Rating: 
Summary: Great book, even better series
Review: I found this book under the "readers of this also bought.." section of Jordan's "New Spring"I had nothing to lose with starting a new fantasy series since Wheel of Time had become such a dissapointment. It took almost no time at all to get completely engrossed in the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. Besides having a cool name, Martin's style is just incredible. He creates a new world where nothing is held back. There is none of the usual "the hero is invincible and everyone will be happy at the end" promise. It's a dark and gritty story and I absolutely love it. Though the books can be frustrating at times with the way Martin sets up his "chapters" this series is far and away my favourite fantasy series, and every book Martin writes, I will read. It is that good. As I said, the book does get frustrating, so if you are the sort of person who can't wait for a story to unfold, then this is not for you. At the end of the 3rd book, despite a TON that has happened and kept you captivated, you are just getting into the middle of the story. The end of every book promises something more interesting to come in the next and I am eagerly awaiting the 4th books release, postponed to August, much to many fans dissapointment, I'm sure.
Rating:
Summary: Great series!
Review: I was surprised by this series, a friend of mine who knew I loved Robin Hobb, lended me the first one in the series (this one) and I started reading. He just laughed when I called him two days later and said "give me the next one NOOOOW!" and told him that I had stayed up all night reading. Yes, they are That good.
The characters are wonderful, with depth and different reasons. No one's pure evil, they all have good and bad sides. Many of them also grow and make fantastic and realistic changes throughout the series. I like that.
There are only two bad thing about these books
1. It feels that it is a man who wrote it, some of the war-explainations are a little bit manly and just a slight bit boring. But I still like it and wouldn't want it any other way.
2. The rape scenes. I hate, and I mean HATE, reading rape-scenes. The reason I read fantasy is to get away from this horrible world we live in, not to read things like that, blood and war and death I can handle, but not this. I still like the series and I still think they're worth it, but I'm thinking about cutting out those pages... It feels like a cheap way of making you hate someone or feel something... I don't like it. But the series is still worth it, unless you hate them more than I do...
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: This is an excellent book series that I have started rereading since the fourth book "A Feast of Crows" is to be published soon. Martin is truly a wonderful author with amazing characters and an interesting plot. Though some people may be turned away by the recommendation from Robert Jordan (because they are sick of waiting for him to end his Wheel of Time Series), these books are better than Jordan and there is a firm limit on the number of books; six.
The writing style is very good in that it lets you view multiple characters perspectives on the same major events. You will come to loathe some characters and love others. The emotions that Martin evokes are exactly what you would hope for in a great fantasy series.
Other points of note are these: magic does not seem to be a sort of "deus ex machina" as it is in other fantasty novels.
The characters whose perspectives you share are both good and bad; as opposed to being extremely one-sided.
Martin is unafraid of killing whatever characters he feels should die. Although certain characters stand out, there does not seem to be a superhero (at least not yet). These books are a fantastic read and a great addition to any fantasty reader's library
Rating:
Summary: Best Fantasy Novel I have ever Read
Review: This book is definately the best fantasy novel I have ever read. I have always prefered fantasy novels and that have a grim realism to them and this book is exactly that and more. It is actualy one of the best books I have ever read, ranked next to those by Gary Jennings. The Song of Ice and Fire is far better in my opinion that any other fantasy novel out there.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible Fantasy book
Review: This is a page turning must read. This guy can write. Best Fantasy Series ever. Rivals Lord of the Rings. Buy it. Buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Fanastic writing
Review: I was amazed at this wonderful story telling I found in these books. There is nothing better then picking up a book you know nothing about and finding the most wonderful story inside. I have all the books now that are out in the series and will read each more then once I am sure. The first book I read for 8 hours straight and did not ever realize it. Most amazing story telling that can not be put down.
Rating:
Summary: Martin has taken the epic fantasy genre to a new level
Review: I am a huge fan of epic fantasy, but sometimes find myself wondering why so many authors make their stories so predictable. I was pleasantly surprised by a "A Game of Thrones", since not only Martin's writing style is superior to most, the characters are complex and engaging, there is political intrigue, alliances and treason, but also because the author surprises the reader several times throughout the novel. There are plenty of twists and turns that add a great deal to the interest of the book, and the reader is kept on his toes by the death of characters that in other series would "never die". There is a considerable portion of the book in which the fantastic elements are very limited, with the story introducing more and more of these as it progresses. The "world" in which the epic unravels is composed by the Seven Kingdoms, protected on the north by The Wall, which is defended by the Night Watch to prevent "mysterious creatures" from invading. Winter is coming, and this is the time in which the Night Watch should be more alert. The length of the winter varies and is said to be proportional to that of the summer that preceded it; so this one is expected to be a very long one. This first book focuses on two families, the Starks and the Lannisters. The former rule Winterfell, which is located in the North, and the later are related to King Robert through the marriage of their sister to the monarch. Eddard Stark is selected as Hand of the King by his friend Robert and has to go to court, leaving Winterfell under the control and supervision of his wife, Catelyn, and his eldest son, Robb. Eddard has two other sons; one of these is named Bran, who loves to climb and suffers an "accident" shortly before his father leaves. He also has two daughters, who are going to the court with him, and an illegitimate son, Jon, who has decided to join the Night Watch. The Lannisters are known for being conniving and for addressing their favors to whoever suits their purposes best. We are also introduced to the Tangaryen, which was the reigning house until King Robert won the throne. Viserys and his sister Daenerys, a maid of thirteen years, dream of recovering their previous grandeur and recover their throne. George R. R. Martin uses the different characters' perspectives to tell the story, and succeeds in conveying the differences among them to the reader. He also combines with surgical precision all the different elements that make an outstanding epic fantasy. This book has political intrigue, conspiracies, unusual "rules", magic, odd creatures and much more! In terms of the creatures, each house has its corresponding animal, and these become more and more important throughout the book. It is clear to me that Martin has created something extraordinary, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Especially since in the end of this one there is a huge surprise that leaves the reader with his mouth open and wondering what will come next.
Rating: 
Summary: Refreshingly spontaneous fiction
Review: Reading these books has been one of the most refreshingly new experiences I have had in the world of fantasy in a long time. The plots are fascinating and multi-tiered, drawing the reader in by making them guess as to what's happening next. The realism is extraordinary, with a careful attention to detail that manages to come across as an improvement, not an obsession. Martin is a genius at throwing little clues out to his readers, drawing you onward as you put the puzzle pieces together. The particular genius, however, that places this book on a level with authors such as Tolkien and Asimov is the storytelling method.
Martin destroys the convention of simply following a character around and swamping the reader in unnecessary background. Instead, he vividly brings his world to life through small details: the heraldry of noble houses, the scholar-doctor "maesters" and other little things. By constantly switching perspectives, Martin puts a story together that could almost be real, building piece on piece, all from different (and biased) points of view. And what points of view they are! The characters are works of genius, some of the most three-dimensional people I have ever read in fantasy literature. From the scheming, acid-tongued dwarf Tyrion Lannister to the troubled but dutiful wife Catelyn Stark, each character is believable down to the last detail.
All in all, I would not hesitate to recommend this story to every reader I know.
Rating:
Summary: good start
Review: this book is excellent and all around entertaining. the story starts a little slow, but the final 200 pages are awesome. the only thing i was not a fan of was the graphic sex. i am an adult, but i thought some of the in depth descriptions of sex organs (especially male) was a little tasteless. However it was a small problem and overall this is a great story, if you have the patience for a series over 2000 pages long in only 3 books.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow, I am in a serious minority..
Review: I agree though, with all the bad reviews. It took me 2 weeks to read this because I kept throwing it in the corner in disgust. There isn't one truly sympathetic character in the entire book. The author's need to obsess over ever detail appeals to some I suppose, but he should have at least tried to stick to some semblance of realism thru a little bit of research. His incredible lack of knowledge in all things martial led to me shaking my head over and over. The plot appears to be a simple action-reaction device. No real continuity is developed, and no hard distinctions are drawn giving me a reason to root for one side or another. The sex scenes are completely gratuitous, seemingly only there to titillate his reader's baser instincts. The author has not learned that a story can be made finer, a scene more solemn or horrific or suspenseful, by leaving some details unspoken. A few specific problems I had that just jumped out at me for being so unrealistic: Making a midget in poorly fitting armor who has trouble just walking some kind of invincible warrior is utterly ridiculous. Jon severely burning his hands in the zombie fight. Puhlease... the author might at least have lit some cloth on fire and noticed that it is pretty hard to burn yourself from a quick snatch and grab as described in the book. Arya tripping in a wheel rut and breaking a nail after so much physical training which implicitly included tumbling. It is completely unrealistic that she would have been so emotionally shaken as to trip in a wheel rut and hurt herself. Muscle memory is a wonderful thing. That scene was so at odds with the training she'd been recieving, and for the life of me I could see no purpose. It detracted from the story because it instantly invalidated all the hard training. No HEROES. Not only are their no flawed heroes...there are NO HEROES at all in this book. The closest thing to heroes are Robb and Jon. Robb being some kind of great strategist in command of a bunch of war-hardened veterans is of course beyond belief, because no real context is given that would have led us to believe he has a head for strategy. And Jon is constantly second guessing himself like a ww2 era frenchman. In the end, this book strikes me as being written at a young-adult level in regards to the "child-heroes" and the simple-minded plot, but with an attempt to make it palatable to adults with it's sex and it's contrived complexities. I suppose I'm spoiled by the likes of Tolkein, Asimov, Heinlein and Herbert. This dreck goes on the "target" pile for my next range day.
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