A Game of Thrones

Did I enjoy the book? I can't honestly say; I found it worrisome, more than anything else. I worried about the characters (others might complain about Eddard Stark, but I love a good, honorable man), I worried about the misogyny (which others have written about more eloquently in their reviews than I am able, at this time, but apparently you can't have a “Game of Thrones” review without mentioning the misogyny- and the sex; don't forget the sex), but I mostly worried about how in the world Martin was going to wrap it all up into one cohesive story, in a stand-alone book.

That was my main problem. I feel like every book in every series should stand on its own; this one did not. Rather than reading it like the epic fantasy/courtly intrigue novel it is, I always felt like it was a mystery: one where the audience can see most of the twists literally HUNDREDS of pages before the characters, but a mystery nonetheless. As such, it feels unresolved. I'm a little bitter about the thousands more pages I'm going to have to read, in order to find a resolution, when the first book offers very few satisfying moments of its own.