I hadn't heard of this series before the TV show either. I started reading it not too long after the first season ended and I just finished book 5 last night and god damn do I wish the last 2 books were out already. It really is a fantastic series, no character is ever safe from death, some deaths that happened at the end of book 5 really surprised me. Definitely Jon's death, didn't see that coming at all, but I'll bet he'll at least live on as part of Ghost. It seems like Martin is heading towards the direwolfs being a much bigger part of the story but he hasn't gotten there yet. He keeps hinting that Nimeria is the head of the huge pack in the riverlands, or at least that's what I think he's doing.