I have not read the book nor played the games so the story and the characters are completely new to me. I (like many) started watching for two reasons 1. The great ratings and viewing numbers 2. To fill the void created when GOT finished ( a lot of reviews did point that out) Few minutes in to the first episode and both reasons went out of the window. I will start with the positives. Cinematics, CGI, fight sequences and music are good. Unfortunately that's where the positives end. A weak and incoherent storyline forms the foundation of everything that's bad with this series, add to that random jumps in the story line, dreadful dialogues, poor characters and even worse character development. The biggest downside is the acting (if you can call it that), most actors lack experience while pretending otherwise. There is a lot of overacting. There are a few actors who try to do a better job but are not able to shine because of the poor and equally over the top direction . Overall you get a feeling that the team had the right intentions but somehow missed the mark by overdoing things. The series lacks the punch. I dont want to do this comparison but if you are watching this series due to GOT withdrawal symptoms then please don't. It will leave you with a bad taste in mouth.