Rating: 
Summary: Definitely worth reading....
Review: But not of the caliber suggested by other reviewers on this site, in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I started and finished this book in a reasonably short amount of time, and I would say it occupied my dreaming mind for a short spell or two while I wasn't reading it, but I fail to see the "epic" grandeur others seem to find within its pages.The book is indeed rather dark, peppered with rape, violent murder, and other generally disgusting behaviors that, yes, may have been prevalent in feudal society. But how is this a redeeming feature? This is not a book of history, it is a book of fantasy. I don't necessarily mind that main characters get hewn down, children repeatedly get used and abused, and the plot just generally seems to go down a dark road, but I did find myself occasionally wishing for something nice to happen to someone. I am not trying to be unfair to this book, as I have since picked up and quickly read its sequel. I can definitely say that I enjoy the narrative style of the book, which shifts from character to character, thereby seamlessly elaborating on what become multiple interesting plots and subplots. I enjoy the tidbits of magic and mystery, which in this book are merely harbingers of what's to come in later installments, I feel sure. And I find many of the characters well-drawn and interesting. This is a solidly good book, and I enjoyed it, but I just wanted to add my voice here and indicate that I don't see it as the glowing piece of miraculous fiction others speak of. I do recommend it, but keep in mind that neither it nor its sequels offer many pleasant or uplifting plot turns.... so keep some other lighter fare at hand as well if you are, like me, a little on the empathic side. :)
Rating:
Summary: Was it really that many pages?
Review: I must admit I almost stayed away from this series after noticing the length of the books. However, I finished this one in just a few weeks. By contrast, LOTR took me almost a year to read when I first read it. For the modern reader, this book flows nicely despite the length. Much going on and it is surprisingly fast paced. Very well done. The uniqueness is the blurred lines between good and evil. I find myself rooting for the Imp, even though I know he is supposedly on the wrong side. However, shy away from this if you can't stomach a more blunt and graphic style of writing. By this I refer to the detailed scenes involving sex, rape, and a few of the battle scenes. However, it makes this series seem more realistic and makes it stand out from the author's contemporaries. And if you do not like the "all points of view" style like the movie "traffic," stay away from this one (the shifting back and forth can be disruptive when something good happens right at the end of a chapter, and the story moves to another character). It's not for everyone, but finally a quality fantasy book is available that is not meant for children. I like it, and if what I hear is true about Clash of Kings, I'll fly through that one even faster.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant, though not without its faults
Review: Well, what can I say? This book is a truly brilliant package of paper and ink. Unlike a lot of authors who invent their own worlds, Martin has used a wide vocabulary to create this fantasy world so that it is very believable. We as the readers can connect with the actions of several of the characters and also with the setting because it is so like our own history, yet not exactly.
It was heart breaking what happened to Eddard Stark. I nearly cried. I found the incestuous relationship between Cersei and Jaime Lannister somewhat disturbing, especially since they have three children together and having sex was something that they had chosen to do. I mean if they had some sort of custom to inbreed like the Targaryens then I might not be so disgusted.
I enjoyed Martin's detailed descriptions for the most part, but was it really necessary to give us the low down on what everybody who made an entrance was wearing? I think not. Did we have to be privy to every pissing break that a character made? I definitely think not.
Don't be intimidated by the size of this book. Once you get into it, it's really not that long because the story grabs onto you and never lets go. You could be like me who skipped all the chapters having to do with the dragon queen, Daenerys (or however you spell the dumb name). I gather I did not miss much in doing this from other reviews that I've read. Besides, reading about a fourteen-year-old girl who has sex with and gets pregnant by her barbaric, late twenty-something-year-old husband
does not appeal to me. That's not sexy.
This book does not disappoint. It's got everything: drama, adventure, action, romance (I guess), mystery (though minimal),
and a small look at the fantasy monsters to come in the next two books. So enjoy.
Cíao,
Rahil
Rating: 
Summary: The finest of the epic fantasies
Review: In the world of fantasy literature, there are a few massive, seemingly unending epics whose authors' names we hear time and time again, and rightly so. To craft a work so colossal in scope is a daunting task, and few can pull it off. At the top of a short list stands George R. R. Martin, author of the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. These books avoid several pitfalls of the fantasy genre that many others cannot. First, it's refreshing to read a high fantasy with a plot that doesn't hinge on one Ultimate Bad Guy who's bent on destroying the entire world for motives that are hackneyed, dubious, or simply omitted. Such fantasies can certainly be interesting, but we all know how they will end: within the first hundred pages of the first book, we know who the invincible hero is, and we know that he will live to fight and defeat the Ultimate Bad Guy on page 996 of the last book. The conflict that begins to unfold in Martin's "A Game of Thrones" is much more real, and more believable. It is multifaceted as well; by the second book in the series, there are not two sides to the conflict, but six. Furthermore, the sides are not so clearly defined. There are certainly virtuous and villainous characters to be found, but often honor hides behind a mask of darkness, and treachery beats in the hearts of heroes. And things only get better as the series goes on, which may seem unbelievable to those of us who have been waiting for six years for something, anything to happen in Jordan's stagnating "Wheel of Time." I've always been a fan of magic in fantasy novels, but "A Game of Thrones" is predominantly a military fantasy where its battles are concerned, and I find myself enjoying the break from the status quo. Magic and the supernatural are not absent from this series -- they do surface later on -- but they are otherworldly, alien. It's often mentioned in other fantasy worlds that commoners distrust magic because they don't understand it, and I find it interesting to be sharing their point of view for once. Martin doesn't need magic to craft a peerless tale. There is also a much greater focus on political intrigue than you'd normally expect to find in a book of this nature, and it's truly fascinating and well-done. The constant maneuvering and double-dealings in this book keep the story moving in ways you won't guess; this is perhaps the least predictable of all the many fantasies I've read. Events that you think are unavoidable may not turn out at all as you'd imagined, and characters you were sure would live forever can meet a tragic twist of fate at any time. Sudden attacks and surprises lose some of their appeal in other novels when you know for certain who will survive; such is not the case in Martin's book. The dialogue is well above average for the genre as well. It happens too often that fantasy characters are constantly given lines that no one would ever speak aloud, but Martin's dialogue is much better. Tyrion, especially, is so much fun to read; I often find myself laughing at his jokes. Finally, the world that Martin has constructed is instantly believable and exquisitely detailed. A painstakingly crafted history is evident from the first pages of the book, and makes everything more believable, from the world itself to the motivations of its characters. The Seven Kingdoms look a lot more like a place that might actually exist than a romanticized vision of medieval times. I can't imagine what anyone would hold against this book. There are a ton of names and events to follow, but if you're a fan of fantasy, that should be nothing new. And the appendix helps if you get lost. For those of you who are tired of predictable plots and stereotypical characters, for those of you who are tired of fantasy series that start strong and then go nowhere, pick up "A Game of Thrones," and never look back.
Rating:
Summary: Easily the best fantasy in years
Review: Being a fantasy book enthusiast is alot like searching for gold during the 19th century gold rush. You have to slog through alot of dirt, mud and general filth in order to find just a few nuggets of the shiny stuff. George R.R. Martin's "A Game of Thrones" is probably the biggest nugget that I have yet found.
The book defies hasty description. I've read that it can be summed up as a "War of the Roses" type setting with different families vying for power, but that simply does not do the book justice. Court intrigue, sex, violence; Martin does not shy away from the worst descriptions. And boy can Martin write!
Every character is unique and interesting-there are no cardboard cut-out figues who can be neatly seperated into good and bad. The story is told through multiple points of views, from a medieval kingdom/town type setting to old wind-swept outposts to fascinating foreign lands and cultures. However, the part of the book that hooked me most was its unpredicatable nature. "Good guys" die with unsettling regularity; I defy anyone to read the book and claim that they could have predicted events.
So there you have it. An exciting fantasy from an author who knows how to write and that actually gets better as the series progresses. Get it now!
Rating:
Summary: Thank God for GRRM
Review: Jordan fell by the wayside for me 4 or 5 books back. It astounds me that anyone still reads his books. Tad Williams quickly and easily filled the void with Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn and his Otherland series. Then I read the Song of Fire and Ice series based on reviews I read here and I was converted. I can't top or add to anything already written about these books. I highly recommend them for anyone who enjoys fantasy in the slightest.
Rating:
Summary: A Once in a Decade Read
Review: This has got to be one of the best fantasy novels I've ever read, and certainly the best I've read lately. On par with (perhaps even superior to) the Darkover series by Marion Zimmer Bradley, A Game of Thrones is set in a world built 360 degrees out from whatever you're reading on the page. The writing skills of George R. R. Martin are superlative: even his minor characters are distinct. And his plotting skill is more than impressive, making this book a thrilling page turner as well as a satisfying fantasy read. The one complaint I have is that even after 800 pages it ended too soon. You know how once in a decade you read something that puts you in a world that you don't want to leave? Well, this is that once in a decade read. I can't wait to get to the rest of this series!
Rating:
Summary: Enthralling
Review: This is one of those books that you can not put down. You have no idea what is going to happen next and when you guess you are often wrong. The plot line is not a line at all. Just like real life characters change and things go haywire some time. This book is really light fantasy that most readers will enjoy regardless of genre. Martin writes a very good non stop story.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Book
Review: Possibly one of the most amazing books I have ever read. Same goes for books 2 and 3 of a Song of Ice and Fire.
Rating:
Summary: One thing worth mentioning...
Review: ...Is that this is the funniest fantasy series out there (that I've read anyway). I think one of the downfalls of this genre is its sense of self-importance. This is absent from ASoI&F. And while it has a clever sense for the absurd, it never declines into parody. These books deal with adult topics (sex, violence, etc) in ways that are not romanticized like they usually are in this genre. For example, a couple of the main characters are disabled, and it is dealt with in such an honest fashion (they have unique strengths apart from their disabilities), I really appreciated it. It seems that in so many fantasy epics everyone is beautiful, strong, intelligent, or they're pure evil and/or dead. While I don't think this series is necessarily the best example of fantasy (LotR of course), I do think it is the best example of a fantasy that has something new to say. Robert Jordan tried to say something new in this genre, and by the 5th book, totally lost control of it. Hopefully that won't happen to this series.
|
