Nerd Life Book Review: A Game of Thrones

When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die
-Cersei Lannister

I've always known George R. R. Martin as a sci-fi author. Apparently, he's awesome at fantasy, as well.

A Game of Thrones is the first book in Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice series.

It's old-school epic fantasy, weaving a tale of kings, lords, rival houses, war, treachery, love, lust, incest, murder, honor, revenge, justice and fate. The story centers around the Starks, a powerful family from the North of the realm, thrust into a world they're not accustomed to. In the North, survival is the focus, not the political intrigue of the king's court.

Over a very impressive 800(!) pages, Martin tells a gripping story. Like many large fantasy tales, it is told from many perspectives. Martin succeeds in making each character interesting and fun to read. There are no "dead" chapters in this story. Just... try not to get to attached. The body count starts early, and doesn't let up. You think you'll get used to it, but one near the end surprised me so much, I had to go back and read it again to make sure I got it right.

A Game of Thrones is the first of a planned 7 novels, 4 of which have already been published. If you're looking for a solid fantasy tale that takes itself seriously, pick it up.

Nerd Life Book Review: World War Z

I'll make this short and sweet. World War Z by Max Brooks is awesome. Brooks tells the "true" story of our war against the zombies.

Hey! Zombies are serious business.

The premise of the book is that it's written from the point of view of a UN investigator. The story is told through a series of interviews with survivors detailing the events leading up to, during and after the war.

The book is eerily plausible. It's told in such a serious way that I would not be surprised if Earth were overrun by the walking dead TOMORROW. It ties in nicely to today's global issues without ever directly mentioning them. They're there, they happened, but in the wake of the greatest catastrophe in human history, they just don't matter.

All in all, a VERY interesting read. It's quite a bit different from any other piece of fiction I've read before, but I could not put it down. Highly recommended.