A Game of Thrones

Eddard Stark

Spoilers ahead.

In anticipation of the TV series A Game of Thrones, I bought the book, the first in a series of seven, last year. I finished reading it just this Monday and loved it, although I'm not sure I want to read the rest (awfully long). Already I've lurked in wikis and fan sites, read summaries of the next four books, character profiles, and took "what character are you" quizzes, most resulting with Eddard "Ned" Stark, a figure I admire. He and his 'bastard son' Jon Snow are my favorite characters, but I'm still a bit disappointed with Ned for being too kind.

For those who don't have an idea what A Game of Thrones is, it is "the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, a series of epic fantasy novels by American author George R. R. Martin" (Wikipedia). Here's some of the text at the back of the book:

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.

The Starks is a family you would root for. However, I am not fond of Sansa (Ned's eldest daughter) and Catelyn's (Ned's wife) rash decisions and coldness towards Jon. Most readers also feel that Robb (eldest son) is a bore. The character's not well-developed they say. Well I think that's because he is his father's son. You'd only have to describe Ned to know Robb. He even died the same way as his father.

Bran and Jon

There are some other characters that I always look forward to reading. They are Tyrion Lannister, Arya and Brandon Stark as well as others who have interesting transformations in the series: Jaime Lannister and the Hound Sandor Clegane.

This Sunday evening will be the show's premiere in HBO Asia. I. cannot. wait. Boromir's Sean Bean's gonna be there!