Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

674 pages

"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom's protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers,...who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones." -Back Cover

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked the Stark family, particularly Lord Eddard. He was about the only character with integrity and honor. He loved his family, his justice was fair, and he was loyal to the king. His sons are likable. His daughters are very different which creates an interesting dynamic. One is a tomboy, while the other is completely in love with the prince and the allure of the king's court. Tyrion Lannister, the dwarf and brother-in-law to the king, is the comic relief of this book. He has some funny one-liners. The political conspiracies and twists and turns were sometimes surprising. There are some intriguing mysteries, like the Others beyond the Wall, who Jon Snow's mother is, and the fate of Uncle Benjen Stark.

But...this is an adult's story. It is violent. These are hard people who are not compassionate. War is not sugar-coated and the men are not gentle. They rape and pillage without remorse. Common women are objects and not treated well. There is some language in this book. The characters are not black and white but shades of gray. Besides the Stark family, it's hard to find characters to root for. They all do some pretty despicable things. A couple of times I felt like I needed to rinse my brain out.

I had pretty much decided that I wouldn't continue on with this series. There are five books and each is well over 600 pages. Plus the series isn't finished and there's been a five-year gap between the last few books. It's quite an investment to see this story through. After reading reviews on Amazon for the next book it sounds like things get even more violent and dark. There were a few twists and turns right at the end of the book however, that made me rethink that decision. Right now the jury's out.