Sci-Fi/Fantasy Reading

At one point in time before one of my jaunts to Japan, I went to Borders and picked up several books to read on the plane. My goal was to find several of the thickest sci-fi/fantasy books I could find, figuring they'd get me across the Pacific and back, plus be there when I woke up at 4 in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep.

One of the series I picked was George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. The first book, A Game of Thrones, I recall reading on one of those trips. However, I don't know what happened to that copy. When I moved and unpacked, I realized I had the second book in the series sitting around. But unfortunately, I couldn't remember the story line, and these books have so many details, so many characters, and so many plot twists that picking up the second book before re-reading the first one again would have made it difficult to follow along.

So I borrowed A Game of Thrones from the library. And I struggled through it. I don't recall it being this difficult to get through the first time around. Then again, I was a captive audience on a plane the first time I read the book. This time, I have a huge pile of other books just begging to be read. I managed to get through the book, forcing myself to finish it. Fortunately, despite the middle part being a bit of a drag, the end was a quick read, and actually intrigued me -- enough so I'm not going to box the second book in the series and stuff it in the storage unit. But I'm not in a rush to read it, either. I'll probably wait until I get through the pile of library books I picked up on Friday.

As for the story line, it's the usual fantasy novel -- multiple families plotting and warring against each other. If you like this type of novel, then go for it, otherwise it's nothing spectacular. I still prefer Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series.