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Summary: Excellent Fantasy
Review: This book is incredible. It is a breath of fresh air that is not the formulaic cookie cutter fantasy that appears so often. Martin creates exceptional characters that are also mortal and DON'T miraculously come back life. The writing is excellent. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys good literature, However if you are looking for a book where everything ends up shiny and happy then do not read this book. Martin does a marvelous job of creating shades of gray for the classical fantasy characteristics of "good" and "Bad" characters. This is an Origonal fantasy not a good guy goes on quest, good guy fights bad guy for fate of the universe, and good guy wins and everyone lives happily ever after. There are actually consequences for actions here. This is not to say i don't enjoy the other kind of fantasy, Martin's is just very refreshing.
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Summary: Best book I have ever read
Review: Never before was I involved in a book so deeply, so profoundly! never before was I emersed like that in a world, or toched by the carecters fate with such intensity that when it was finished I wept for days because I missed them all,and I couldent wait for the sequel to see what befell those people who were so real to me that they lived and breathed.There were scenes that were so real that I could actuely see them.I was there with them.And the languege so rich and beutiful.I loved the courting scene between Danya and her husbend where all he could say was one word,again and again, he said only that word and so captured her hart-brilient! The writer chose the right words that made the book so strong and sensitive at the same time. He maneged this without losing the pace of the story,the suspens and action. Bravo!
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Summary: Gripping story of kings and their thrones
Review: This book is the beggining of a wonderful story of a world of magic and kingdoms that seems so real you will think your there. The plot is so unpredictable you will never know what is coming next. The people are real and you will come to love them, hate them, and sometimes you'll feel a little bit of both.
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Summary: Song of Fire and Ice vs. David Eddings
Review: I don't know which of you uninformed readers posted the review that stated that David Eddings's Mallorean didn't "compare" with this to recent novel by Martin and I don't care to. For all of you who are intrested in either of this two series by Eddings or Martin go ahead and read them. Eddings has a less believe system of using magic but the books are all really well written and will leave you with a sense of completion when you're done. The only con to this book is that all the novels are in 'small' bit sized chunks.(400-700 words long) I personally like a longer read so that I get to know the characters better. That's where A game of Thrones really shines through. You will read this book and really get into it. I remember have hard it was after reading the first to wait for the second to come out. Both books are equally good and I recommend both. If you're stuck for ideas on what to read next, check the 25 top books on amazon.
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Summary: One of the best
Review: This (along with it's sequel) is definately one of the best fantasy novels I've read in quite awhile. There are plenty of good characters to follow and not all of them appear to be solely good or evil. It is definatly not your basic good guy versus bad guy novel. I'm not even sure who I think should win the throne. The fact that magic is used sparingly while still making an appearance is also appealing. The only problem I have with these books is that they are so easy to read they go by too quickly.
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Summary: Go ahead and read it
Review: I am an unabashed fan of fantasy. However, I am most often let down by the books of this admittedly limited genre. Let's face it folks, there will never be another Tolkein. You're wasting your time trying to find the next Lord of the Rings. But, if you are looking for a great book to read huddled under a blanket on a stormy night, which is what most of us Fantasy fans are seeking, then you can't go wrong with this one. The book features just about everything a fantasy fan is looking for: A smattering of magic, not too much, like Terry Goodkind's kitschy soups, swordplay, travel through perilous woods, betrayal, intrigue, and, yes it is the 21st century, sex. Read this book if you love fantasy and you're sick of the smaltzy dialogue and weak quest-based plots we've all accepted as "High Fantasy". Don't expect a young orphan to go on a quest for a magic sword, this book is too cynical for that formula to work. It isn't for the thin minded (the list of characters is imposingly large, and some of the descriptions wander into eye-glazing extravagance), but it is exceedingly fun to read. It reminded me in structure of Dorothy Dennit's similarly named *Game of Kings*, but it is neither as well-written nor nearly so boring.
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Summary: A New Benchmark for Fantasy
Review: George R.R. Martin's "A Clash of Kings" and "A Game of Thrones" have become the benchmark for all other fantasy novels. So far, none can even APPROACH these two books. (Including Brooks, Eddings, and Goodkind, although JV Jones' "A Cavern of Black Ice" comes close.) These two books break all of the old and tired sterotypes present in other fantasy novels. It is refreshing to read a book where the hero doesn't constantly "save the day" with their newly found magic. The characters are extremely well developed and realistic, and continuely get more interesting. The book is never dull, and I was always wondering what would happen next! (I'm dying for the third one! ) Martin has created a world that seems almost real, and even his handling of magic seems almost believable. I would recommend this book to everyone, even those who don't typically read fantasy. These books combine the very best from several genres... fantasy, suspense, mystery and action, and have become in my mind, the greatest fantasy novels to date.
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Summary: Finally somebody got it right again....
Review: After rereading Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time saga for the third or fourth time I was ready for a new world. I was looking for something new and refreshing and I found it by taking a chance on a name relatively unknown within this genre. The gleaming silver sheen of the hardcover jacket caught my eye while walking around my local book retailer. One page into it I knew I had found something special. Martin's writing is to modern fiction what Paul McCartney is to songwriting. Each sentence leads you to the next with such fluidity that you forget that you're reading a book. If you're ready for a refreshing change from the presently stagnant quagmire of contempory fantasy then this take a chance and try Game Of Thrones. You won't be sorry.
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Summary: Absorbing, but not without obvious flaws.
Review: Martin writes an ugly breathtaker, a "fantasy" book without wizards and magical orbs, gods and flying lizards. Yet, the political intrigue is enough to bind your eyes to the fine print, and the constant war, upheaval and death are charaters in their own right. The plot is complicated, but thankfully, not difficult to follow, and the characters seem to truly come alive - as our companions, or as hated foes, or (usually) both; the moral greyness is remarkable and lifelike. It's not a typical fantasy book either: the main characters keep dying abruptly (or not), and there isn't really a central "quest" for any "hero" (yes, both missing) to run after. Definitely enjoyable. Slight problem might be that the central characters keep making very stupid decisions, and indeed, the choices that the Starks make in resolving crucial matters seem consistently incorrect. Further, the children are blessed with uncommonly good sense and unlikely resourcefulness right from age 8: more than a little difficult to take in. Other than those and a few more minor complaints that I forget, this book comes recommended.
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Summary: A game of Thrones Review
Review: A Game of Thrones has to be one of the best books I have ever read. I have read all of Raymond E. Feist's books and I got recommended to read this book.. It looked big to me but when I read the first couple of pages I was into it very quickly. I just couldn't put the book down. This book has so much concept and depth it is excellent. I have started to read Vol II and it is as good as the first one.
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