Rating: 
Summary: disappointing sequel
Review: What a disappointing way to continue this great sequel. All of your favorite characters are wiped out. And the occasional spatter of sex takes a raunchy turn. This is the last book of Martin's that I will read.
Rating: 
Summary: Superior work
Review: My favorite aspect of Ice and Fire is the complexity of its characters. You are allowed to see the humanity of the most dastardly villan, while at the same time, even the most virtuous of characters have elements which, at best could be called weaknesses.
While there is a solid core of the supernateral within the series, obvious in the opening, do not look for it within the first book, it is a captivating political story of a disintegrating kingdom with some of the best battle scenes in literature.
I am EAGERLY awaiting the continuation. I will enjoy the first three again, before reading the forth. My only question is why the hard cover version of the first book was pulled by the publisher.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent.
Review: Read this. This is a superb fantasy series, outshining any I've read for years.Complex characters and a host of politics, intrigue, battle and a well-drawn world make this a real winner. Normally, I'd disregard what I just wrote as a publisher's blurb, but I really can't recommend this too highly to hard-core fantasy fans.
Rating:
Summary: Who's Still Alive? (and are they really alive?)
Review: A Game of Thrones made me go Wow! A Clash of Kings made me go Whoa! This one made me do a double take. There are things in here that I wasn't expecting. At all. Just when you think you have an idea of who the good guys are (there are good guys?) and who the bad guys are (all of them) George R R Martin brings out Storm of Swords and you get to find out that no, even in a uniquely gray world, things can get MUCH murkier. Not only that, but you'll love every minute of it. The bloodbath and carnage continues! Buy it and then you can join the throng checking the internet weekly hoping for updates on Book 4.
Rating:
Summary: Just wanted to make a correction
Review: One of the reviewers below made some comments about how some of the threads in this series seem to end nowhere and that "there should be a fourth volume to just wrap everything up." (paraphrased) I just wanted to say that there IS going to be a fourth volume (A Dance with Dragons) as well as two more. Apparently, the reviewer didn't read the jacket of A Storm of Swords, but this is a series of SIX proposed books.
With that taken care of, I can't recommend this series enough. It makes everything else in the fantasy genre seem like children's stories.
Rating:
Summary: Well worth the effort, as it just gets better and better.
Review: Some folks seem to think he's lost his way with the series; I say rubbish! He knows exactly what's happening, and if he has had to add a seventh book (the upcoming "A Feast For Crows") simply because the story is too long for six, then all the better for us readers! This is a fantasy epic written as all works of the sub-genre should be written. Unlike the pap of Jordan, Goodkind and Brooks, here are characters that live, breathe and change (Jordan, in particular would do well to learn that little trick). Simply put, this very well may become THE definitive fantasy series when he finishes, surpassing even Tolkien's monumental masterpiece. I eagerly await the next book, so I can find out what has happened to all of my favorite characters.
Rating:
Summary: What happened?
Review: All the praise heaped on the first two books is well deserved. They are wonderful, and I would recommend them to anyone who has a taste for anything remotely like fantasy fiction. I couldn't wait to get this third book, but after reading it, feel that it didn't live up to the promise of the first two. I agree with the reviewer from New Zealand; it seems almost as though Mr. Martin lost his way... Still, the series as a whole is a great accomplishment, and I would go so far as to say that the first two books set a new standard for the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Just pure fun
Review: I read a lot of fantasy/sci-fi as an adolescent but gave up on the genre due to all the cornball dialogue and inane plotting. Books that struck my fancy were few and far between and can be boiled down to The Lord of the Rings, Dune, and The White Gold Wielder stories. However, on those aforementioned rare occasions when I was lifted away, I remember feeling such gratitude toward the author for taking me there. And now I feel that same feeling for Mr. Martin. There was actually a scene in Storm of Swords where I screamed bloody hell and was almost ready to give up on the book because I CARED SO MUCH for the characters, I couldn't bear to see them wronged. I was upset at Mr. Martin for he'd succeeded in hypnotizing me, but I forgave him after I read the next chapter and remembered what a treat it all was. I even began speaking in much the old english dialect of the book (in my mind, mind you) and thinking of things like portcullises, nasty puddings, and jousting tournaments (will I actually bring myself to go to a renaissance festival now, I wonder). I am somewhat loathe to analyze this book too much, for it is just pure fun, but a couple of the manifold things Mr. Martin does right are: A) Captures the vernacular. The characters snipe at each other using not only the correct lingo, they use the correct concepts. Fast food culture is melted away. B) Deep knowledge of history. Everything from siegecraft to court jesters are brought to life in the way only someone who knows his subject intimately can do. C) Great characters. People ring true. Little things like the boy king whose favorite part of his job is to stamp his seal on the letters written for him. Or much, much bigger things such as the probing of Tyrion's mind. At first I was thinking, great, a lame dwarf character, but Tyrion's shrewdness soon wins you over and you forget, am I rooting for the noble, sullen Starks, or am I pulling for the their incestual, cruel foes? Tyrion, along with Jaime's (oh,so surprising)development (where's this character going, you wonder...), gives the brutal Lannisters terrific depth. This is not just good characterization for a fantasy story, it's characterization worthy of any NOVEL. D) Intricate plotting. From the relations of a hundred high bred families whose names you'll amazingly come to know (burn in hell, Freys), to rivers and hills that make up Westeros, it's all there to be thrown together in a wonderful stew. As for faults, yes, there are a few, but it doesn't matter because everything is working so well. It's much like the old Cosby show. Once Bill Cosby started to make you laugh, he could say something non-amusing, but you were still rolling somehow because you wanted to. Mr. Martin makes you want to.
Rating:
Summary: Song of Fire and Ice
Review: This being the third book in the series really superised me. I was not expecting things to happen the way they do. You get to know the characters so well by the descriptions of the events as they unfold, it is very easy to get lost in the realm that has been created. I am looking forward to the next two books to see how this whole story continues to grow and will be sad when there is no more to read. Congratulations to George R R Martin for a grand and timeless story.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful and Compelling
Review: I have been reading fantasy for almost 10 years and rarely pick up a book outside of the genre. This book has taken all my previous conceptions of what good fantasy is and thrown them [away]. I have been an avid fan of both Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind's series for some time. They had best clear way for this series. The books talk about characters that feel real and that I have developed true feelings for. I commend him for evoking that type of feeling in me. Also, my perceptions of who is "good" and who is "bad" changes from book to book and even chapter to chapter. The reason is because you get to see many characters individual perceptions of their own place in the world and how other people perceive that same person. Very unique. One word of warning, do not read this if you offended by coarse language, explicit descriptions of intimate encounters, or bloody (Braveheart style) warfare. I do not think any of the above are excessive but I realize that some people are offended by this and thus, should not read. Other than that, I feel the story moves along at a good pace. Sometimes, it drags but overall, I feel it could actually go slower at times. This is in contrast to Mr. Jordan who I feel has slowed down to divulge too much minutiae. The adventure and risks of reading are real. This is not a feel good hero with magical weapons and spoon-fed information conquers everyone and everything evil in the realm story. Magic is in fact downplayed. This is another aspect I love. Most of the story is about politcal maneuverings and how the characters are dealing with the dangers and forces that they have been set against. Even minor characters have their part to play in the world and this is not missed nor dwelled on as some other authors tend to do. Anyway, lest I ramble more, let me sum up by saying, keep going Mr Martin. Your books are wonderful and adventurous. I will never hesitate to pick up the next in this series if your current style continues.
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