"A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin is a deeply engrossing and engaging fantasy adventure. Martin has created interesting characters living in a rich and creative fictional world interacting in a complex and well-constructed plot. The first volume of "A Song of Ice and Fire," "A Game of Thrones" deserves to rank among the best of modern fantasy.

The plot takes place in the fictional Seven Kingdoms of Westros and follows the political mechanizations between rival noble houses [a note - I do not want to give out more plot details than are necessary]. A number of things makes "A Game of Thrones" stand out. First is creative world-construction. Martin has created a well-thought out environment where no detail, from clothing to food to culture and even religion, are not touched upon. It is this level of detail that have prompted some to call Martin "The American Tolkien" and though not as nakedly academic as Tolkien, the richness of Martin's fantasy world is in many ways comparable to Middle-earth. In particular, Martin has imaginatively created numerous diverse locations: my personal favorites are The Wall, the Eyrie, Riverrun, and Vaes Dothrak. On a personal note, as a student of religion, I also found the details of the Old Gods of the North and New Gods of the South particularly fascinating. Second is intricate plotting that does the impossible of making events seem preventable AND inevitable at the same time. And good settings and plotting would be nothing without well constructed, three-dimensional characters who react in honest ways. But what makes the book stand out in my mind is that it perfectly balances the realistic and the fantastic in such a way where both beleivably exist in the same space-a tricky balance that most fantasy writers can't acheive.

Even without further books in the series or an excellent and critically acclaimed adaptation of the book on HBO, I think that "A Game of Thrones" deserves the high praise it has received on its own and is a fantastic read for anyone, even those who may not be fans of fantasy. Extremely enjoyable and entertaining!