Let The Game Begin - A Game of Thrones

I just finished reading, "A Game of Thrones," and I LOVED it!

A high fantasy series written by George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones is the first book in the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series.  It was first published in 1996 and reached the New York Times Best Seller List in 2011.

The basic plot is a hand full of fantastic characters scrambling to land at the top of the heap, which, in this case, is the "Iron Throne," and rule the Seven Kingdoms in a fictional dark ages-type land called, Westeros.

There are three basic settings:

1. Winterfell, in the far North, ruled by the House Stark.
2. The Wall, an ancient 700 foot high, 300 mile long wall of ice and stone, shielding the Seven Kingdoms from the North.  The Wall is manned by the order of the Night's Watch.
3. King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, ruled by King Robert Baratheon.  

However, it's the characters that have so impressed me (and of course, Mr. Martin's engaging writing style):

Here's a list of main characters:

1. Eddard "Ned" Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North.
2. Catelyn Stark, Lady of Winterfell, wife of Lord Eddard Stark.
3. Robert Baratheon, King of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros.
4. Cersei Baratheon, beautiful Queen of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros, wife of King Robert Baratheon.
5. Ser Jaime Lannister, charming member of the Kingsguard, and twin brother of Queen Cerseil.
6. Tyrion Lannister (The Imp) - Younger brother of Queen Cersei and Jaime Lannister, and a dwarf.
7. Viserys Targaryen, exiled Prince and heir of the Targaryen dynasty.
8. Daenerys Targaryen, exiled Princess of the Targaryen dynasty (sister of Viserys).
9. Khal Drogo, warlord of the Dothraki people.
10. Jon Snow, hunky bastard son of Ned Stark, and member of the Night's Watch.
11. Robb Stark, eldest son of Ned and Catelyn Stark, and heir to Winterfell.
12. Sansa Stark, lady-like first daughter and second child of Ned and Catelyn Stark, and future bride of Prince Joffrey.
13. Joffrey Baratheon, eldest son of King Robert and Queen Cersei, and heir to the Iron Throne.
14. Arya Stark - younger tom-boy daughter of Ned and Catelyn Stark.

These are but a few of the amazing characters in A Game of Thrones.  The truly original part is how the plot unfolds; each chapter is revealed from a different character's eyes, thus telling the story from from several viewpoints.  As a result, we get to know these complex and multifaceted characters much more intimately than usual.

I highly recommend A Game of Thrones.  If you loved Lord of the Rings, you will love the user-friendly Tolkienqesque prose.

If you have already read, A Game of Thrones, which character resonated with you? (My fav character is Tyrion!)

If you haven't read, A Game of Thrones, do you plan to do so?

Are you watching the series on HBO?  What do you think of the interpretation?