A few weeks ago I read A Game of Thrones. It's the first book in "The Song of Ice and Fire" series by George RR Martin. It was well crafted, well written, and intriguing, which I don't say about many books. A thoroughly wonderful read, at least in my opinion. But I'm assuming you want a little more detail than that.
There are a few things about this book that will either make you love it or hate it, depending on your tastes and your attention span. First of all, this book is an epic, and I mean that in the truest sense. The novel spans vast amounts of time and moves all over place. Also, the story is not wrapped up by the end of the novel, so I immediately launched into the second book (A Clash of Kings is next, if you're interested). If you're waiting a long time between the first and the second, you might want to review the first book. A lot of detail revealed in that first book is necessary to fully understand the second. Think of the series as one very long book.
A Game of Thrones is a heavy book and it's not a quick read. Seriously, it's 700 pages and there are dozens of characters, each of whom has their own slightly different story. Subplots abound and you have to pay attention. What seemed like an insignifigant subplot at the beginning of the book might rear its head by the end of the book (or in a later book). There is little to no information presented in the book that has no meaning. If you don't like to focus and pay attention while reading, this book probably isn't for you.
But if you enjoy an epic fantasy whose characters come to life on the page, A Game of Thrones is definately a book to grab. The plot is incredibly complex, but it's also coherent. Everything makes sense and is part of the greater whole. Beware, however, that this book is full of death, bloodshed, and abject cruelty (as are the books that follow). If you don't like a lot of bloodshed and you're looking for "happily ever after" you might want to look elsewhere for your entertainment.
As for the story itself ... well, it's definately modeled after The War of the Roses and even the Hundred Years War. When you think of the struggles between the Starks and the Lannisters (in the book), think of the parallel struggles between the Yorks and the Lancasters (from history). Because of this very-obvious parallel, I wouldn't necessarily call the book "original" since the plot has been done before. But Martin does it better than anyone has in the last 25 years.
It's certainly not the traditional formulaic fantasy, so it's at least refreshing. For example, I'm sure we're all familiar with the modern fantasies where books and books pass and no one of any importance actually dies. Dangers are thrown at them, but everyone survives and lives happily ever after. Martin doesn't do that. Beloved characters do get into situations they can't get out of and they do die. And, unlike some other fantasy stories, dead is dead. They aren't magically resurected later in the story.
Another nice little different between A Game of Thrones and many other modern fantasy novels is the villians. Take a look at some of the fantasy produced in the past 15 years. Most of the villians are ... well, idiots. The bad guys tend to be stupid, arrogant, or easily manipulated, all of which leads to their downfall. Again, Martin doesn't do that. His villians are sneaky, intelligent, and have plans of their own. They don't simply react to external stimuli. This is exciting and, while not exactly new, it's at least not the norm.
But there are a few things readers may not like. Favorite characters will die. My favorite character died. It's just a fact in this book. Yes, there will be other likeable characters to follow, but the favorites are not coming back. If you can't deal with that, read another book.
And the characters are not exactly black and white. In fact, there are very few truly good or truly evil characters. Most are an interesting shade of grey and can be pulled in either direction. Deciding who's good and who's not isn't an easy process, but this makes things interesting. If you like things a little more black and white, there are other fantasy novels to choose from.
This book is written so that you can dip into the minds and hearts of any character in the book. In fact, most characters get to be in the spotlight at some point. The book, since it spans such a vast world, couldn't have been written any other way, but if you don't like head-hopping, you'll get dizzy reading A Game of Thrones.
Warning: Lots of sex and the language is colorful. Don't read it to your kids. And if you don't like excessive swearing, pick another thing to read.
All in all, I'd give A Game of Thrones 4.5 stars out of 5. Why not 5? Once in a while (a very rare while), the prose falls a little flat.
