Top notch book. HBO's treatment surprised me first in that they even attempted it. Second in how well it adhered to the plot of the book. Fantasy stories don't have a good track record when transposed to film or tv. HBO seems to have decided to treat this one as the political thriller it most masterfully is. I was especially pleased they didn't shy away from the royal incest that features so prominently in the original.

Now let's see how well they do with the fantasy aspects in upcoming episodes.