Late to the party again

But I've finished the first Game Of Thrones book.

I loved it! I finished it on Thursday and immediately got the next one wired to my Kindle. When I started reading it I didn't think I was going to enjoy it. It was a bit dark and dour and I'd just come off the Harry Dresden books which while they have their darkness, are playful and fun in tone with scattershot geek culture references.
There are no geek culture references in Game Of Thrones. It starts cold and dark and brooding and to be honest, it doesn't get any lighter. But it does get addictive. An Arthurian world but with the rose-tinted glasses pulled away to reveal the politics and machinations behind the chivalry and facades of honour. In Westeros, honour bestows a short life expectancy.

But you know this, because you've watched it on tv. I haven't, although I hope to have by the end of the weekend. I don't expect to enjoy it as much as the books. It's HBO, so it will have done what HBO does and take a story with the odd bit of sex, or reference to sex and produced a programme where people have sex constantly or are at least constantly naked to keep you entertained while going through all the dull exposition. Not that I'm saddling up to be the next Mary Whitehouse here, I'm not objecting to it in theory and it keep the channel going and producing interesting tv rather than talent shows and freak shows. And freak talent shows. I'm pretty much expecting a parallel with True Blood, I enjoy the show and the books but the two don't really bear much relation to one another beyond the names of the characters and a few of the plotlines. Neither one spoils the other unless you let yourself get upset about it.

It's wonderful though, fantastic to have the women being more than vapid princesses or evil witches, although  those tropes exist too. I can't wait to read some more of it, and to that end, goodnight.