A Game of Thrones: The Graphic Novel Vol. 1 HC
Publisher: Bantam
Release Date: March 2012
Price: $25.00
Creator(s): Adapted by Daniel Abraham, based on the novel by George R. R.
Martin; artwork by Tommy Patterson
Format: 240-pgs.; Full Color; Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0-4404-2321-8
Age Rating: Mature
ICv2 Ratings: 4 Stars out of 5

This is an excellent adaptation of the novel, although it reads more like a companion piece to the television series, as both suffer from the same need to make the story into visual images.  The only weakness of this book is that it is so similar to the HBO television show that it may not guide the reader of the graphic novel into the much denser original book

The story contains the key characters and the key segments of nudity, sex and violence without going overboard.  If anything, it is a bit more delicate than the HBO version in terms of sexual content.  As with the original, the world and the characters in it have a lot of depth, and this adaptation spends time establishing the cast of characters and the setting.

The volume includes six issues of the comic book, plus another 20+ pages of notes and designs, along with a brief ad for the books.  Recommended for adults who were thinking of reading the novel, but were intimidated by its page count.

--Nick Smith: Librarian Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.