I have been hearing a lot about the TV series ‘A Game of Thrones’ recently. Being me, I decided to read at least the first book before watching it. Honestly, I don’t think I’ll be reading any more of them, though I am still hoping to watch the show.

To me, I just didn’t find the plotline(s) that interesting. A Game of Thrones is set in a fictional world that is very reminiscent of the middle age – with Lords and knights, etc. I’m still a bit hazy on what actually happened in the book; to be honest, I found it quite boring to read as it’s very long-winded, with very little action happening til the end of the book.

There are a lot of characters, but I was surprised that it didn’t take me long to know them all (or at as each section is headed with who it’s about, it’s fairly easy to follow what is happening to whom (though not necessarily where). I expect that if I did choose to continue reading, I would become more invested in some of the characters, but as there were so many, it was impossible to really get to know any individual character well enough to care about them.

While this book wasn’t my cup of tea, I can see why it appeals to so many people. There is backstabbing and secrets and valour, as well as a very intrinsic history which makes the world and its inhabitants believable.

I expect you will like this book if you enjoy high fantasy epics (though I love The Lord of the Rings so I can’t go by that alone), and are interested in the world of Kings and Queens, Lords and Ladies, and the battle between all of them for titles.