#27 The Game of Thrones - George R. R. Martin

I have a love hate relationship with this series that I will get into later. My hate relationship had me leaving it off my last list. But man, what can I say. I started reading this back in about 2004. At the time, I think only three books had come out.

For those under a rock and have not followed it. It is hard to explain. Two guys went to war, and claimed the kingdom. One goes back home to the north and runs his little land far on the frontier and has a large family. The fact that the family is large is one of my hated things… but once again I get ahead of myself. The other goes to the capitol and starts ruling the kingdom.

The kind comes to visit, and wants Stark to return and be his right-hand man in the city. Help the king run things. He is needed, plus they would wed his daughter to the prince. So, boom, just like that, a kid will be a queen.

He hates the idea, but leaves, takes some of his kids and goes. Then things get messy. This is a massive book of political intrigue. The king is not a great king, and everyone else wants someone as king. It is a fascinating story with twists around every corner. I love political intrigue books. So this had to be going. Mostly.

If you love deep in depth stories, this is great. I really love them. It starts fairly simple. Telling the story of Stark, his kids. Then they split. We see Stark and a few kids, plus the story of the few kids that stay home to run the home castle. Oh, then we add the story of people that want to take the throne back. Then an attack causes the family at home to scatter. So now we are telling 4-5 stories. Then you meet more characters and start telling those stories… you are 7-8 stories.

I made it through the book, then followed it with the second book, the Clash of Kings. I did not realize it until I looked back, the house of cards was becoming too tenuous. We were following 15+ characters or more. By the time I was well into book three, A Storm of Swords, we were following more. And almost everyone one has their own chapter.

I was tired and put it down. I was mad. I only wanted to hear about 4-5 characters in depth. I had finished those chapters, and was trudging through the 15 chapters (it was my guess) before I would hear from the ones I cared about again. The house of cards collapsed, and I never went back.

Its a shame. Books so well written and drew me in, but I have never regretted it. So I have a book series I like, and I just never finished it, or cared to. I still do not have a desire after almost 20 years. I don’t feel a hole.

So I feel like it makes my list, but I just can’t move it up. I loved it, and yet hated it enough to just not want to delve into those vile horny families again. I was not made better by the book, just entertained. It was not enough to overcome the sheer annoyance of the writing as it progressed. That is common. Too many people turn me off as they get lazy, or the books become top-heavy. Some authors just get lazy. So this one remains somewhere below the middle of my favorites.