Rating: 
Summary: Ranks with Jordan, Tad Williams, and Kerr
Review: Of all the fantasy series on the market, only three, to me, combine page-turning plotlines, characters you could cry over, solid writing--and believable worlds. Martin joins Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, and early Katharine Kerr as the best of what modern fantasy has to offer. I know how popular Salvatore, Eddings, Feist, et al. are; but read them again, and what you get is good story with junior high school-level writing ability. Terry Goodkind spins a good yarn, but he's too derivative of Robert Jordan (why no copyright infringement lawsuit?) and his writing is average at best. Martin's series, though... wow. Tad Williams remains, to me, the best-written of all series, Jordan's plot is perhaps the most captivating, and early Kerr was so real you could smell the horse and steel. Martin is not the best in any one area, but he does it all so well you'll find yourself staying up all night turning pages. My only anger is the year-long wait until the next installment. I know some will chafe at the fact that this second volume is mostly build-up, with just about nothing getting resolved. But what a build-up; the tension gets so thick you want to scream at the characters to get a clue and see what's really coming. If your idea of fantasy is two-hundred pages of improbably-named Dungeons and Dragons cliches killing monsters plagiarized from Tolkien, go back to your Salvatores. But if you're into believable worlds crafted by authors who obviously have done some homework into late medieval history to flesh out the details, and characters who are _human_, with human failings, do yourself a favor and buy A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Better yet, wait until the series is done before you start, or you'll find yourself in agony, like I am now.
Rating:
Summary: JUST AS ORGASMIC!
Review: Well, he did it again, I read this book feeling sick and panicky, he gets my emotions flowing, never before have I (a 20 yr lad) felt like crying cos a fictional nine year old girl was having a hard time. GRRM IS GOOD
Rating:
Summary: WOW! As good as the first.
Review: I do not agree with those who say that the character development was not that good. It was. If you liked the first book you will love this one. I only hope that we do not have to wait long for the next one.
Rating: 
Summary: A great book
Review: One of the best fantasy stories since Belgariad though it is defintely much different from it. It was exciting and I love the political intrigue. The characters in it are also not what they appear to be. There are bad guys among the good and surprisingly good guys among the bad. Of course the book doesn't have straight out heroes like most fantasy books. As the plot progresses, your perception of the characters change. All in all, a very enjoyable read. I can hardly wait for the next one. Only complaint I have( 4 stars instead of 5) is the swearing. Everyone swears but I just cannot get used to people swearing in fantasy stories. It is just weird to have a sword wielding guy in a fantasy world yell 'f@$k'!
Rating:
Summary: This is my all time favorite series.
Review: After reading the first book I re-read it and it's one of the first books I've gotten more out of each time. It seemed like forever til the second one came out, and THIS ONE IS EVEN BETTER! I hate the thought of how long it's going to be before I can find out what happens to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Promises to Last A Long Time
Review: I liked the first book, I like his characters, even though their emotional depths remain largely unfounded (perhaps a fault found in most fantasy), and I like the feeling of history that the book conveys, but all this was dragged down by the interminable length of the book. Jordan, look out.Plus, the fractured story line, the slight flatness to the writing, and the strain of keeping your interest up after, like, NOTHING happens for a hundred pages. If the book manages to spark my interest about a character's situation, say Sansa'a captivity or Bran's discovery of direwolfian powers, the stuff in between gets in the way. The rhythm and power of the plot line is lost, and essentially what really irritated me was the lack of payoff. Maybe it's just the middle book sag. Anyway, what is it with fantasy these days? The books are so long, and every series demands to be called an epic. Another flaw: I don't really care who wins. Whatever faction wins, who cares? The level of leadership will be all about par, as long as someone flips that budding sociopath Joff from the throne, right? Dany would make a good queen. Robb would make a good king. The former king, Robert, though one of the "good guys" was a very bad, careless king. That's the flaw with having ambiguously good-bad characters: the protagonists are as stupid and dreary as the villains, and sometimes as cruel. Last points: How did Cersei manage to keep her true husband from impregnating her? There's no birth control besides the withdrawing method (which doesn't work) and I suppose the rhythm method, which also doesn't work. And, as for the fantasy genetics: Cersei and Jaime are NOT identical twins, but fraternal twins, and share no more genetic material than separately born siblings do. Their union would produce children of the same mental level as that of any brother-sister union. Remember, Dany always assumed she would marry her brother, and her parents were brother and sister.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: Book 2 in one of the finest epic fantasy sequences ever written. This is the volume where Martin's action really gets going. Book 1 was largely an expository novel. Martin introduced us to the characters and their backgrounds and seemed to tease us with some of the more fantastic elements in his world of Westeros; showing us the creepy ice villains, The Others at the very beginning of the novel, but then taking them away for the remainder of the book. Book 2 is still light on the fantastic elements, but this in no way impairs its quality as a novel. Martin's story takes off with action on every page. Intrigue. Treachery. Villainy. An amazing whirl through an incredible colorful world. Compelling characters...some of which live, and some of which do not. Martin has achieved an infamy in fan circles with his ruthlessness toward popular characters. This is a fabulous novel, and Martin's series is just getting started. With a projected six novels, you can be assured of hours of entertaining reading. And it only gets better! As good as Book 2 is; Book 3 is even better. George R.R. Martin is a master stylist sure to be remembered in genre lore as the equal of the old masters. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Such passion and thoughtfulness
Review: Such attention to detail and innovative characters can only truly be executed through the rigour and passion of a master author. And George RR Martin is one such author and more. A review once criticised the book's cast of thousand, I can only see it as an author who has spent countless numbers of hours, infusing his creative fervor in each and everyone of this 'thousand', not to mention the enjoyment factor each time I revisit this book and when reading about characters long forgotten, it is like meeting old friends on the streets and renewing acquaintanceship.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling, fascinating character development
Review: GRRM's character development is excellent! Although I found myself reading ahead sometimes because I wanted to know what happened to some of my favorite characters like Arya and Tyrion. GRRM is building his story to a, I hope, climactic finale. (I've heard there are going to be six books in all) I read a Clash of Kings very quickly and now I have to wait... I highly recommend!!
Rating:
Summary: REALLY REMARKABLE
Review: aS YOU SEE BY NAME i DONT NORMALLY READ FANTASY BUT MY OLDER BROTHER IS AN AVID READER OF SEVERAL AUTHORS. i HAVE READ ONLY TWO SERIES BEFORE THIS ONE (JENNIFER ROBERSON IN THE EARLY 80'S AND OF COARSE WOT - ROBERT JORDAN)BUT I HAVE TO SAY SO FAR THESE TWO BOOKS HAVE KEPT ME WANTING MORE AT THE END. WHERE AS I CAN NORMALLY PUT A BOOK DOWN AND GET ON WITH MY DAY NOT SO WITH A CLASH OF KINGS SO THOSE THAT HAVE FOUND THIS BOOK BORING GET AN IMAGINATION!!! GEORGE KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK AND GIVE US #3 REALLY SOON.
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