A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire (Book One) by George R.R. Martin
Recently my trusty Yaris and I read A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin.
This is not normally my genre. With the exception of Harry Potter (because duh), I typically avoid all things dragon-y, sword-y, knight-y. But my love of Peter Dinklage knows no bounds so I figured I might as well check it out to see if I'd be interested in watching the show. And I'm so glad I did. First of all... Tyrion Lannister is everything, so I'm glad he's played by my boy Peter. Secondly, this is not your usual fantasy story. George R.R. Martin has created an entire world and gives voice to each of the characters in that world in an honest and real way. Also, you know I love me some characters that can make me want to crash my own car into a bridge abutment out of pure rage... and there is no shortage of that in this book. Let's just say that one of the most ringing endorsements I can give of a series is that before I even finished A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire... I had already downloaded the second book in the series (so yes... we might be on a bit of a GoT kick for the next few Tales from the Toyota... deal.)
Amazon's Synopsis:
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.