*ALERT* *HOT TAKE INCOMING* *PREPARE YOURSELF*

Game of Thrones is good. 

I know, what a shocker. After hearing fans sing its praises for years, I finally decided to start the incredibly popular series. However, being the nerd I am, I chose to start with the first book instead of watching the show. 

To preface this, I have been burned multiple times by taking the “read the books before watching the movies” approach. I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia books as a kid and found them dreadfully boring. The pacing of the books felt archaic, and I couldn’t understand what half the characters were saying since they spoke in old, formal English. I fully expected to encounter these issues again when starting A Game of Thrones, but was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong. Even though the book was released almost two decades ago, it feels extremely modern. 

Now, when I say that the book is modern, it includes a slight asterisk. Objectively, for being a 700 page book, not that much happens plot-wise. There are really only a few major events that shake things up. Despite this, the book never feels slow due to its writing and characters. It bounces around between the perspectives of characters with different interests and affiliations, allowing the reader a complete picture of the conflicts that gradually unfold. Don’t have the wrong expectations coming in; A Game of Thrones is a political drama, not an action-adventure. The magic of A Game of Thrones is in the threats, the bribes, the secrets, the betrayals, the military alliances, the politicized marriages, all working in an ever-shifting balance as the royal families vie for power. Many of these characters are so devious that I still have no idea what their true intentions are. You never know who to trust, and yet somehow you find yourself rooting for all of the characters even though they are constantly at odds with each other. I can’t get into too much more detail without entering spoiler territory, but these combined factors make A Game of Thrones an absolute page-turner. 

For those of you that, like me, have put off starting the Game of Thrones series, I can suspect it is for one main reason. The TV series is notorious for being quite vulgar, both in its gory violence and graphic sex scenes. I am not going to deny that there are some sus moments in the book, but from what I have heard from fans of the TV show, the show is WAY worse than the book. Whenever the book does have an R-rated scene, it is never described in great detail. Deaths are not excessively bloody, and are largely glanced over. The political impact of a character’s death is felt far more than their death itself. Full-on sex scenes are few and far between, the longest one being half a page and focusing much more on the emotional connection between the characters than their physical actions. Most of the pregnancies are described in passing- a simple “this person got that person pregnant” sort of thing. While the world of A Game of Thrones is ruthless and barbaric, the blood and sex are secondary to the larger drama and conflict going on. 

What also serves to undercut the grim tone of A Game of Thrones is its humor. I was not expecting to laugh as much as I did reading this book. The characters are witty and clever, always ready with a quip or comeback. Jabs are taken whenever there is the slightest opportunity. Watching nobles passive-aggressively roast each other in courtrooms is too entertaining. A character will give another character a compliment in an impeccably proper voice, yet give a mischievous little smirk while doing so. It’s delightful, and although the book is far from a comedy, it has enough levity to make the darker scenes more palatable. 

A Game of Thrones is not a perfect book, but it’s undoubtedly the best reading experience I have had in quite a long time. I challenge you- forget everything you’ve heard, every preconceived notion you have about the series, and give it an honest try.