I have mixed feelings about A Song of Ice and Fire, and the TV show adaption, Game of Thrones. On one had, they're brilliant, genre-pushing stories that create a rich, wonderfully textured world and weave together an incredibly intricate web of characters and plots. On the other hand, the world is so sprawling, the characters so numerous I've almost gotten to the point where I've stopped caring. A little discipline, a little restraint, and a lot more focus, I think, would help enormously. Absent that, however, there's now George R. R. Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire – A Game of Thrones Guide for iPhone and iPad.

George R. R. Martin’s A World of Ice and Fire – A Game of Thrones Guide for iPhone and iPad literally puts the entire world -- 540+ people and 380+ places, in the palm of your hand. The interface is decent, which is more than you can say for a lot of official apps from official publishers, and the content is detailed enough for anyone this side of Sheldon Cooper.

The free app includes 8 characters from the first book of the series, A Game of Thrones, and maps for the north and south. You can buy information packs via in-app purchase for $0.99 a pop, or $4.99 for the entire series to date. You can also set a "spoiler" level, so if you haven't read all the books, you can lock out characters and events you haven't gotten to get.

There are the usual big brand annoyances, of course. You can favorite articles but you can't copy any text or share any entries, socially or otherwise. Also, while the maps are movable and zoomable, they didn't take the time to nail the animation, so it's jerky and janky.

But if you simply want to look up characters and locations to better keep track of the Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones universe, this companion app has you covered.