Rating: 
Summary: !!Great read!!
Review: I started this series because "The Sword of Truth" had been starting to wear thin and I was looking to start something a little different. I had first read Martin's short story in the "Legends" compilation and I remember really enjoying his story of Sir Duncan the Tall, which takes place a few generations before the "Song of Ice and Fire" series. By the time Jon and Rob make their discovery 8 pages into the first book I had allready realized this was something special. I am a pretty avid reader and don't even want to hazard a guess as to how many pages I've turned, I can honestly say there have been VERY few pages I have turned that I enjoyed more. Mr. Martin has managed to create the most realistic fantasy world I have ever read about, nothing is in black and white and there are enough shades of grey to leave you deep in thought long after you put the book down. I have reread all 3 of these several times and I am still amazed at how easily his world draws you in and regardless that I know what's coming, I can't help but still feel betrayed every time Mr. Martin throws another of his little surprises our way. Needless to say, I will be back for more and if you have yet to start this series QUIT READING THIS and get started!
Rating:
Summary: not your average fantasy fodder
Review: Let me start by saying that i consider the Song of Ice and Fire series to be the finest fantasy ive ever had the pleasure of reading. While i understand the complaints made by previous readers of its graphical and vulgar nature far from being repulsed by Martins style of writing i consider it to be one of his greatest strengths. I remember being blown away by A Game of Thrones simply because the characters acted and spoke like real people and sitting slack jawed when Ned Stark was executed(What!!???! a major good guy actually DYING in a fantasy novel!)While i respect and have enjoyed the work of David Eddings, Robert Jordan etc one book or series always follows the usual pattern (prophecy stories particularly grate) with cliched good guys and equally unoriginal and transparent opponents. One of the compliments paid to George Martins series is that it is fantasy reminescent of history, namely the Wars of the Roses in England which demonstrate his ability to create a truly believable world - a rare skill among writers of the genre. If you like your books full of princes raised as peasants only to fulfill a prophecy to save the fair(but secretly dangerous) maiden and righteously defeat the evil king then steer clear of this series, what sets Martin apart from the standard writers of fantasy is that he writes for mature readers, this is no happy good versus evil childrens book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good fantasy, but not for everyone
Review: Martin is a great storyteller, but no Tolkein. I enjoyed this series, but the storylines tend to keep repeating themselves--namely: treachery, murder, killing, rape, sexual exploits, and torture. The storyline keeps jumping from character to character, so you have to try and remember what the character was doing the last time you read about them (perhaps four or five chapters before). Sometimes the storyline seems to drag until you just want to read the last chapter and see what finally happened. And--heaven forbid you get too attached to any character or are looking for a hero or heroine in these books! There are no "good guys" here and if there are, they don't last long! One thing that really turned me off about these books is Martin's graphic descriptions of murder, mutilation, torture, and especially the sexual exploits of characters (especially Tyrion and Danerys). Martin uses so much crude language that sometimes these books seemed more "X" rated smut literature, than good fantasy. Maybe he is trying to appeal to a more masculine audience--but from the standpoint of a female that enjoys Science fiction/fantasy books, I was repulsed by the vulgarity and crude graphic sexual explanations. Don't get me wrong--every chapter does not contain this kind of text, but he does tend to have certain crude words that he uses like common adjectives over and over. He could take a lesson from Tolkein and learn that great fantasy doesn't necessarily mean that you have to have explicit sexual encounters, vulgarity, and extreme graphic violence to create a great fantasy novel. I did really enjoy the basic storyline in these books and Martin kept me interested enough to finish the series. Will I read "A Feast for Crows" when it comes out--probably yes, because I want to see what happens. Don't get me wrong--Martin is a great storyteller. Just be forewarned that some of the explicit and graphic content and vulgar language may turn some people off. I would personally be very careful about who I recommended these books to.
Rating:
Summary: More like 3.5...good, too much angst.
Review: First off, I must admit: I adore reading the Song of Ice and Fire series, I've read it more than once, and I believe it's very well-written. The political intrigue is brilliantly conceived, and the world it's set in has been developed to the exceeding detail that's a characteristic of many great fantasy novels, like Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time (and of course Tolkien's Lord of the Rings). And SoIaF is better at keeping the reader's interest in some ways than WoT, refraining from going into immense detailed paragraphs about things irrelevant to the plot. However, Song of Ice and Fire's intensifying sources of woe(horrendous rape, torture, execution, etc.), growing particularly apparent in Storm of Swords, are getting slightly tiring. The fact is, even though you come to sympathize with many of Martin's great, well-developed characters, you start to become sick of everyone becoming subject to every awful occurence that one could possibly conceive of in a fantasy setting...multiple times. Inner conflict starts blurring together, and I cringe every time I come upon yet another character about to declare: "ANGST! Angst, angst angst and more angst! Oh my angsty angsty angst!" etc. etc. Little that is new and different from what's previously happened in A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings shows up, also. The novelties that seemed so interesting and wonderful in the beginning start getting old--"Oh, no, not more obsessing over the Iron Throne. Aaah."
Rating:
Summary: The best so far
Review: The most incredible of the series thus far, A Storm of Swords has fantastic action (the battle on the Wall, multiple duels) drama and heartfelt moments (the death of ygritte, the banishment of Jorah, the inner pain of Jon, Tyrion and Catelyn) and stellar plot twists (the Red Wedding and Joffrey's Feast) and unforgettable moments (Jon's election as the Lord Commander, Lord Tywin's death) and a certain ominous quality the other books lacked (the Others.) This, all in all, is a fabulous read that I could not put down, and now I check Martin's website every day to see if there is any news on his upcoming book. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: I'm amazed
Review: Well, here's a day to remember. My universe has been shuffled. For years, I have held that the rank of masters in the pantheon of imaginative fiction was 1) Peake, 2) Tolkein, and 3) Herbert. Perhaps I should give this some time, but after finishing Swords I now feel it to be Peake, Martin, Tolkein and Herbert. That's heady stuff, George. Keep up the amazing work!
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece in progress
Review: This series is something that will definitely become the standard by which I judge all other books. It is the summer of my book reading in life and I am entirely engrossed. I picked up the first book in the series after finding it left in a box of stuff from a move that must have been an old roomates and have since infected about 6 people with an addiction to this series. Each book has only escallated my interest in the series, unlike say Goodkind, to the point where I can just sit and talk with other friends who have read the series about what we think will happen, which characters we like, who we hate, why, like the characters and story are things real in our lives. Do not miss out on this series.
Rating:
Summary: The best yet. Just get it today.
Review: If you're reading this I have to assume you've read books 1 and 2 (you'd be crazy to start at this point). Just figure it's another week or two of your life to dedicate to Mr. Martin. I think it's the best of the series so far, and I know that is saying a lot. This book re-introduces some characters you thought you knew. And has some surprises of its own. Most importantly the story never let's up or loses its momentum. If you time it right you could just finish this as book four comes out this summer and not have to ponder the pain, suffering and demise awaiting the remaining cast of characters :-).
Rating:
Summary: The plot thickens!
Review: What most readers want to know is simply "Is this book worth my time?" At over 1100 pages (paperback), it does seem daunting and leaves one wondering how much the author can delve into these characters and plotlines without falling into the asinine, pointless, verbosity that has afflicted Robert Jordan (just because it's 1000 pages does NOT make it engaging!). The answer to that question is an emphatic YES! The pace is quick; small things happen rapidly, while the overall story rolls ahead like a tidal wave. Reading this book is like watching a living chess board. The reader feels the character's conflicts, sympathizes and empathizes. This novel is great! I'm left wanting more!
Rating:
Summary: Hellooooo, Jordan syndrome.....
Review: Martin writes well enough, but I am afraid he has come down with Jordan syndrome. (...) The overtones of sexism are still there, whether intentional or not; and few of his characters make any progress or growth. In particular, the way he treats Sansa seriously irritates me; I actually have to wonder if she's a stand-in for someone he doesn't like. It's not the fact that he keeps putting her in dangerous situations; it's the fact that he refuses to allow her to learn to defend herself. Daenerys still hasn't made it back to the Seven Kingdoms yet, and in fact shows no sign of doing so any time soon; Tyrion has taken off for parts unknown; Cersei remains as one-dimensional a [character] as she ever was, and so does Lysa until they off her. (...) The darkness and slaughter of the main characters didn't really bother me, but someone on here had a good point that I hadn't considered until I read their review. And that is: If this is truly supposed to be a world based on the Middle Ages, then where is the yearning for spiritual fulfillment? Where is the divine? Christianity was a *huge* presence in the Middle Ages, for *everybody,* but we don't see anything like that in Martin's world; in fact his Seven are barely mentioned and certainly don't seem to be taken that seriously by anybody in his world. He's essentially writing this series with a modern-day secular mentality, but this doesn't jive with his series construction.(...)
|
