“A Game of Thrones” by George RR Martin is the beginning of a fantastic series that you don’t want to mis. Almost anyone can get into this series provided they aren’t terrified of big books (you’d think Mr. Martin gets paid by the pound judging by the size of his books). These books have romance, politics, intrigue, betrayal and the occasional direwolf or dragon. Trust me, you won’t even notice those rare oddities.

What makes his books so amazing is the characters. Few of them are absolutely good or absolutely evil. Most of them are stunningly human, capable of wonderful and horrible things.

Martin’s writing style also makes these books unique; most every chapter is from a different character’s perspective so your perception of what’s happening changes from chapter to chapter.  WARNING: Martin has an absolute commitment to KILL any character at any time. You will fall in love with the characters. Many of them will die.

People who like “Game of Thrones” will also like: any other book in the Ice and Fire series (as it’s called), “Pillars of the Earth” by Ken Follet, “The Historian” by Elizabeth Kostova or (for a good non-fiction great read) “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer.