Rating: 
Summary: Hints of magic.
Review: The series written by Martin is tremendous, but I find myself disturbed by the fixation that some people have on the 'lack of magic' in the series. These are likely the same sorts of people who likely spend 8 hours a day fireballing goblins in Diablo II, but nonetheless I feel required to respond. Martin understands the most important lesson that Lord of the Rings has to teach: Magic is most impressive and exciting when it is rare, inscrutable, and _hard to use_. There is an interview on barnesandnoble.com linked to this book in which Martin describes how he dealt with magic in the series. In keeping with the Lord of the Rings, magic is a truly rare and wonderful thing, actually linked in the tale (for those paying attention) to the existence of dragons. Martin duly notes that there is little about Gandalf in Lord of the Rings that suggests overt magical power. To do so is to lapse into the clumsy, heavy-handed stylings of folks like Jordan and Brooks, where magic is everywhere. Gandalf uses fireworks. He scares some goblins. He opens a magical door. He chases off a ringwraith. He fights a Balrog (in retrospect). In the end, we see he wears a ring of power. But has he spent book after book raining magical death on his foes? Nope. And the series is better for it. Here we see a similar effect, by an author intentionally acknowledging and following Tolkien's superb example. By the third book there is little question that magic exists, but it is as whimsical and capricious as all the other elements in the story. If you make magic and wonder common and passe, you dilute the very elements of the fantasy epic that some people here are complaining do not exist.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply Lame
Review: I don't know, honestly, what anyone sees in this book. It is substandard fiction and grossly boring: nothing happens in the first 70 pages. If the author does not bother to structure the plot to make something, anything, happen in the first 70 pages, he deserves to suffer in whatever literary hell there is. The prologue is good, and it made me think that I was about to get swept away into an exciting, richly immagined story. WRONG! The next 60 pages are just boring. The world describes is hardly richly immagined and the language is hard to fall in love with. The characters are just run of the mill genre cutouts. I hate being cheated. This book is simply lame.
Rating:
Summary: Best series currely in progress
Review: This is the best series of any kind written since Isacc Asmovs Foundation. Like the Foundation series Song of ice and fire is written with the basic model of a historic event. While the foundation series is based off of the fall of the roman empire, Song of ice and fire is based off of Englands war of the roses. Both of these series take real human events and turn them into execellent fiction that is both deeper and more entertaning than what I have come to expect from a fatasy or science fiction author. What sets this book apart is how Martin uses a first person writing style to explain the characters actions, but he does it in a way that is barely noticalble. The characters in this series are not only well thought out they each have different and often subtle motivations that change resolably in reaction to the events that soround them. There are no real boo hoo plotlines and no miraculous changes of heart. Every time a character does somthing suprizing, it is because the view that the character had been seen through was one sided, or just didn't know all of the facts. This is also not the usuall fell good series. Every major character good or bad is a target to be killed. The bad guys win just as much as the good. And most importantly there are no real super characters. In most other series there is a character usully the lead, who has the abilitly to single-handly kill all of his enemys heal the sick, and make all of the women in the story tall and beutifull. This series has none of that. The leaders are just as mortal as slaves. The champions lose when they face impossible odds and the characters good or bad who fight the smartest are the ones that win.
Rating:
Summary: Extraordinary
Review: George R.R. Martin has a true talent for language, dialogue, and characterization. There are no "good" and "bad" guys in this story, and no one character takes center stage. Instead you will hear the varied voices of many characters and if you are like me, you will find yourself rooting for them all, even though that seems to be an impossible contradiction since they can't all "win" in the end. Martin is a master of surprise plot twists and character developments. Just when when I thought I had someone all figured out, something completely unexpected would occur, suddenly throwing things in an entirely different light. He must have taken some cues from field of mystery, because he disguises his character's loyalties and motivations extremely well. When someone turns around to put a knife in another's back, you will never see it coming. I gave up trying to predict what would happen next; the ending had me completely stunned and in a daze for hours afterwards. This is Martin's strength and also his greatest sourse of frustration: he is ruthless and unmerciful when it comes to dishing out trouble in which to to embroil his characters. He paints them all with such love and feeling, yet can tear them down with equal zeal. Martin's style is dense and complex. This is a book to be savored and studied with the care of an archeologist unearthing precious fossils, and definitely not a casual read. It is still fast-paced and filled with action, and Martin can make even a simple conversation sizzle with intrigue and subtle manipulation. Martin is an expert at description and mood as well; I can still hear the eerie howls of a direwolf on the hunt whenever I think of a particular battle scene, even months later. He has one odd habit though which I found both amusing and slightly distracting, and that is that he often stops the action to describe in great detail the clothing a character is wearing as soon as he or she enters the scene. In a world where one's allegiance to family and "house" is of upmost importance, sometimes this can be significent, but all too often it seems more like a medieval fashion show. Book 2 is sitting on my desk, beckoning. I look forward to re-entering Martin's world with both anticipation and tripidation. Be prepared to have your heart alternately filled and then torn out, and be ready for the unexpected. This is not an ordinary book.
Rating:
Summary: A true MASTERPIECE
Review: I just want to write an additional echo to those that have already been written here. I can't think of ANY book I've read in the past 5 years that will stay with me like 'A Game of Thrones' will. Pure talent went into the writing of this book. For those expecting to read a fantasy on the heels of Terry Brooks, or Jordan or any number of novels in print these days beware: this book couldn't possibly be more different. Magic isn't obvious. Resolutions to problems are not neatly wrapped in a package to put a smile on our face at the end of the book. Major characters may or may not meet an untimely demise. Those who you previously thought were good guys may turn out to be as bad as they come. In short, EXPECT the UNEXPECTED. Go ahead and just TRY to predict what is going to happen. I can almost guarantee you'll be wrong (if you end up right, you might wanna try looking into becoming one of those 1-900 Psychics...). All of the traditional 'ideas' we have come to expect in a novel are thrown out the window with 'A Game of Thrones'. Nothing is as it seems. And expect a grand ride on a roller-coaster of pure adrenaline. Simply put THE GREATEST Fantasy series in print today, and quite possibly the best of all-time. I LOVED this book, I can't say it any more plain than that. And as you can see from other's who have reviewed this book, I am NOT alone.
Rating:
Summary: Martin vs. Jordan
Review: I am upset at all the people who are bashing Jordan and saying that Martin blows him away. Martin is a great author, but let me remind everyone that Jordan's first three Wheel of Time books were amazing as well. They didn't start slowing down until about the fourth or fith book. Let us not pass judgement until Martin comes out with more than three books, because that is when Jordan started going down hill. Then we can either crown Martin as the king of epic fantasy, or relize that Jordan is just as good. By the way, to everyone who cut down Goodkind, his latest novel was great!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Fantasy
Review: A book I couldn't put down. A wonderfull story, with characters that come more to life than in any other book I've read in a looong while. Comparable to Tom Clancy in size and details, but so much more rewarding to read. I love it!
Rating:
Summary: Everyone should be required to read this book...
Review: During a particularly juicy part of this book, I just stopped reading, looked up, and felt sorry for all the people who still haven't experienced this great series. Folks, Im telling you right now, it doesnt even matter if you like fantasy or not, you will LOVE this book. It is a masterpiece. The characters are developed better than any book I have ever read and the story and plot are so good and immersive that you will have trouble going back to reading 'normal' books. Martin tears Robert Jordan to peices. He absolutely blows him out of the water. I can't image going back and reading the Wheel of Time after experiencing this series. Please, If you still havent read this good book, order now, you are in for an experience.
Rating:
Summary: It doesn't get any better than this!
Review: George R.R. Martin makes a huge breakthrough with this well written, immediately engrossing, and incredibly intricate tale that keeps you hooked all the way through. Martin steps out on a limb as he writes a fantasy novel whose "good" characters are not invincible and sometimes bad things can and do happen. Most fantasy I've read involves the main characters in impossible situations that resolve themselves by dumb luck or the characters own super-human abilities. Martin goes above and beyond and writes a story that allows for inexperience in a characters fighting ability, both on the battle field and in the political arena. The protagonist does not always make the right decisions, and the good guy doesn't always win. The lines between good and evil are blurred as Martin uses his impressive command of characters to present situations from different points of view. "Good" isn't always good, and "Evil" isn't always evil. Characters are given diverse personalities and therefore open up the possibility of role-reversal. It's like these are real people making real decisions, and as in life, anything is possible. If your looking for a story that follows a one-dimensional track and is easily predictable, this is not the story for you. On the other hand, if you want a mature story that is filled with intricate characters and engrossing story lines that leave you guessing and begging for more, you've come to the right place. Hats off to this incredible author and the story that he has created.
Rating: 
Summary: Fantasy it ain't...
Review: Before I begin, I have to say that I do appreciate the fact that this is a well written book with well developed characters and plot. So why only three stars? Ah, where to begin... First, you must ask yourself what it is that makes you a fan of the fantasy genre. What attributes must a book possess for you to qualify it as fantasy anyway? Is it simply the lack of technology in the books? Must magic and fantastic creatures be involved as well? Do we simply need to substitute swords for guns? This is a highly subjective point, I know, but an important point if you're reading these reviews trying to decide if these books will be something you'd enjoy, thus warranting a purchase. From my point of view, magic, unicorns and/or dragons are not necessary for a work to be classified as fantasy. To me, a medieval setting coupled with HEROIC and NOBLE characters battling evil and tranny are the are the stuff of which fantasy is made; something this book is completely lacking. A Game of Thrones is realistic... depressingly so. One of the primary reasons I read fantasy is to escape into a world where the ideals of truth and justice are still upheld and good triumphs over evil. Don't get me wrong, I love a good bit of gritty realism in my books; I like to "smell the dirt" as it were - which is one of the reasons I never much liked the Dragonlance series - but I always have to have that little ray of light in my fantasy books, and A Game of Thrones revels in dark, dreary realism with nary a "ray of light" to be seen. As someone said below, it's more like a medieval Tom Clancy novel, and it works as such: a five star book full of political intrigue. But for those of you who share my view of what fantasy is, you'll almost certainly be dissapointed. Perhaps if you begin reading this book without any expectations, you'll be able to derive more enjoyment from it. I think now that my eyes are opened, I'll enjoy the rest of the books in the series a lot more. But fantasy it ain't.
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