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Summary: A Game of Thrones
Review: Do yourself a favor and read this book. The next two are just as fantastic. Best books since the Bible! (J/K) However, they are my favorite books; I just can't get enough of the story. I highly recommend this book, as well as the other two (soon to be more), to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: I would rate this book a 10 out of 5 if I could...
Review: Beautiful. Captivating. Imaginative. FANTASTIC. Need I say more? Of course.I have read Robert Jordan, Brian Jacques, Terry Goodkind, JRR Tolkein (even before the movie came out) (my father is a Tolkein fan), Terry Brooks, and Mark Anthony. Perhaps more, but I can't remember them all. I was at first skeptical about the quality of this book, but when I saw that 28 out of 30 people gave it a 5-star and glowing review, I tried it. And I have gone to bed at 12:30 am every night because I simply cannot put it down! 3 dimensional characters, with villians that we can identify with. Villains that you can take pity on, and heroes whose flaws shine through as much as their deeds. Not much magic, but alive with the tragedy, bravado, and inner feelings of every character. I used to rate Robert Jordan as my second favorite author (with the first as JRR Tolkein), but now I put him in 3rd, with George R.R. Martin as 2nd. Fantastic series, and I recommend this to all ages.
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Summary: Grim, realistic, epic, brilliant
Review: (...) the violence and sex: yes, this novel is incredibly brutal. The opening chapter sees an 8 year-old boy witnessing his father decapitating a traitor. If this doesn't tip you off, nothing will. Some parts of the novel are so violent and downright -mean- that they made me cringe. But you know what? That was a good thing. Martin's words is not filled with honorable heroes and scheming, Batman-style villains. His heroes are tormented by difficult choices, and his villains act with cruelty and without any mercy. And that's what's so great about it: it gives a believeable aura to Martin's world, one that will make you wonder why he is the only one to take this road. Compared to Martin, other fantasy authors seem to be writing about benign fantasy lands filled with gentle people and unimaginative villains. This overall brutality translates many times into shocks as you read through. No, heroes and loveable secondary characters do NOT always make it to the end. And when they die, they don't necessarily make a redeeming sacrifice that saves the land. Sometimes they die alone, unavenged, at the ends of cruel people. This made me reel from shock in some parts, making Martin's world so much more -dangerous- than any other fantasy world. All this to say, "A Game of Thrones" deserves to be called a modern masterpiece of fantasy, and it does stand very high in the genre. It's low-key approach to fantastic elements is refreshing, and the characters are exceptionally engaging, whether they're deluded little girls or cunning dwarves. Is it better than Tolkien? Do yourself a favor and don't think about it. For sure, it is certainly more in tune with the demands of modern fans for gritty, action-packed adventures. If you thought the LotR movies were better than the books because they packed more of a punch, then you'll think Martin is better than Tolkien. My own opinion is that they both deserve to feature on the shelf of any fantasy fanatic, and leave it at that.
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Summary: Historical Fantasy meets Machiavelli and Steven King
Review: I generally don't like long drawn out plots. But GRRM doesn't write long boring prose, too much filler conversation or too much unbelievable fantasy. Even though they are long, they move quickly. The Lannisters seem to take their clues directly from Machiavelli. The characters are simply wonderfully revealed. You love many and hate many. Others you love and hate at the same time. Many characters display amazing courage at times, yet they all have typical human flaws. North of the wall everything reminds me of a Steven King experience. There are no elves, hobbits or fairies, but there's hope of returning dragons. So far, this is my favorite series ever. I have read the first three books. I like it better than Tolkien, Jordan, Brooks, Eddings, Douglas, and others. Sometimes, great characters die too quickly, which can be discouraging, but there are so many great characters, that you still have friends to read more about.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This book is really excellent. Martin is the best writer in this genre I have seen.
Rating: 
Summary: requires patience, and a bottle of "No-Doz"
Review: The first chapter really grabs you and was good enough to make me read on, and on, and on until well into the third book to get to more of the same. The author certainly has created a host of excellent and compelling characters. Maybe too many to keep track of. He really keeps the reader guessing who should I be rooting for? I kept finding myself dreading another sub-plot and another side character that I think ruins the pace of this series. I think Mr. Martin needed a bit more discipline with the story to keep the readers level of interest. Overall the series is great, but I could do without the rape and sadistic themes that keep coming up. I think Martin wanted to keep these books dark, gritty, and cruel. The chapters on Jon Snow, Arya, and Bran are some of the best I read in a "fantasy" book. Maybe I should have skipped/skimmed the others.
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Summary: The Standard of Modern Fantasy
Review: JRR. Tolkien's LotR, the Hobbit and the posthumously published Silmarillion were the harbringers of modern fantasy, what started it all. But now, half a century later, most GOOD fantasy has moved away from Tolkien's world of elves and hobbits into more of a "fantistorical" world, that while not as magical or wondrous, is grittier and a bit more lifelike. No one commands this new way to write fantasy better than G.R.R. Martin, and his A Song of Ice and Fire books should set the standard now for all modern literature set in the same vein. His greatest strength is his use of characters: Jon, Tyrion and the others are all unforgettable and easy to cheer for. But just as strong as those who are in supporting roles: people like Jeor Mormant, Littlefinger, Barristan, Sandor Clegane. The list could go on. His characters are so rich, so multileveled, and ultimately so gray (rather than black and white) that ASoIaF is absolutely enthralling. His use of politics in the storyline is also first class, and his battle scenes are descriptive while still fast paced. Perhaps the only weak point is that the books lack an overhall cohesiveness...there is really no direction to the books, where the plot is actually moving forward, all the plot lines in concert with each other. But perhaps that is only a personal preference. Anyhow, the book is stellar, and all lovers of fantasy, or good literature in general, should read A Song of Ice and Fire.
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Summary: Best Epic series ever
Review: A Game of Thrones and the entire Song of Ice and Fire series have moved me in a way that no books have since I was exposed to the Lord of the Rings in fourth grade. I have read A LOT of fantasy novels - 2 to 3 a week, not to mention a large number of the literary classics, and this is the finest reading of any kind I have ever come across. As an aspiring author, Martin has totally altered my idea of what one can do with a story. The plot itself is compelling, but what makes these books truly stand out is the character development. There are countless noble families, each comprised of many people, all of whom somehow manage to have their own personalities. While most fantasy series' have a handful of main characters and thousands of faceless grunts, this series contains scores of distinctive characters who the reader comes to care about. Everyone has their own nickname and personality, and it means something to the reader when they die. That's the other remarkable thing in Martin's books. Everyone is expendable. In most novels, the reader knows that one or two peripheral characters may be killed, but that the quest will have a happy ending and most of the good guys will be there at the end. With Martin you don't know anything. You can never predict what's going to happen next, no one is sacred, and even the villians and good guys aren't consistent in how they are perceived. This is real; it's like reading history, not fiction. You feel like this could really happen, and that's what sets it apart from all the rest.
Rating:
Summary: The beginning of an excellent series
Review: The first volume of George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Fire and Ice" sets the tone for the series with rich complexity, deep characters, and multiple interwoven storylines forming the roots for a deep and sprawling story. Martin quickly establishes the main and viewpoint characters, which there are many of. Each is clearly defined and leaves a distinct impression on the mind of the reader, and most of them have changed and developed by the end of this volume. Also defined firmly is the complexity of the world of "A Song of Fire and Ice". Martin makes it clear that this world has a full history, and the Fantasy elements--magic, monsters, and strangenesss--are more subdued than many readers may be used to. The story revolves much more around the "Game of Thrones", an intense battle of politics and eventually swords between two opposing houses: the honorable Starks (whose ruling family represents most of the protagonists in this book) and the cunning Lannisters. Despite the intense realism that Martin fosters, Fantasy elements do exist and play an important role in the story. They're just not as obvious or immediately evident as in most books of this genre. It might be said that the sheer enormity of this work is its only true flaw. Each viewpoint character has his or her own situation, and the shifts from chapter to chapter are jarring, tending to move you over to the person farthest from the situation you've just been engrossed in. That said, each chapter will capture you just as well as the last by the time you're a few pages in--but that doesn't make the transition any less jolting. In addition, the novel seems extraordinarily long given the story that it tells. Martin spends a lot of time beginning threads and establishing every detail that he can, often going off on tangents to cause some change in a character or plant the roots for a later event. This is at once a virtue and a vice, as it (coupled with the aforementioned viewpoint shifts) makes the pacing a little slow, but further establishes the rich, deep feel of the story. Even still, it feels like Martin could have told this story with fewer words, especially given the fact that he plans six tomes of this enormous size. It's enjoyable reading, if overwhelming in the sheer quantity of words that you must read to proceed from one part of the story to the next. But despite the slow pacing and jolting viewpoint shifts, the novel remains interesting throughout. This more than anything else shows Martin's mastery, and I highly recommend this book to any Fantasy reader willing to brave the thousands of pages of the series.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Beginning To A Great Series!
Review: If you're wondering about starting a fantasy series, look no further! This book has it all; swordplay, romance, honor, duty, mythology, magic, the supernatural, and something that ties it all together...skepticism. Let me explain: Nothing is taken for face value within this book. All magic is doubted. All otherworldly happenings are dismissed by so many of the characters, although the reader knows of the possibility of their truth.
The greatness of this book and this series is the ability to show so many sides of one story. It's like watching an aerial view of a great chess match, and not knowing which side to pull for. And trust me...it only gets better!
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