by George RR Martin, 1996
Couldn’t put it down! Like Ken Follett only his evil characters aren’t as evil – or he isn’t as graphic.
Loved the children, especially Jon Snow, the bastard of Lord Eddard Stark, who loves his 1/2 brothers and sisters so much, but decides to swear himself to the Night Watch, on the Ice Wall that stretches across the Northern part of the kingdom, to guard against the Others and other evils out of the North. He shows true character.
And Bran, little 8 year-old son of Lord Eddard who loves to climb all over. He climbs up to one of the highest parts of the castle, Winterfell, and sees the Queen Cersei with her brother, Jaime (Yuch-but they are Lannisters and that is their tradition). Jaime pushes Bran. He falls hundreds of feet but miraculously doesn’t die, is crippled though. So, the Lannisters send someone to slit his throat. Catelyn, Bran’s mother, and Bran’s direwolf, save his life and Catelyn decides to go to her husband, Lord Eddard (Ned, she calls him) who has been called south to serve as the King’s hand for his dear friend, King Robert (who is married to Cersei). Lord Eddard Stark (Ned) is another good man, but it was a mistake for him to ever leave his family and Winterfell. The Lannisters, Jaime and Cersei, their father, their brother – a dwarf named Tyrion – all are untrustworthy and have ambitions. The 3 children of Cersei and Robert are actually the 3 children of Cersei and Jaime and Eddard figures it out. The Lannisters arrange to have King Robert killed by a boar while hunting. They accuse Eddard of treason because he wants the king’s brother to be king rather than their own, Joffrey, a despicable boy. He (Joffrey) has Eddard beheaded in front of his daughters, Sansa and Arya, after tricking him into confessing treason before all the realm. Meanwhile, Eddard’s oldest son, Robb, is commanding an army and moving south to, at first rescue his father, and then to avenge his father. Very, very interesting characters!
At the same time all this is going on, across the sea is the Saga of Princess Dany. She is the dragon’s blood – the last remaining descendant of the first kings. Her evil brother marries her to a powerful warlord – Genghis Khan type – named Khal Drogo. She falls in love with him. Her brother insists on his rights and is cruel and rude and winds up dead. Dany is pregnant and in love with her “son and stars.” Then Khal Drogo is injured in battle and dies of his wounds but not until after a slave woman Dany rescued performs black magic to try to bring him back – ends up bringing him back but at the cost of Dany’s and his son – who is birthed monstrous – and Drogo’s manhood and sight. Dany mercy kills him, burns his body on a huge pyre with her dragon eggs and they hatch (!) from the heat of the fire – so dragons are at her breasts (!) at the end of book one – the first dragons in centuries. Very strange ending.
Next book is A Clash of Kings and then, A Storm of Swords.