Rating: 
Summary: Close to the Edge
Review: So I loved the first two books of this series. I read this third installment in a couple of days (with not quite enough sleep). I will admit that I was emotionally involved and kept on the edge of my seat for most of the 1000+ pages, but I cannot in good conscience give this more than 3 stars. I echo those who have given three or fewer stars in saying that there are some serious flaws with this series. My biggest gripe is that there is no way it should be taking this long for the friggin' plot to move ahead. I mean what has really happened in nearly 3,000 pages? (For the love of all that is good and right in the world can we get some better editing here?) People get killed, women raped and all in all the decent people just have bad luck. I could bear it in the first two books because I did really like the characters and I figured that things would pick up. . . hey maybe even a sibling or two could get reunited or Arya might jump off the road to becoming a murderess . . .hell maybe one of the old gods could suddenly appear and bite off Cersei's head. . . but did it? NO! It might as well have read the second book again . . except lots of main characters die here so i guess it wouldn't have been quite the same. I'm definitely going to fork out money for the 4th book (the trade paperback version though) but if I"m going to invest my time (and sacrifice sleep) for something I want to get something out of it. Thanks for all the character development (and page after page of the same intrigue and history) but can we have a significant change in the situation here? Pretty please with sugar on top? If not, I think I'll have to move on. . .
Rating: 
Summary: MY GOD, THE GLORY CONTINUES!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Amazing. The epic continues and the stakes are raised even higher than they were in the second book. The death of a very integral character surprised me and many at the end of the first book and only continued in the second. Try not to fall in love with anyone too much because you'll never know who is offed next. With the third you can expect armies of the undead, messy and costly battles to all of the families, and dragons in full destructive mode. The intrigues take unexpected turns, even to skeptics who beleived they had it all figured out. My only worry is that the story gets somuch deeper that I don't know if Martin can reasonably pull it all together in just two more books. As a fan of the Wheel of Time I find it refreshing that Martin can convey as much of a richly detailed back story as well as an equal amount of back-stabbing without the need to stretch it out over ten billion volumes. READ THIS SERIES! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: If you have ever read a fantasy book and enjoyed it, heres one that should be next on your must reads list if not already on it. The series (A song of ice and fire) is amazing with all it's plots and schemes and tricks and turns.
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing
Review: This series is so good that if you read many books at once, you'll find it hard to go back to the others when you're finished.
Martin has finally broken the mold. Fantasy does not have to be scared of oversteppping Tolkien. There was no sex in Tolkien, not really any violence, but above all there was no grey in Tolkien. The characters were black and white, and have been in fantasy ever since. Tolkien's work was beautiful, but it was not the end.
There are some things in these books that I don't like myself.
Justified critisism (in my opinion) is that sex may be important in politics, but it really is exagerated here. Whatever the case. This book may not be suitable for kids, but it is a very refreshing story, told very refreshingly.
Rating:
Summary: Still Loving This Series!
Review: I find myself waiting with bated breath for each new book in the Song of Ice and Fire series. It's to Martin's credit that he can create such great characters and plotting that we can't wait to see what happens next. The books themselves are not what I'd call "fantasy" in the truest sense. There are certainly fantastical elements, but these stories read more like historical fiction with the some magic thrown in. This book is the best so far. The story throws a few curve balls and characters we've grown to care about are forever changed. Bravo, Mr. Martin! I eagerly await the next book in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Word of Caution...
Review: I'd just like to warn everyone that reviewer nuevovo from Seattle felt the need to type out crucial spoilers in CAPS, rather than give a coherent review of the book. So, if you'd like to find out what happens from the actual author, who can write like a half-decent human being, rather than from this kid, skip over that review. I'm about 700 pages in, (that would make me about halfway through) and other than the fact that the above unintelligent person gave away a huge plot twist that I've yet to reach, I'm loving every page. Rarely does a fantasy series of this volume pay off in the long run (re: Terry Goodkind's early onset megalomania personified in Naked Empire, Robert Jordan's WOT, etc) but I can honestly say that Martin should have his name etched on every modern fantasy trophy in existence. He even chooses a difficult mode of narration (switching through several perspectives; one per chapter) and still manages to make an engaging, deeply characterized, intricate and really captivating piece of literature.
Read it, if you'd like to delve into fantasy out of curiosity but don't want to wade through the repetitive trash that clogs the genre.
Read it, for sure, if you consider yourself a hardcore fantasy buff!
Rating:
Summary: hate GRRM - cant get sleep cuz i cant put the book down!
Review: third part of the ice and fire series. absolutely riveting. two main complaints on this book by other reviewers : 1. is this series going to be endless like the wheel of time? - the amazon review for the first part of this series says that this series is supposed to be a six part series. and this is only the third book. if it goes beyond six books, then we can start levelling accusations against GRRM having succumbed to the lure of money! 2. too much bad news for the good guys - with both robb and cate stark dying it is indeed shocking and also quite depressing. but also to note is that within the next 50 pages, monster boy king jeoffrey is also dead. another 50 pages, the giant cleagane is mortally wounded. jaime lannister suddenly turns a new leaf and starts developing scruples. so yes there's misfortune for the heroes - but likewise for the villains too and so there's some balance. apart from all this though the book is highly engaging, still i feel that the story is weak in plot. by totally dispersing the stark family all over the seven kingdoms the underlying theme seems to be at getting them all back together - individually each stark have their own adventures which forms the sub-plots. but something or the other always prevents this reunion happening (sansa is kidnapped by littlefinger or arya by the hound etc) and thus the story is sustained. a true story teller would have been much more innovative. so imo GRRM is not in the league of JRRT.
Rating:
Summary: Greatest Book of All Time
Review: Few people have ever wrote a series where the sequals surpass their predecessors. Martin is one of those people. This novel is so incredibly epic, you shall remember the events in it until your dying day. The Mountain Gregor Clegane fighting in single combat was truly the greatest fight scene I have ever seen wrote ever. It will truly be hard to surpass it. The later scenes among the Wildlings are also amazing. Nothing has ever been written so amazing, with so many memorable scenes, I find that almost any minute I have free time I am thinking about this book, this concentration of the greatest feats of writing of all time all rolled into one truly amazing book. I am not stating this as opinion, but as fact. I really think its that great. A Storm of Swords shall keep you on your toes throughout, with plot twists at every turn, that few people will be able to see coming. Chills were sent down my spine more times in this book than both Clash of Kings and Game of Thrones combined. Even with the absolute speechless amazement like I had never felt in my life I felt in a Game of Thrones when the dragons were born. You shall not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: The third installment in "A Song of Ice and Fire" proves once again that George R.R. Martin is not only a master of his craft, but that he can constistantly provide an intrigueing story that breaks through the cliche of modern fantasy. Characters such as Tyrion Lannister and Lord Stannis are fleshed out in gray terms, not the stereotypical black and white of mainstream books. The plot is suspenseful and surprising, never leaving you where you'd expect. I've reccomended this series to numerous friends, all of whom recognized it for the achievement that it is. Don't miss out!
Rating: 
Summary: No no no! Stop now, find something GOOD to read!
Review: Do this. Click on the link here at amazon that says something like "Read all #### of the reviews for this book" (Where ### is the number of reviews.) Then, sort them in order of stars putting the 1 stars first. Read the 1st 5 or 6 of these reviews. THEY ARE ALL DEAD ON! I read all of these books and it is quite clear that Martin has no intention of stopping...they just go on and on and on with all of your favorite characters being killed off one by one until, at the end of the 3rd book, there is no one left worth reading about. Like one of the other reviewers, at one point when both ROB AND LADY STARK ARE KILLED I just gave up...I am not even planning to finish this book--something I have done very few times in my 47 years on this planet. It is clear that Mr. Martin must revel in irritating his readers, I can almost hear him saying "HA HA! that'll show 'em to actually care about my characters! The world is BRUTAL I tell ya'...here let me hit you over the head a bit." The Rape, Murder and Mayhem is also unending and tiresome. Yes it may be realistic--but so what! Films of hemmeroid surgery are realistic too, I don't think I want to watch one. Save your self. Don't read this one.
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