Rating: 
Summary: Gritty, gripping and great!
Review: When I read the first book, "Game of Thrones" it made many of my previous favourites look shallow. Then to have to wait for the second installment! Now that I've read "Clash of KIngs" I guess I'll have to wait some more for the next book - but as the adage goes - the best things in life are worth waiting for - well something like that. I like the style of writing where several narratives are strung together. I've always liked Julian May's Many Coloured Land series for that reason. The characters all have depth and are quite believable. No goody two shoes here! Even outright thugs like the Cleganes have depth to their character. Other characters are complex - such as Catelyn, yearning for a return to days gone by. The whole world is gritty and beliveably medieval - you can almost smell the pervasive stench of raw sewage, sweat and death in Kings Landing during the siege. The plot hangs together quite well and is gripping in a way that many other fantasy books are not. The one minor irritation is the time scales quoted - for example the 'wall' is allegedly 8,000 years old! This use of immense scales seems inappropriate especially when one thinks of what has happened in the last few thousand years in our own time. This was one book I found hard to put down and not because of any publishers tricks with velcro either!
Rating:
Summary: Clash of Kings was worth the wait
Review: Finally read Clash of Kings (Had to have it shipped to me from Europe!) and I have to say it was an excellent read. Though I won't go on to say it was better than AGOT it was still MUCH better than any sequel I have ever read and well deserving of 5 stars. I myself read everthing from sci-fi, to fantacy, to horror to some classical, and I must say this impressed me very much. I read alot of comparison to other authors like Donaldson, Jordan, Tolkien, and let me tell you Martin belongs right up with them all. One big plus that "A Song of Ice and Fire" has over Jordan's WoT is that Martin's work is already pegged to last 4 books, and will not swell into the behemoth of WoT (At least I pray he sticks to 4). Also he seems to be able to invent women characters with more than one kind of personality (Unlike Jordan) No other series has close to the amount of suspence that "ASOIAF" has. He is not afraid to kill off a loved character or flip the whole plot around at any time so you never know what to expect. So many series have been so predictable its nice to have no idea how this story will end. If you dont like LOTS of interesting extra details and a cast of hundreds however stay away. But if you want the best of the best in epic fantay, A Song of Ice and Fire looks like it will be a winner unless he really goofs the last two. So bring on "A Storm of Swords" its going to be hard to find anything that comes close to this while I wait...sigh..
Rating:
Summary: It's the gutsiest fantasy blockbuster of the decade
Review: Yes, it's even darker and grimmer than the first installment. Martin takes a big chance in keeping the overall tone so naturalistic, but it pays off. Emotional and physical consequences of violence and feudal system are spelled out in no uncertain terms. A small problem is the way lighter elements are not balanced as well with the darker stuff as in the previous book. The most emotionally rewarding relationship here is between a narcistissic dwarf and a whore. Most main characters are dealing with massive traume from earlier events and it's sometimes tough going for the reader. Especially Dany is in danger of becoming a stereotypical teen queen; a kind of grief-stricken Debbie Gibson stranded in Saudi Arabia in leather bikinis. I hope Martin gets her to the smae continent with the rest of the characters in the next book and lets her resumer her growth as a character, so vividly portrayed in GoT. Sansa and Arya are also stranded in almost impossible situations; very down-beat, but also compulsively readable stuff. Catelyn and most of the other characters are trying to put together pieces of their former lives - all that is very realistic considering what happened previously, but Martin better move them beyond this phase in the next book to avoid the claustrophobic feel sometimes evident in CoK. But all in all, it's an excellent, daring follow-up. It's obvious that major events are stored for the third book, and for a bridge between first and third novel, this is great stuff. As a concept, it's great that for once people in a fantasy novel actually have to deal with the consequences of death and mayhem. It makes it possible for adults to read the Martin books without guilt. Of course, the whole thing *is* spinning out of control. There are 8-10 major religions or belief systems, for example. Martin better do some consolidation in the next novel, and kill off 5-15 main characters as well, just to keep it together. Martin makes Jordan look like Enid Blyton! And that's good.
Rating:
Summary: IVE READ IT!!!
Review: I have been waiting for this book for over a year now and when I was passing through a bookstore quite casually, what do I see in a corner A CLASH OF KINGS! Now that Ive read I can easily say that this series stands just below Lord of the Rings, giving Robert Jordan a smashing knockout. Its almost the best I have read. To put it simple: there are more conflicts, characters, surprises, thrills, battles and wonderful dialogues than the first one. I loved it so much that I sat shaking during some parts of pure excitement. I recommend this series to all who love good books, this series will go on for a very long time and I am very happy for it. I wish to thank Mr Martin for a wonderful read and hope that he comes with a good sequel soon.
Rating:
Summary: One great book!!!!
Review: This is one of the best books I ever read. I had stopped reading for a while, but I decided to pick this up about a year ago(Saw the Sci-fi award of the year on the cover). Now I cant wait for the second! curse the man for leaving me in suspense! I even started Robert Jordans Wheel of Time series in the interim and am all caught up! I hope that this series is not dragged out over the next ten years. (I have Star Wars and now the Wheel to Time series already). Crank out the books man, there GREAT and I dont want to start another series!
Rating:
Summary: aCoK is absolutely awesome
Review: Well worth the wait, excellent reading, I am about to read it agai
Rating: 
Summary: Read it
Review: Are sequels worth the wait ? Not usually , but in this case I am forced to make an exception . Despite the growing list of characters of less consequence , the development of the core characters continues . Call me idealistic and a stickler for traditional black and white characters of fantasy , but I would like to see just the one character who is just dripping with the milk of human valour. As it is , most of the characters revile me at least a little . Another troubling aspect was that many of the books events are told in the form of passing news! I sometimes wanted to skip chapters to read about the imminent battles only to be told the result in the next chapter by means of a meesenger crow or something of the like. I guess we need not be told the gruesome scenes of battle repeatedly but hey , some of those events were critical! Nonetheless, sexually demonic characters and missed scenes or not, I still read the book in one hit. Hopefully book three won't be a let down - it certainly does have promise. Luv that Arya.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa
Review: Forget what Mr. Jordan says on the front cover--I almost didn't buy this book because of his comment (*I* think an writes poorly). This is the best Fantasy that I've read in a long, long time. I don't read much fantasy anymore because books like this one are to few and far between. If you are, or ever were, a fan of Fantasy you owe it to yourself to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: What a book
Review: I have read almost every book I could get my hands on for as long as I can remember, and this book was great. Its up there with Tolkien, Eddings, Jordan, and many other of the greatest writers of modern fantasy. It has some of the greatest charactor development that I have seen in a long time. I think this book will make a lasting mark.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book Ever
Review: ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ, AND I HAVE BEEN AN AVID FAN OF F @ SIFI FOR OVER 8 YEARS READING ON AVERAGE A BOOK EVRY WEEK/TWO WEEKS.
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