Rating: 
Summary: For Mature Audiences
Review: The "Fire and Ice" books by George R. R. Martin are written from an adult's perspective; if this were a movie, I would give it an R rating for sex and violence.
The plotting is cleverly done and involving. The geography and societal divisions are fictional, and yet are grounded in similar geographical locations and historical forms of Britain, Europe, and Asia. More importantly, the characters are finely crafted, well-rounded, and complete -- no two-dimensional, black and white definitions here.
While despising the evil actions taken, the character definition allows you to understand motivations and to some extent identify with even the worst individuals. At the same time, even the heroes have flaws, flaws which are intrinsic to the high standards they try to follow.
There are no "Disney deaths" in this series. Also, there is no guarantee that good or admirable characters will win; they are in real danger, from real evil, and it becomes apparent that there is some bad in even the best of us.
Rating:
Summary: "All sorts of people are calling themselves kings"
Review: The first book in this series set up a clear precedent in terms of Martin's writing style. This author likes to carry the reader through the action using the perspective of different characters, has no qualm in killing characters that would never die in most fantasy series, and enjoys shocking his audience with totally unforeseen events. In the end of "A Game of Thrones" we find out that dragons have just returned to this world, fact that left most readers eager to jump right into "A Clash of Kings" as soon as they could.
Summer has ended after more than ten years, and everyone is getting ready for the long winter that is certainly coming. But there are other much more important things to consider, because after the death of King Robert, the Seven Kingdoms are divided once more. Joffrey was named King, but there are already people challenging his right to the throne on the basis that his mother, Cersei, has not borne any children by King Robert. All the kids are the result of Cersei's affair with her brother Jaime, and this is slowly becoming vox populi.
Joffrey is being challenged from multiple fronts, Stannis and Renly, King Robert's brothers, are both seeking to rule in the Seven Kingdoms. Meanwhile, Robb Stark is consolidating his power in the North and is ready to fight. Of course there are other layers that complicate matters even more, since Robb holds Jaime Lannister as a prisoner, while Cersei controls the destiny of Robb's sister, Sansa. The girl is betrothed to Joffrey, but now she does not want to be his wife anymore and is being held against her will.
Gendry, Robert's illegitimate child and real heir to the throne does not even know about his rights, and has been taken out of King's Landing by a company that is traveling towards the Wall to join the Black. Arya is also part of this group, traveling disguised as a boy and trying to escape unharmed from Cersei's reach. The only other character that I feel must be mentioned is Tyrion, Cersei's brother, and new Hand of the King. This misshapen dwarf is my favorite character so far because of his intelligence and the way in which he compensates for his physical disabilities with his crafty schemes. I also like the fact that it is almost impossible to determine whether he is using his ploys to go about his evil ways or to find justice for those that deserve it.
This duality in most of the characters is one of the main factors that make this series so enjoyable. It is uplifting to find an author that has no fear from separating himself from the traditional good vs. bad pattern and presents the readers with more human characters, who possess both good and bad qualities. There is no question in my mind about the quality of this sequence: it is one of the best fantasy series out there. I understand that some people may find some of the language to be offensive and some of the scenes depicted by Martin to be too brutal. I am not bothered by this; but even those who are should know that there are so many outstanding features in this work, like the rich plot, the incredibly depth characters, the relentless action and the superior narration, that make this and the others novels in the series worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: Great Book - Soon a Game!
Review: I love this book!
And now there's a full color, 400+ page, hardback resource book/game coming out.
- authorized by GRRM
- resource book
- two game systems
- lots of *sweet* art
- numbered edition (1st 500 are signed!)
Go to the company's website to learn more:
http://agot.guardiansorder.com/
Rating:
Summary: Great, just absolutely amazing.
Review: This book has some of the best writing I've ever seen. I really like it! If you want hardcore byzantine intrigue where any character can die, this is the book for you!
Rating:
Summary: Great story and plots.
Review: Can't add to much from previous reviews but the middle of book was a little slow but no problem. Can't wait for 3rd and 4th book for the end of the 2nd book sounded a little fishy, hehehe. Something is up. Great series. I started reading this series due to Amazon.com reviews I read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, but I'm not happy with Microsoft Reader version
Review: I like the "Song of Fire and Ice" series - George RR Martin does a fine job of developing the characters and having something in one area affect what's going on somewhere else. I'm not a fan of his describing things like infant murder, incest and other things - but if you can ignore those tiny pieces, the books will engage you.
What I do NOT like is the Microsoft Reader e-book version of this book. When I purchased this book in this format, I expected to get an EXACT replica of the book as it is in print form. They got it 95% right - it contains the cover, the dedication, the appendix, etc. What stinks is that they include the front and back inside covers which are maps of the North and South - but they are NOT READABLE!! I was overjoyed to see they were included, so I could set a marker and bounce back and forth to the maps while reading the book - that's a great feature. BUT - the image of the map is far too small - the individual castle names cannot be read! MS Reader includes a feature that allows you to zoom in on the picture - it doesn't help! The pictures are in a such a poor resolution... I cannot fathom why they would bother to include these maps if they are too small to be read by the reader. I emailed Amazon but they did not reply to my complaint (likely since ebooks are not returnable).
Buy this book (the whole series) - you will become engrossed with each character and plot turn. It truly is difficult to put down! But, avoid this Microsoft Reader version. Since DRM-secured PDF's can currently only be read on the PC and Palm, users who want a good PPC version are out of luck.
Rating:
Summary: Martin delivers again!
Review: If you thought #1, A Game of Thrones, was good, get prepared for a Clash of Kings!In an incredible feat of storytelling, Martin has upped the standard yet again, something I thought could not be done after the monumental achievement of A Game of Thrones. The intrigue continues, more hell breaks loose, and power never seems to stay in one place for long. For those that read Martin's first book in the series, he delivers again--the plot is just as unpredictable, the characters are developed some more, and new POVs are added to the roster (Theon and Davos). For those thinking they can start from here--I wouldn't try it. There is a huge cast of characters in very intricate situations layered in shady motives, loyalties, and betrayals--starting here would be very difficult. That is not to say that this book is confusing, however; all the characters are realistic and memorable, so fans will find they know House leaders, retainers, and knights without really making an effort to learn them in the first place. A lot happens in this book, and by the end, you'll be shocked. Martin is peerless when it comes to holding an audience; more is always revealed, but newer, more urgent questions always arise. I think you will not be able to keep yourself from reading #3, A Storm of Swords, immediately afterwards! ;)
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