Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic ride through an unpredictable plot!
Review: Usually, sooner or later, it always happens to us Science Fiction/Fantasy readers. We read all the classics, we try out the new guys. And then plots start to get predictable, and soon you're talking to yourself as you read, muttering, 'Okay, I saw THAT coming a mile and a half away!' This is the FURTHEST thing from your mind as you read this incredible book. As you begin it, you form an outline in your head, and smuggly think you have it pegged. Now all you have to do is fill in the details as you go along. Boy, are you in for a surprise. I thought I knew who the main characters would be, others whom I could shove off into the corner as irrelevant. Not so! Not so! Everyone has a purpose, even if it is not brought out in this book. Be forewarned, there is intricate history in this book. You must mentally keep track of who is who, who is an enemy, who is an ally... Only to have that twist on you in the last possible second. People you love die. People you HATE thrive. Martin is not weak in the respect that he is not unwilling to kill off a noble, loved character to further the plot, to further your entanglement in the book, and to further your hunger for the next chapter, where you demand justice and don't get it. It is totally captivating. You have no idea what to expect as you turn the page. You have no idea if who you THOUGHT was loyal will turn out to be. Good versus evil is always a good plot, but what do you do when good turns to evil and evil turns out to be good? The book slams shut a lot of doors, but for every door it shuts, four more open to answer it. I have not yet begun the second book, and eagerly await doing so (it's on my desk right now!). As the Queen so honestly says in the book, "In the game of thrones, you win or you die."
Rating:
Summary: Highly recommended
Review: I must say that I'm impressed. I picked this book up on the good buzz surroundong it right after I finished Path of Daggers by Robert Jordan. I wasn't expecting much but Mr. Martin's written a hell of a book. This book concerns a world that reflects a medieval England in many ways, with honourable knights, and evil ones, noble lords, faithful vassals and scheming sycophants. The books focuses on the feud between the Stark and Lannister families. Mr. Martin does an excellent job of telling a story by focusing on specific charcters on both sides who are compelling and believable in their depth. Compared to other works, I would rate it much higher than the trite fantasy of Terry Goodkind, this is high fantasy, of a more visceral kind than that offered by Robert Jordan, there is a considerable amount of profanity, sex and violence in this book. The background for the book provided by the author is considerably deeper than the works of most authors of high fantasy, yet I felt it was not as compelling or deep as Jordan's world. The history of the world feels a little disjointed, and makes the reader wonder if the fantasy elements mentioned (children of the forest, 'older races') will play a part in the plot or is just a tease. Nonetheless, this is the only criticism that I have of the book, I will be buying the next volume immediately.
Rating: 
Summary: Not War and Peace but well worth a read
Review: I write as a Dominican friar and teacher of Scripture (and formerly of literature) in Rome. I found Martin's book fascinating. At first the disconnected narratives are hard to follow. Then you realize that you're in the same world as "War and Peace" -- families that interact against the backdrop of larger events. I detect the influence of Herodotus (his description of the Scythians) and "The Golden Bough". For those who want humanity to be nice, this is not a nice book, but it represents a wonderful re-presentation of the epic spirit in western literature. The characters are well-drawn and in many cases well-developed. The shifting of perspective may be disconcerting but the author shows a distinct bias in favor of honest, honorable characters, however gruesome their fates may be. A comparison with Tolkien is silly; this is a different type of epic. My only hope is that it not succumb to being drawn out to the length of Jordan's interminable Wheel of Time.
Rating:
Summary: game of thrones
Review: george rr martin is a great writer I really enjoy this series and am eagerly awaiting the next instalment from him he is a master of fantasy writing
Rating: 
Summary: A depressing disapointment
Review: From what I've read below this seems to be a book you either love or hate. I am one of those who hated it. Martin seems to love making his "good" charaters suffer and letting his "bad" characters win. The only good part of the book was torward the middle, both the beginning and the end were dreadfully depressing. I felt like burning the book after I finished reading it. The detailed sexual content didn't help it any either. One of the below reviewers called this book a classic. I won't argue. I've read most classics. While most were well-written, like this book, most were also depressing, like this book.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: This was a fantastic book. Martin weaves a complicated plot of intrigue and betrayal, that had me enthralled to the end. The characters, particularly the Stark family are portrayed with amazing depth. I felt myself drawn to each of them, particulary Arya. This was a wonderful book and I highly recommend for all readers.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: I picked up "A Game of Thrones" just because they kept raving about it in "Dromen en Demonen", my favest dutch fantasy magazine. They did the same with The Wheel of Time from Jordan, so I kind of trusted their judgement. And I was wise to trust them. This book was the first after The Wheel of Time that could finally draw my attention again. It was just as enthralling and enchanting, the main characters were just as interesting, and I got to admit that I adore books with intruiges like, for example, Mists of Avalon and The Wheel of Time and The Farseer Trilogy. AGOT gave me all that and more. It left me, at last, again, begging for more. I ran to the bookstore to buy A Clash of Kings the moment I finished it, and now I have to wait again. Maybe I should stop reading great fantasy series or something, the wait is killing me! :) Anyways, I'm dying to find out how the series continue; Daenerys with her Dragons, Sansa with her terrible fiancee, Robb being King of the North, and dont forget Jon and the Nightwatch....
Rating:
Summary: Fairy tale wrought from dreams
Review: What this story lacks in cliche, it makes up in substance of character. A wonderful tale told from the perspectives of those who live (and die) it. Each characters' story is magnificently unraveled throughout, allowing for the reader to understand the characters perspectives and motivations, even developing affinity for and an association with some. While the story has it's smattering of magic and a healthy measure of battle, the overriding thrill is from an intricate web woven of interaction of personalities -- good and bad, but mostly a little of each. Without giving too much away, the story is like real life in that the good do not always win, might doesn't always make right, and just because you like a character doesn't mean they're on the winning side. In fact, one shouldn't necessarily count on him or her living to see the end of the chapter!
Rating:
Summary: It's going to change the genre like Tolkien did in the 60s
Review: Over the last 30 years almost every series in the fantasy genre is the Lord of the Rings told with different characters in a different setting. Jordan and Eddings are just 2 big name authors who've made money on retelling the same kind of story. George Martin has changed the look of fantasy with his first installment of this series. The book isn't your typical fantasy novel about a young hero setting out on a long journey that will save the world. Its about something that happened 1000 years ago. Its about people fighting over the crown of a powerful kingdom, stopping at nothing to try and achieve their goal. This is going to be what authors will model their work after over the next few decades like they have been doing since the Lord of the Rings. Its the most pwerful book I've ever read in my life surpassing all these other authors. He writes about humans going for real goals, not saving the universe from the ultimate evil. The characters are real, the plot believeable, and not one page is wasted.
Rating:
Summary: It's Astounding, Wonderful. You could even call it Perfect.
Review: If you're looking for the norm of fantasy: Wizards, elves, trolls, and overdone with too much magic, this book isn't for you. But what it does have and most fantasy doesn't is an intricate plot full of court plots and counterplots, characters so deep you can love, almost even the villains. Martin has won exceptional praise and awards for A Game of Thrones. This is my favorite contemporary fantasy. If you want it compared with Tolkien, there is no comparison. These are two totally separate books, each as good as the other. A Game of Thrones just puts a wonderful fresh new perspective on fantasy. If you love fantasy, this is a little different, but still holds the magic and charm of the normal fantasy. I just hope the rest of the series doesn't start to fade like Goodkind and Jordan. I was a little disappointed with Jordan's plot slowing. In my opinion, Jordan stuck a lot of extra pages that could have been cut out without hurting the plot. Anyway, that's Jordan. No doubt about it, A Game of Thrones is one of the best fantasy you can read.
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