For some time it seems that a lot of people I know have been obsessing over the TV adaptation of Game of Thrones. From what I could gather, the characters spent lots of time fighting and having sex. Some were honourable characters; others were far from honourable. The whole point of the series seemed to be watching people fight to have the right to rule. I’m pretty certain somebody had also mentioned dragons! I was curious, but not so curious that I could face trying to catch up with a show that was five series in.
May’s reading challenge was all about pages read. Someone in the group came up with the great idea of reading A Song of Ice and Fire – one book a week – which seemed like the ideal opportunity to try it. At over 900 pages, I admit to being uncertain whether I’d the stomach for it (not when I had so many other books I also wanted to read).
Honestly, I was a little reluctant to get started. I found it a bit hard-going initially. There’s a lot of names to get your head around, and I did have to concentrate to try and work out exactly who was related to who. Having managed to complete the novel in four days, I have to say I wonder why it’s taken me so long to read this. A richly-imagined fantasy land, with some fabulous characters. The scheming and plotting makes the novel rich with tension. There’s a curious blend of formality and earthiness. Not at all what I expected, but I really enjoyed it.