I watched the HBO series before reading the book. Actually, I loved the series so much that I couldn't wait for season 2, so I decided to dive into the books. The author has an amazing way with words. He doesn't fall into the trap of trying to impress people with his words, though, like a slew of authors I've seen here on Goodreads who will go unnamed. :) The book is huge, at about 750 pages, but absolutely worth every minute. I won't go into too much detail, as it's literally been done hundreds of times due to the book's popularity. I will say that this book (and, hopefully, the whole series) is very special and will surely become an enduring classic.