Game of Thrones is the first TV show I’ve watched that is based on a series of books I’ve read.

In the case of some shows based on novels, I haven’t experienced either. Dexter, True Blood, Gossip Girl and House of Cards are a few (somewhat) recent examples. In other cases, I’ve watched the shows but haven’t read the books (Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead, Justified and Orange is the New Black come to mind).

Game of Thrones started out in that category. I watched Season One before picking up the books, figuring I’d rather experience the world of the show through television than getting caught up in five (and counting) 1,000+ page books.

But by the time I’d finished the first thirteen episodes, I knew I had to dive deeper into the world of Westeros, so I started George R.R. Martin’s novels and tore through all five before Season Two debuted.

Given the depth and breadth of Martin’s creation, there is no way any TV show could encompass it in its entirety. But show runners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss have done a masterful job adapting the books. Their first triumph was assembling a very large, very talented ensemble cast who perfectly embody their characters. Their production design, as well, is stunning in both its intricacy and its fidelity to the books.

In this world of binge-watching and spoiler warnings, it’s interesting to know just about everything that will happen to these characters before each season starts. But rather than diminishing my excitement, that foreknowledge has deepened my appreciation for the show. Viewers who haven’t read the books were famously shocked by last season’s infamous ‘Red Wedding’ episode, but I was moved in a different way… dreading the events I knew were just around the corner.

This is a funny comparison, but the adaptation Game of Thrones most reminds me of is Harry Potter (only with a lot more sex and beheadings). In both cases, the books are canon but the filmed adaptations are so rich and powerful that they’ve become an integral part of the work.