A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin - 5 stars and hearts!

[Theresa]

My third time reading this, taken at a very slow pace as part of a read/discussion group of others who all want to reconnect with the books in lieu of HBO series. It not only holds up wonderfully, it's even better than I recall!

If you don't already know about the Starks, Lannisters, and Targaryens and the battle for the Iron Throne of Westeros -- well pick up the book as I'm not summarizing! What I will say is that this time rereading, I picked up so many clues and hints to the future that I've always missed. I'm stunned by how so many characters and events that pass through here for a moment that later become major and have always surprised me when they appear. Yet...all were foretold, right here, in this first volume. From the beginning, every character is shown as complex, full of good qualities and bad ones, just so very human. I'm completely consumed by this world and the tale being told. I haven't changed my opinion much on most characters -- Tyrion is still my favorite for example, but I've come to appreciate different moments and their effect on a character or a scene, such as Sansa and the first encounters with her betrothed King Joffrey after the events in the Great Sept. Even the similarity between the behavior and natures of Robyn Arryn and Joffrey Baratheon, something that I never quite grasped before.

George RR Martin is one extremely gifted writer.