I have kicked myself multiple times for waiting so long to begin reading this series. When I was younger, I didn't have anyone around to tell me how absolutely amazing this is, so I thought epic fantasy series were all destined to be cliche magic and romance (which is good in moderation). A Game of Thrones is not cliche by any means. There is betrayal, war, death, and other naughty things. And yes, main characters do die, which makes me all the more intense about this series. A Game of Thrones and its succeeding books are in a genre all by themselves.