A Song of Ice and Fire

I just finished A Song of Ice and Fire(Book 1 of A Game of Thrones). I was surprised at how closely the TV series follows the book. This was quite helpful since, otherwise, the myriad of kings, knights, queens, warriors, wives, whores, and maidens would have been difficult to follow. All the main characters have their own storyline with different and often opposing views and goals. Martin creates a world similar to medieval times with the addition of dragons, magic, and evil resurrected warriors who refuse to die a second time. It took great craftsmanship to create such an elaborate and complex story without boring the reader with the details. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and look forward to book 2.