Game of Thrones Book 1 by George RR Martin

Summary (by Goodreads)

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, assassins and bastards, 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.

Review:

I chose to "re-read" this title to prepare for the the Game of Thrones final season.  I have all of the books however I find it difficult to read them and keep track of all of the characters. By listening to it on audio, I find that I can identify better with the different voices and I have time to look up the characters I can't remember online.  I have found that The Game of Thrones wiki is incredibly helpful in helping me remember characters and understanding how they fit into the entire series.  This series is so well-crafted.  I LOVE it!!  I will not go into the story in detail but we certainly get a close look into the Starks and the Lannisters in book #1.  There is lots of underhandedness as families compete for control of the throne and exert their power.

This week it was announced that the cast gave a 15 minute long standing ovation after that final season was read.  It sounds like it will be going down in history as a truly prolific series.  For those of you unfortunately souls who have not yet seen the show or read the books, you really should invest the time.  The world building and character development of this series is honestly out of this world.  Think Tolkien level.  George R.R. Martin is coming out with two more books to wrap up the Game of Throne collection - The Winds of Winter and a Dream of Spring.  Even after the last Game of Thrones episode airs, we can still call for celebration because there is said to be another 3-4 spinoffs from this series.  Yay!!!