Rating: 
Summary: Becoming a very strong series
Review: I was tough on Martin's 1st book, giving it only 3 stars. Well, his 3rd effort had me reading 100 pages a day. I couldn't put it down. Martin has such a knack for making characters you can care about. I find myself liking the Lannisters as much as I like the Starks, and there are not any characters whose fate I'm bored by. (Unlike Robert Jordan, where I find I skip a lot of Nynaeve chapters :)). Martin is also deft in his handling of a rather intricate plot. His world is not as politically diverse as Jordan's, but I think the story benefits from this. His pacing and timing are fabulous, and there was never a time I felt the plot dragging. Martin is driving us toward a thundering climax, and he keeps us on our toes with his numerous clever twists. Epic fantasy has suffered so much from the formulaic plots and paper-doll characters of many of the authors that it's been hard to stay with the genre. Only a few authors have broken the mold; Jordan with his Wheel of Time, Tad Williams with Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, and Martin is well on his way with his Song of Ice and Fire. There is only one thing that kept me from giving five stars for this book. Martin's characters often use vulgar language and there are some moments of descriptive sexuality that I think are unnecessary. Thus 4 stars instead of five. The last caveat: I'm sick of waiting for the next book to come out! I've been waiting for Jordan's books since the 9th grade when I started reading them. I'm 25 now. Will I still be around to finish the series? All that said, A Storm of Swords was a great read and highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: A Heart-Racing Sequel
Review: I have just finished reading A Storm of Swords (And the other two books in the series) for the second time and I must say it is a awesome addition to this groundbreaking series. This book is the turning point of the series. All of the characters are where they need to be in order to meet the oncoming Winter. The War of the Five Kings is winding down to a conclusion, and the much greater threat that looms from beyond the wall has finally been recognized by one of the Five Kings. Martin keeps with the tradition of boldy killing off main characters and including huge twists and turns in his lively, descriptive writing. With this book the fact that the Song of Ice and Fire is destined to be one of the best epic fantasy series' ever written is apparent. This is GOOD storytelling. The Wheel of Time is trudging along in boring-land,with little or no progress in some of the latest additions (Though I do see a hint of flickering hope in the end of the Winter's Heart and the upcoming Crossroads of Twilight) while the Sword of Truth seems to be taking the same course as the Wheel of Time at this point, going nowhere fast. If you want a series whose turning point is at book 3 as opposed to book 10, a series that is moving along like a speeding train screaming toward a awe-inspiring and gripping conclusion, then jump onto the Martin bagwagon and discover what good fantasy writing is.
Rating: 
Summary: Who Cares Anymore?
Review: At the end of the second novel I could not wait for the next book. Now who cares? Martin has killed every character worth following in the series. By eliminating the vast majority of characters one feels attached to in the first 2 books he leaves the reader with an emptiness that I don't see being fufilled. The plot is now spread in so many directions that following a long complicated novel only to see who you cared for killed seems a waste of energy. This is not to say the thought, detail, and writing are bad, quite the opposite, which makes this book all the more disappointing. By killing or regulating the only people that one cares for to uninteresting circumstances Martin has destroyed the reason for reading the following installments. Normally at the end of a series one looks forward too and genuinely misses the characters, but why should I care about anyone whose left? It is a rare ability to make such a great series into something where I could stop reading right now and no longer care about the story.
Rating:
Summary: Winter is coming...but it's not as bleak as it seems
Review: Why did it take me so long to read this series? I have been encouraged to read 'A Song of Ice and Fire' for some time and held off thinking it was a standard sword n'sorcery type epic. However, I read Martin's short story 'The Hedge Knight' in the excellent TOR anthology 'Legends 3', which was set about a century prior to A Game of Thrones and decided to give his epic a try.
It was certainly worth it. This was a very hefty book, yet the story lines are actually getting tighter and the action more furious than in the previous two volumes. A word of warning though: I am not averse to starting series in the middle but I wouldn't try it with this one. A lot of the denouments in this novel are actually twists on denouments in previous books, so the full effect would be lost if the first two haven't been read. That's just beside the extreme complexity of this series which would make it difficult to pick up partway.
The style is what could be termed 'historical fantasy', which other authors such as Guy Gavriel Kay and Kate Elliott, and also perhaps Robin Hobb, are having great success with at the moment. I think several of the features of this style are apparent here, such as little or no magic, a cast of thousands, a marked resemblance to a real historical period, and also the tendency to be very 'cruel' to protagonists. A number of readers of his work seem to find the main characters' spiralling loss of control over events, sometimes resulting in their death, as very difficult to deal with or otherwise very brave and skilled on the part of the author. This is really noticeable when contrasted with traditional fantasy where everything works out okay in the end, with the good guys triumphing over evil.
Historical fantasy takes an approach a lot closer to real history or historical fiction: people are rarely black and white, and heroes often don't make it to the end (for example, most of Sharon Kay Penman's historical fiction sees the hero dead before the end of the novel, or the same in GGK's fantasy). This doesn't mean it is all without hope; invariably if a dream was worth dreaming or a mission worth undertaking, the dream will live on even after its heroes fall by the wayside, the banner caught up by others and raised again.
'A song of Ice and Fire' has been said to have a War of the Roses feel; if you go into it keeping that in mind I think it doesn't seem as bleak. in the War of the Roses, the war was equally tragic for Lancastrians, Yorkists and England, and in the end Henry Tudor was probably one of the last people who should have got the disputed crown. Yet, the result of Tudor getting the crown was the sucessful Tudor dynasty, producing two of England's most famed monarchs (Henry VIII and Elizabeth I).
I have no pretensions to being able to predict where this series will end up; Martin is too good at building false trails and setting up suprises. But I do feel that in the end, even if winter is coming, summer will follow after.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent but mature read
Review: So far, all three books have been excellent, but there are a few things I'd like to point out. They are frequently infuriating as so many pages lie between character threads. I sometimes forgot what was happening to a character by the time the story revolved to them again, sometimes well over 100 pages later, and had to go back for a quick refresher. The stories are also quite sad, as you 'watch' well-developed and well-loved central characters get killed off in brutal fashion. What happens to the survivors is sometimes nearly as bad, so keep this in mind. If you want an upbeat story, look elsewhere. Also, be warned that this is definitely not fantasy along the lines of Jenifer Roberson or R.A. Salvatore. I'll have to wait a few years before I let my son read this series as some of the content is just too mature with adult language, sex, and violence (including rape). Like a lot of good things, this series is a mixed bag because while it is very well-written and quite compelling, it is so dark that I almost regret having started it. But that's only because my favorite characters are now either dead or might be better off dead.
Rating:
Summary: Keeps you absolutely riveted, enthralled, engrossed....
Review: Martin's series continues to get better and better, and that's no mean feat given the extremely good quality in his first two installments of the series. It seems everyone these days is writing "epic" fantasy, presumeably because the stories cannot be contained in one volume and enhance book sales. Martin is almost unique in that, while certainly guilty of assuring continued income by writing a six part series, he actually writes WELL, and has an ENGROSSING story to tell. There are plot twists and circumlocutions galore. In this volume, we get to study the motivations of Ser Jaime, the champion of house Lannister. In what has to be one of the best written examples of turning one's preconceptions onto their head, we find out that Jaime, one of the key villains in Books 1 and 2, despite his incestuous relationship with his sister and an unfortunate tendency to inafanticide, really isnt that bad of a guy...you actually grow to kinda LIKE him. The Red God, the sinister god whose priestess uses necromancy and dark arts to defeat the enemies of the direct heir of the throne, is gradually being revealed as a vengeful god with good intentions, uniting the southern kingdoms against the threat from the North by any means necessary (VERY Old Testament, in fact). Just as we find out that Jaime isnt all bad, we also discover that some of the characters we assumed as being "good" had their despicable moments, mainly through recollections of the war against the house Targaryen and the atrocities committed by our "heroes" to ensure that the family line dies out. Just as he takes characters you initially detest and pray for comeuppance and reveals them as actually quite nice guys, he takes characters in whose mouth butter wouldnt melt and reveals them as mean spirited, despicable and thoroughly deserving of a good caning. Another Martin trademark, we say "good-bye" to several key characters introduced during the first few books. The author invests a tremendous amount of character development into what become key characters, so much so that you find yourself subconsciosly assuming that these "friends" will be with you throughout the series. Martin's intent, clearly, is to make you so fond of these characters that, when they do die, most often horribly, you definitely experience an emotional response. To put it mildly, he succeeds in this very well. Im wondering who will die next ... no character is safe. The political intrigue is sufficiently byzantine to keep one enthralled, as well. Finally, the book ends in one of the most heart wrenching examples of betrayal I have read to date, though you get some small measure of revenge, as well as a shock, in the epilogue. The book, while slowly adding more fantasy elements like magic and dragons, makes the fantasy elements tertiary to the story and character development. I am not alone in eagerly awaiting the fourth installment in this truly gripping series.
Rating:
Summary: The Plot Thickens
Review: In this massive novel George R.R. Martin does an even better job than the first two books of this amazing series. The plot is more riveting than the first two books and this is easily the darkest of the three. This book opens up a while after the events in "A Clash of Kings" but Martin grabs you like the pro that he is and with his fantastic prose you will be sucked into this rich and complex story. Many things have happened since the battle on the Blackwater Rush this book starts off with what has been going on. There are many plots and you are introduced to two new charcaters' points of view as well with your old favorites. As said above, this is much darker than the first two novels in this series as Martin starts to kill off many, many characters and dreadful things take place. One of the big questions to ask yourself while reading this is, "Who will survive?" Martin is my favorite author and he ha redefined the fantasy genre. He has introduced a whole different type of fantasy epic in a tale of a medieval world that is full of knights, warlocks, princes, princesses, lords, ladies, sailors, kings, queens, and many more. The world that Martin has created is so real that you feel like everything that is happening in "A Storm of Swords" really took place at some time in history. Each castle, town, city, or kingdom is crafted so well and you will feel like you are there witnessing what is happening. The detail in this novel is amazing. There is a history and story behind every person, object, or place that you are introduced to. What is different about Martin telling about something compared to another author is that Martin actually makes you have an interest in what he's describing where other authors can bore you to tears. George R.R. Martin's words paint a picture in your mind like no other author's words can. Before starting this wonderful novel you must be sure that you have read the first two books in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, titled "A Game of Thrones" and "A Storm of Swords." Througout every page of this novel you will be enjoying the luscious story. This is my number one favorite novel of all time. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series, titled "A Feast for Crows." This is a novel that is not to be missed by anybody. Happy Reading!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific plot and characters
Review: All three books were terrific...original plot, and characters of every kind. It is a grey world in the Song of Ice and Fire series - nobody is completely good; nobody is completely evil. Also, there are so many different storylines going on together that the promise of the different threads coming together just makes you beg for the next installment of this series. Also, it takes a tremendously talented author to "stay in character" when he's switching from the point of view of one character to another character, but George R. R. Martin does it beautifully.
Rating: 
Summary: v. strange book
Review: If you're gonna read this book be prepared for reality. This is not the usual fantasy story where the good guy beats all odds to win. Many of the good guys are actually killed during the story (which I found a little strange. George builds up characters for 1000+ pages then KILLS them... i suppose that's reality though). And the ending? Also a little strange. I confess, I thought it kicked ... how some characters got revenge but still, none of the situations are really tied up at the end of the trilogy.
If you like kings, queens and knights read this book but don't set yourself up to be completely happy with the ending.
Rating:
Summary: Martin Owns The Throne
Review: 1) This is, BY FAR, the best fantasy I have ever read. Ever. Better than Donaldson, Jordan, Goodkind, Brooks, better than everyone. 2)This is, BY FAR, the best characterization I've ever come across in the fantasy genre. Never in my life have I at so many different times over the course of the three books written been so amazed (Daenerys from the fire, obtaining the Unsullied, choosing between the {better?} of two betrayels) stunned (Catelyn, Ser Barristan Selmy) grief-stricken (from deaths of beloved characters, of course only to realize by the end of the next chapter there are so many fantastic characters left). And of course these are just a few examples, there are so many more but don't want to mention at the risk of spoiling new readers. Yes -- amazed, stunned, saddened. I spontaneously and literally yelled, gasped, cried, and cheered while reading these books. Never have I been so emotionally invested in such a large cast of characters. Memories of these books bring forth emotion in me even now, a month after I read this, his latest book. 3)Fabulously intricate plotting. I find it interesting that a common thread in the slightly more negative reviews of this book find Martin a bit ponderous -- that there's so much writing with not alot of action. This couldn't be further from the truth! Yes, this is high, epic, cruel fantasy of the tallest order. Yes, this is a tall read for younger readers, or those weaned on Jordan, Goodkind, Brooks, etc. But there literally isn't a SINGLE CHAPTER in any of his books where some part of the plot isn't advanced in some way -- spanning over 2000 pages of hardcover text. That's how good the writing is. 4)Deftly understated magic. I remember reading the first book thinking to myself, 'where's the magic? isn't this supposed to be fantasy?' And I kept reading, still finding almost no magic. The only real magic from the first book I can remember bookends the first book. I will never forget the birth of the Unburnt at the very end of the first novel. I'm gasping right now as I recall it. Such a POWERFUL moment. And there was some magic there. And the fact that my senses hadn't been already been dulled by the overdone, contrived use of magic found in so many other fantasy novels allowed me to feel the real impact of what Dany accomplished at the end of that first novel. Magic means so much more in these novels because at least over these the first three books, there is so little to be found. 5)Spectacular dialogue. This is the best dialogue I've ever read. Razorsharp wit, acid tongues, stoic nobility, prideful revenge, hungry vengeance, soul-baring sadness, and so many other wonderful emotions conveyed by superior dialogue. If this review weren't so long, I'd quote a few passages. I just remember reading some of those Lannister exchanges saying to myself 'you go! oh yeah! perfect!" I remember laughing out loud at some of the things said, not so much because they were humorous (although some of them were) but because so often the pointed words exchanged felt more like the point of a rapier twisting through the ribcage into the recipient's heart. It's just that good. So consistently good. 6)Anyone remember Thomas Covenant? One of the great anti-heroes in fantasy. You rooted for him and hated him. You knew he was the good guy, but you were never quite comfortable enough with who he was to cheer him on without reservation. Well, many characters like him, not just one, populate Martin's books. As soon as you think you've found the bad guy, you begin to root for him as well. And you wonder, as you go from chapter to chapter, how you can find yourself rooting for almost every character in the book? Well, that's just one of the many great things about Martin's books. Practically every character is an anti-heroe and how a book can be so riveting with (at this point) no clear villain is a testimonial for the great characterization in these books. People, I'm not kidding. This is the best out there. If Martin pulls off this series it will far and away be the best epic fantasy ever written. It already is, I'm just praying it's sustained. Yes, it's better than Tolkien, but only in the way that The Godfather was better than the old great silent pictures of the early 20th century. I regard Tolkien's work with great reverance, and it's wonderful to see the foundations of the fantasy genre brought to the big screen, but Martin is taking the genre to new heights. He truly is. For me, I knew at least the first book was special early on. If you can... sense something... if yours eyes open just a bit, if your curiosity is peaked... if you're thinking 'hmmm'.... as the first chapter closes with the discovery of the Direwolves, then you'll be tasting just a hint of the wonderment Martin's books can give you. Just try not to be too sad when you've finished and realize there may not be anything this good for a long, long time to come.
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