Review: Game of Thrones

I got interested in this because of the HBO miniseries; though I hadn't seen it, the good press it got at least drew my attention. So, when I saw it laying on a wood bench for two days straight, I declared it abandoned and appropriated it. Despite the fact that it is, uncontestably, a good book, I'm afraid I have to say I didn't like it. It's not your stereotypical fantasy stuff in the mold that Lord of the Rings originated -- it's gritty, fresh stuff that'll make you a bit uncomfortable. The good guys don't always win. People are generally self-interested jerks, just like in real life, and families have dark secrets they don't like to tell. Great material, but it's just not for me. I feel the same way about Tom Cruise's Minority Report. Unfortunately, I did what I always do with books and wrote in summary-spoilers at the beginning of each chapter. When I decided at the end that I wasn't going to read any of the sequels, I left it out for somebody else to take. That next person was one of the guys in my unit, and it's been ruining it for him every step of the way. Sorry about that....