Rating: 
Summary: Hyperbole aside! This is the BEST!
Review: I know that many of you are used to seeing glowing reviews of books listed. This will be no real exception, I cannot dish out enough praise for this book. Each character is unique and well crafted. Few books have ever brought me to actual tears, but this is one of them, both with laughter and out loud exclamations of shock at various twists and turns in the plot's well traveled thoroughfare. I have never read a book that was a part of a serious that was able to leave me wanting more but at the same time tie up some loose ends in a deeply satisfying manner. Mr. Martin gets nothing but high marks from me for this well crafted piece of fantastic fiction. I cannot wait for the next installment in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Quite simply fabulous
Review: I haven't written a review before, but this book is the most entertaining book in its genre that I have ever read. While this statement also applies to the series as a whole, in my opinion this book is so far the most entertaining too read in the series. So, why is this novel so good? Well, there are a couple of factors at play here which raise this book to the pinnacle of fantasy literature.First, it's real. I know some reviewers have complained about this very fact and that it makes the book too depressing. But, quite simply, when you read the book you feel like you are reading about REAL people with REAL motivations. The atrocities, the barbaric attitudes of some characters are equally real. This, more than any other fantasy series I have read, captures the spirit of the Middle Ages, a time period where such outrageous characters existed. Yes, there are fantasy elements that put it outside the realm of real life (some magical elements, undead, etc.) but the characters always feel real--and this makes you want to keep reading about them. This leads me to the second very entertaining aspect of the book. Martin has made all of the characters interesting enough to follow, but at the same time the reader never knows which of these characters is going to truly succeed. Much like the Middle Ages or even Dark Ages, there is no set hero, no set victorious character or faction in place. This again reflects a time period where the tides swung in favor of those applying politcs and force in the most appropriate manner. In otherwords, no character is safe in this series, just like you would expect in the Middle Ages, and a character you have followed and loved for several books might fall victim to the "Game of Thrones". I think these two factors are what makes this series stand out so successfully from the rest of the books in this genre. I have read Jordan's series, Eddings, Tolkien, and many others. While I have enjoyed them, I always felt like I was plodding along to an inevitable conclusion in that there was a hero, or group of heroes, that was destined to eventually succeed. Such is not the case here--Martin takes more chances. Of course, I would hate to compare Martin's writing style to Tolkien. They are very different birds. Tolkien's writing has a literary quality--you can actually sit back and marvel over some of the words he uses and the historical prose he creates. It reads almost more like a fable, and if you enjoy reading more for the way the words interact on the page rather than the story, you will probably still prefer Tolkien's books. However, while I appreciate and like Tolkien's work, I actually prefer reading a story that just flows from page to page, and Martin satisifies me on that score! Definitely go out and start reading this series if you like this genre!
Rating:
Summary: The most mind-boggling series ever!
Review: When I started on A game of Thrones, it was pretty clear who were the good guys and the bad guys (The Starks and Lannisters, respectively). In the second book, the diversion becomes a bit more foggy, and, having read A Storm of Swords, why, I do not even know who's against who anymore! I speculate that Martin will b introducing some 'Dark Lord' anytime soon, but regarding the humans, I can even understand Jaime Lannister's choice to slay the king he was sworn to protect with his own life. Who is Stark to think he can judge Jaime? Anyway, A song of Ice and Fire is the best series I've ever read (and I have read plenty, including Herbert and Tolkien) and I currently know of no book that is even close to the kind of complexity Martin adds to his characters. The only criticism I have to offer is that he could cut back some on the sex, for my taste.
Rating:
Summary: Very Enjoyable
Review: In Martin's world who's to say who the "good guy" is. In his world no character is safe from harm, no character is sacred. In a world reminiscent of Glen Cook's excellently constructed "Black Company", people who live for ideals usually, as in real life, are destroyed by the greed and ambition of heartless boys in the bodies of men. Martin keeps you turning page after page eagerly seeking the next wholly unpredictable stage of each character's life. My only complaint is the frequent, and completely unnecessary, sex scenes.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent third book in the series
Review: After reading the other two in the series, and reading this one I chose this one as my favorite! The plot is immense, and just pulls you in, and won't let go! if your going to read this book prepare for a roller coaster ride of emotions, because thats what it will give you. I highly recommend that you read the previous two first or the plot does not work. this book is for mature readers, and it is one of the best I've read. I await the fourth.
Rating:
Summary: Gritty, sophisicated, and gripping...
Review: I found this installment of GRRM's series as enthralling and exciting as the first two, and was extremely sad when I reached the last page. I want the books to go on and on because they are such good reads, yet I also hope for a solid conclusion to the series. After reading all the previous reviews, I find myself agreeing even with those who didn't like it. Martin's writing can be raw and a little shocking if you prefer the PG-13 style of many mainstream sci-fi/fantasy writers. In addition, he spares none of his characters when it comes to misfortune and setbacks. Having said this, I must admit GRRM is my favorite writer and his writing simply blows me away. This book is no exception. It reads more like historical fiction than fantasy, and the plot is complex. The characters all have warts of one sort or another and are multi-dimensional; sometimes you find yourself hoping that even the less likeable ones will get a decent break. If you like your fantasy a little darker, grittier, and complex, with more human action than wizardry, you will enjoy this incredible book.
Rating: 
Summary: Utterly Depressing.
Review: I liked the first book a lot. I even liked book two to a degree. Martin has a real nack for getting you deeply attached to the characters and he does have a very complex storyline. (Almost too complex) The main reason why I've givin this book two stars is because books are supposed to be entertaining, not depressing. When you've been enthralled with a character for over 2,500 pages and just out of the blue he or she or them (Most likely all of them) continually get killed it's very depressing. I understand that this book is supposed to be real.(as in the hero's arn't unbeatable and god like) but you can't kill every... one of them.(Where's the hope?) I got to the point where I just wanted to rip the book in two and burn it. Maybe I'll buy the next one. We still have a character or 2 I like to kill and for another... and 900 some pages it should be just a hoot-n-nanny to watch another hero die.
Rating:
Summary: A new shocking turn to fantasy
Review: I found the book amazingly invigorating. Its content was surprising and shows a new turn to fantasy. I read the first 2 books in approximatly a week and couldnt wait for this book to show its face. The characters are well in depth and it shows man at true human nature. This book and the series has no true good and evil. People are just people in this book. Main characters can die (....). From the moment i picked it up i couldnt put it down. It has a mixture of intrigue, crime, magic, and political plots. Its not good always winning or like white wolf bad always winning. It actually has both winning or both loosing at the same time. If you loved the Wheel of time series ot Chaos gate series, youll die for this series.
Rating:
Summary: Just getting better
Review: .... Anyway, I loved this book for a number of reasons. The first one was, when a certain event happened at a wedding in the middle of the book, I was literally mad for the rest of the day, back in my real life. It's a little cruel to giveth and taketh away main characters, and in fact, I don't think I've EVER read a fantasy series that does this, except at the end of novels where the character finally triumphs (a la Thomas Covenant). It really keeps you on your toes. The second reason is that each character has a rich, personal, flawed life that we can look at and see from his or her point of view. The nastiest characters like Cercei Lannister or Gregor Clegane never get their own chapters, but characters like Tyrion (who is actually becoming my favorite character) or Daneryes, who are classically unsympathetic characters, get their own point of view told, with a decidedly different skew from what the others think of them. And though it puts some readers off, it's about ... time some hero-wielding knight can't defeat five men at once, can get out of 100-1 odds situations, and where yes, might DOES make right most of the time. When this series began, I, like most readers, probably thought it was going to be about the Starks, and about how they would triumph despite tremendous odds. Well, it hasn't exactly turned out that way so far, though there's still SOME hope. Killing Eddard Stark off 200 pages into the first book was a real stunner, but the ride was just beginning. I think about nine characters have gotten the story told from their point of view, and by the end of the third novel, only three characters have their plotlines going generally how they would in a typical fantasy series (Jon,Dany, and Tyrion). The story just keeps getting more and more complicated, more and more surprising, and (like the Jordan fiasco mentioned above) leaves me hoping that the author will keep putting out books this good for a number of years.
Rating: 
Summary: Want to give it a five, but can't
Review: First of all, let me say that I read this book with insane abandon for a week and a half. I am very happy with this series, and this author, for the same reasons as the other 300 or so people who have written reviews, so I won't bore you with the details. So why the 3 star review, and not five? 1. The plot is exceedingly depressing. Everyone says that Martin writes realistically (or at least as close as possible in a fantasy series), but I really don't think so. The fact is, good guys don't ALWAYS finish last. If you trust your friends and try to do the right thing, you don't always get hanged for it. I know there are some bitter people who like to walk through life thinking that way, but the plain fact is it's not true. In this series, everyone with any shred of honor and compassion is brutally--and I mean BRUTALLY--dealt with. By the end of the book, I had only one character I could still root for. I seriously doubt he'll survive the next book. 2. Not too sure what the main plot is yet. I mean, is it the fight with the Others in the North, or the struggle for the Iron Throne? On one hand, I think it's amazing that he shows us how human concerns often get in the way when we SHOULD be dealing with something more important. After all, the Monica Lewisky trial got more coverage on U.S. television than the Taliban's brutal takeover of Afghanistan. On the other hand, IT'S A BOOK. I need some sort of plot. That's my spiel. Outstanding series so far, but I swear to god if another good guy gets hacked to pieces or paralyzed I'm quitting.
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