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review: It's that time of year when people are going off to beaches to read the South Beach Diet, or climbing mountains and reading Into Thin Air. My book bag also reflects my summer sojourn: I go to a fantastic land filled with witches and warriors and wyverns*. Yes, it is the time of year when I go to Canada with my family. While females (like my mother) tend to turn to Danielle Steele and other romantic retreats, I, for some reason, find solace in eye-roll-inducing fantasy novels --- specifically George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice series. They have captivated my imagination, allowing me to be in my family's presence while not participating in their mundane conversations.
The depth and thought put into these novels are the work of someone with an immense attention to detail and great love of character. Martin has obviously lived in this world for a long time, and I am grateful that I get to live in it for weeks at a time. Starting with A Game of Thrones, Martin slowly introduces the reader to his complex world with castle intrigue and chapters centered on one pivotal family's role in the rule of a kingdom. Next comes A Clash of Kings, with the chapters expanding to include some of the previously minor characters and introducing magical and mystical elements. The third, and most recent novel, A Storm of Swords, is a virtual kill-fest with the hacking-to-bits of some of your favorite characters and the promise of a bloody finish. Yet the finish, if rumors are true, will take a whole three other books, and with each tome reaching toward a thousand pages, the end is not in sight.
I used to think of myself as a patient person, casually turning page after page as my parents discuss the weather in Dallas, St. Louis, and Cleveland, asking me to chime in to affirm their belief in Seattle's rain and cheerlessness. However, the promise of the fourth book has been brewing above my brow for nearly two years. Luckily, my family does not notice that the book I have read the past two summers has been the same. I now more easily draw parallels between my mother and Lady Stark. My brother and Robb. My father and the head of the Lannister clan. My niece and Arya. My sister-in-law and Sansa. Myself and Tyrion. One psychotic break and Canada could become King's Landing for me.
I guess its better than counting carbs and laying on a beach.
*A wyvern is a mythical creature with bird-like qualities and four legs. Similar to Harry Potter's griffin, for you pseudo-nerds. (jeremy.06.04)
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