"A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" by George R R Martin

Initially, Sam wasn't thrilled about the idea of watching A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on TV (he'd read a review that described it as "silly"), but now that we've gotten started, he's nearly giddy about it. (I'm enjoying it too, if slightly less giddily.) After seeing the first episode, I asked Sam if it had been published as a book first. "Yes," he said. "Obviously you've forgotten that I gave you a copy almost three years ago." Lo and behold, there it was, deep down in the TBR stack on my end table in the Reading Room.

I asked ChatGPT whether I should finish watching the series and then read the book, or if I should go ahead and start the book now. I was told to start now. Atlas (the nickname ChatGPT chose, under duress) is aware of the extent of my TBR: "Given what I know about you, you don't need another 'I'll get to it later' book." (They/it didn't realize this already was an "I'll get to it later" book . . . ) Atlas went on to suggest, "Treat the show as a companion, not the primary experience," describing the book as "very spoiler-light" and "one of GRRM's most charming works on the page." 

The decision having been made for me, I dove right into the book and found this to be the right choice. I enjoyed the reading experience and made my way through the book quite quickly. It’s plot-heavy and not especially thought-provoking, but this was not surprising. More surprising was that, for the most part, the story was sweet and good. There are a few horrifying moments (a lance to a horse's throat springs to mind), but nothing to the extent of the fate of Ned Stark. It almost reads like fanfiction (but well-written and worth reading). As Atlas said, "The real joy is in character, tone, and small moral moments, not shock twists." Now, if only I could manage to keep all these dang knights and Targaryens straight in my head . . .