It has been said that to survive in this day when it seems as though virtually everything that can be written, sung or said has been written, sung and said that one must bring something new to the creative table. George R.R. Martin has brought something new to the fantasy table for certain and it is very, very good.

Martin’s book A Game of Thrones is fantasy come of age. Ever since fantasy was conceived the reality of these new worlds has been lost or shrouded in whispers and hints. We all knew what the Orcs and Goblins did in the dark of their caves but it was never spoken. Stephen R. Donaldson sent us Thomas Covenant to hint at a more real fantasy world with a protagonist/antagonist who started his journey with the rape of an innocent in his The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant trilogy but conventions at the time held him back as well.

Not until Martin do we have a fantasy world that seems plausible and real. The characters are not black and white but frustratingly gray, not unlike the world we live in. There is honor but it is rarely achieved while evil is blunt and in your face.

A Game of Thrones is a fantasy novel for the modern world which has long been used to seeing life up close and personal through 24-hour news channels and an unfiltered internet. While the novel may be blunt it is not without purpose or subtlety. These days the most successful novels have been blending genres and A Game of Thrones is no different. While clearly rooted in a fantasy world Martin brings to play all the intrigue and strategy of a good John LeCarre political thriller. The twists and turns will keep you hooked and reading late into the evening.

Definitely an interesting novel way ahead of its time and only now coming of age. It will change the genre of fantasy forever and most likely for the better. I cannot wait to see what lies ahead.

A note of warning – the very plausibility and realness of the book means the reader will be confronted by some pretty explicit language and sexuality.