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agathe Christie, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli.

Martin's style (constantly shifting viewpoints between characters) helps to create believable, fallible characters. I usually don't like when the viewpoint shifts so much, but Martin uses it in such a masterful way that I didn't mind. Specifically, since there is no "central" character, their is no contract with the reader that the main character will succeed/escape in the end. In other words, anything can happen to any character at any time.

One of the most annoying things to Martin's readers is that the series isn't complete. I'm itching to get started on A Clash of Kings, which is the sequel, but I'm apprehensive. Martin has completed 4 of the 7 books that he intends for the series, but the last one, A Feast for Crows (Book 4), was published in 2005. Book 5 is being worked on, but has been 5 years in the making so far.

What's taking up his time? Could be the HBO series that is based on A Game of Thrones that is being cast and written, due to air in 2011, starring Sean Bean (who played Boromir in Peter Jackson's movie of Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring.

I have decided to take it slow, to hopefully give Martin a chance to complete his fifth book, but I'm sure my patience won't last too long. If you like Fantasy/SciFi, you have to read this book. Hell, if you like good books, you should read this book.