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Summary: "this is not an american story its an irish one"
Review: this is no hollywood story this is life cast into fantasy. when you read you are there when you have to go to work you want to be there and when you go to sleep you dream you are there. the best book i've ever read, and the best part of it is that the end of it is just the begining. this whole book is the prologe of the world we will not be able to leave for a second.
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Summary: A skilled work , in-depth characters, page turner to the max
Review: I found the characters as real as anyone you'd meet in your travels. Vivid mental images of all surroundings and events. From Direwolves to Dragons.....Nobels to Orphans.....Incest and love, Mr. Martin captures your attention. Can't wait to get the follow-up.
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Summary: The Best Epic Ever
Review: I just got this book because his name was on one of those if you like this author then you'll like:. This is the best book I've ever read. It's not like most series where all the good guys prevail and the villains are crushed in the end but much rather several likable characters die. He also portrays the politics of the place very well. After reading this and his second book "A Clash Of Kings" I realize that Jordan and Goodkind are good but not on a level with Martin. If you could buy just one more book in your life I'd make it this book although reading this and not the rest of the series could prove to be painful.
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Summary: This book is a must read for any fantasy fan.
Review: This book was absolutely spell-binding, and I found myself constantly up past my bed time to find out what would happen next. George Martin has a very special when it comes to characterization and in my opinion is even better at it than the infamous Robert Jordan. The plot is complicated and clever and will leave you yearning for more after its completion. A magnificent piece of work.
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Summary: If you like fantasy, this is a must-read book.
Review: This is one impressive tale,tight,well told and full of surprises.I've read a lot of this genre and nothing to date has fixated my attention like this work. Great characters,rich in depth and detail,a hard driving plot,incredible intrigue,and a willingness to show the harsh brutality that was medieval life. The only other books that have come close lately would be the 'Sword of Truth' epics put out by Terry Goodkind,the main difference being that Martin has made little use of magic thus far.He makes up for it however with a tale of conspiracy and subterfuge reminiscent of Clancy or Forsyth. If tales with complex plotlines confuse you then stay away from this book to everyone else I say ENJOY,ENJOY,ENJOY !!!!
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Summary: A compelling masterpice I neglected my family to finish!!
Review: Wow!!! I picked up this book at random, only to be blown away by the characters. I've read many novels in this genre with similar elements (swords, knights, dragons, wolves, etc.) but none has put them all together quite this way before. Some of the situations are startling in their originality. The characters all have a wide story arc, and great depth. Bad characters are redeemed, good ones degrade into cowards or traitors, minor characters later become pivotal, I was kept interested and guessing all through it!!! The dialog is also superb, and you really begin to champion certain characters. I can't wait for the next one!!!
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Summary: Unbelievable. How can it be topped?
Review: I am a middle-aged woman of 46 who had never read any fantasy literature other than The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings many years ago, until I was introduced to the genre by my teenage son some 6 years ago or so. Since then I have read many of the books in the genre as my son pushed them on me - Eddings, Feist, Jordan, Brooks, to name just a few, and overall I have enjoyed them. This book, however, I picked out on my on back in the summer of 1997, and when I began reading it I could not put it down. I have enjoyed many fantasy books and series, especially Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, but they all seem like trivial kiddie literature compared to A Game of Thrones. I cannot remember the last time a book has gripped me so. I could not put it down. The book is certain dark and violent, but not gratuitously so - it was a dark and violent age and land. The characters are marvelous, the story line complex and fascinating. My only regret is how long I have had to wait for the sequel. When I read the first book I thouht it was the first of 3, but now I hear it is to be the a 6-book series. I'll be old and white-haired by the time I finish! The only book I have read which has affected me like this is Frank Herbert's Dune which I first read at age 13 back in 1965, and have reread probably a dozen times since then. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, but it is not for the squeamish or prudish.
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Summary: This is one amazing book
Review: I was just startedreading fantasy when my brother gave me this book as a gift. By the time I was half-way into the first chapter, A nuc wouldn't have stopped me. I would read until my parents made me go to bed, and I would be up befor dawn reading. This books is one of the best fantasy out there. It rivals Glen Cook and Robert Jordan. If you want to read a good book read A GAME OF THRONES!
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Summary: This book changes the landscape of the best epic authors
Review: After reading this book, as well as his second one, "Clash Of Kings," one realizes that some of the other authors are no longer great, but only good. Terry Goodkind, and Robert Jordan each write admirable stories, but neither they, nor other epic authors ever take the chance of making their characters truly real. There is instead something eternally pristine about them. This is not the case in Mr. Martin's series wherein characters are jealous, petty, vengeful, lustful, and most of all, personable. There are heroes, and there are villians, but in this storyline, there are characters who cross the imaginary line, i.e., villians doing charitable acts, and heroes commiting acts unbefitting them. This series is well written, and contains a level of complexity and political intrigue that is not often found in the fantasy realm. This is not your normal good/evil, rescue the princess story, it is better than that. And for all of it, it is still a fantasy novel, with characters akin to knights, rangers, queens, kings, and a fair amount of secrecy. Enjoy the other epics certainly, but take your time to enjoy this one, and you will begin to understand how the face of epics is slowly changing.
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Summary: Good story encumbered with disjointed history & No Ending!
Review: I'm really disappointed that the author didn't find it desirable to have an ending to the story, like those old serials on TV, 'stay tuned next week to find out what happens to our hero...'. Also the author's attempt to provide interesting 'ancient history' background failed by being disjointed, unconnected and boring. Still an interesting story with some good characters. If it were half the size, even without an ending I'd recommend it.
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