Re-reading A GAME OF THRONES

In 1996, George R.R. Martin electrified fantasy fans around the world when he published A Game of Thrones, the first book in his acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire series. Since then, Martin has published three more books in the series. The engrossing tale Martin spun with these first novels in his saga has gained more and more fans across the world and has resulted in a number of spin-off products, such including HBO's TV series, card and board games, computer games, sword replicas, comic books and calendars. Perhaps paradoxically, the number of years between each time Martin publishes a new book in the series has increased. Fans have been clamoring for the fifth volume, A Dance with Dragons, since 2005: A book that promises to pick up the storylines of fan-favorite characters left hanging since 1999. As Martin struggles to reach the finish line, or indeed even the halfway point in his epic, his fans wait for the next fix. One way to keep sane during the long waits is to re-read the already published novels.

Journey to Westeros with Remy J. Verhoeve as he celebrates his tenth reading of A Game of Thrones. Chapter by chapter, the author, a Dutch-Norwegian English teacher and self-confessed fantasy geek, is both fellow traveler and tour guide as he shares his insightful reflections on Martin's writing techniques, major - and seemingly minor - plot points and characters, and much more.

True to its origins as a blogging project undertaken while not-so-patiently waiting for A Dance With Dragons, the author does not hold back in this unauthorized companion book that is both an unabashed homage to the novel that started it all, as well as a candid - and at times controversial - commentary on the issues surrounding the delayed release of the fifth book.

Whether or not they agree with everything the author has to say, all fans of A Song of Ice and Fire, from those who have loved the series since its inception in 1996 to those who have only just discovered it through the HBO series, will enjoy this thought-provoking and outspoken book.