Rating: 
Summary: This is the Series that Brought Me Back to the Fantasy Genre
Review: It used to be (and may still be) that you could read Tolkien, Jordan and maybe a few more authors and you would discover that you had read all the fantasy reading that was worth talking about. I don't claim to be an expert, but some fantasy authors just have no business writing books. So when I picked up George R.R. Martin's first book in the popular A Song of Ice and Fire series, I was understandably wary. Something happened along the way though, I found myself immersed in Martin's storytelling and falling in love with the characters, creatures and worlds he created. I couldn't put down the first book and after finishing, quickly purchased the next two books in his famous series. Not since the first three books in Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time Series had I read a fantasy series that so completely overwhelmed me. Eagerly awaiting the fourth book which will hopefully reach publication by spring of 2004 and looking back on the first three books, I think there were three critical strongpoints that made me love these books:1) Characters, Characters, Characters - How many fantasy books have you read which had all the great genre elements such as dragons, swords, magic, and so forth, but never one single interesting character to bring life to the novel? Martin doesn't just give us one hero, he surrounds us with an epic geneology of lords and kings. And not just heroes, Martin gives the villainy just as much attention and usually clouds the issues not providing you with a fine line of good and evil. Everyone is human in his stories and it may be the first fantasy series I've ever read where a cripple and midget play a huge role in the story. (No, not a halfling-hobbit midget, a real human dwarf!) No one is perfect and no one is free of error. Martin's characters surround themselves in epic power struggles that would make Shakespeare proud. 2) Detailed Geography and Histories - When I read the first book in Martin's series, I was almost overwhelmed. There were so many new people and places I needed to know but luckily the books are included with appendixes that you can easily flip through to keep you updated on all family and political ties. Also, how many fantasy books have you read in which travel feels like a day on a 21st century highway and the map doesn't seem to have a realistic scale? Martin avoids the common mistakes and not since Tolkien have I read a book in which so many details inhabit the lands inbetween cities and rivers. 3) Realism - Sometimes I'll pick up a fantasy novel and while I enjoy the story and central characters, I feel like "Joe Average" in today's world could easily fit into the author's world. In other words, I think a lot of fantasy authors rely on boring medieval cliches, that is if they even try to give their characters on authentic period feel. In Martin's books, I feel as though I'm exploring a world not too far removed from medieval Europe. Too often with today's popular fantasy material, creators add liberal amounts of magic and common fantasy elements. With Martin, I discover a world which has obtained the same balance that was felt in Tolkien's worlds. As one reviewer put it, wielding magic isn't the equivalent of blowing off a machine gun in Martin's books, even though most fantasy books today want to write it like that. Maybe the best part about Martin's books is that I know there is an impending grand finale. Remember when you read Jordan's Wheel of Time series and felt that way only to give up seven to ten books later? In A Song of Ice and Fire, you can sense everything getting closer to one final epic confrontation instead of the all too common trend of fiction authors to try and cash in on one more book to prolong the series. Martin has even announced that only six books are planned in his series and it's good to know that a compelling best-selling fantasy series actually has an ending in mind. All three books are in softcover now and Martin fans are anxiously awaiting the next addition. My advice would be to pick up the first book quickly because you'll find some of the best fantasy writing in recent years and a terrific story regardless of your interest in the fantasy genre.
Rating:
Summary: Another instant classic!!!
Review: R.R. Martin never ceases to amaze me. As in the previous two books in this series, A Storm of Swords kept my attention with its in-depth storyline and complex characters. You can't anticipate what will happen next in these books, because once you think things are going to work out as expected, the story begins to back-flip and cartwheel. All we can do is just hang on for the ride, and try to appreciate the genius that Martin has shown us through this literary masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: The Saga Continues
Review: This series is phenomenal. There are so many mediocre books in this genre, with cardboard characters and senseless plots. This book carries on a story which fascinates, as the characters flow through a variety of problems and challenges. I am looking forward to the next book, which will lead to new feints and goals.
Rating: 
Summary: long and vague
Review: While Martin has much to recommend his writing style including very good personality building in his books this series just doesn't seem to move ahead.
We begin the series with a scary dungeons&dragons chapter in the "enchanted forest" and warned that WINTER IS COMING but than the story gets bogged down in the mundane politics of the kingdom. And by the end of three heavy books we're just starting to see autumn!
Also Martin chose to write the series as a multi-point-of-view story making the story long, slow, and non-focused as each character develops a semi-independent story of its own. With several of them dying along the series and almost all of them losing their way (metaphorically speaking) the reader looses himself the larger picture and just hopes they would survive another day.
Aside from this I found his descriptions of sex, violence and the characters' constant thoughts of past wrongs and losses overlong, repetitive and tedious. So to summarize while I can't say I didn't enjoy the series character portrayal and vivid descriptions the series ultimately suffers from the lack of focus on a main subject as it goes from the subject of magical winter to that of electing a new king for the kingdom and to each characters' personal concerns.
It seems now-a-days that Martin plans to make this series seven-book long when I honestly believe it would have been better to make it a trilogy so that readers could actually see a development in the "big-picture" of the main themes of the series.
Rating:
Summary: Best Fantasy Novel I've read
Review: If you like mature storytelling not typical good vs evil, give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Book 3 does not reach expectation
Review: I had as many other readers great expectations regarding the development of the plot. Only I have come to realize that besides more murder and hopelessness there has been little advance in the story considering the large amount of pages!
I fear the author started with a great idea that could have made a true piece of literature but that finally has become a product.
Rating:
Summary: All Gravy, Baby
Review: There simply aren't enough adjectives in our language to describe the magnificence of this series. After I began reading, I was sucked into a vortex where I was unable to stop reading, yet dreading the moment when the words run out. The huge scope of the story is brilliantly told from the points of view of the heroes and villians, and it's left up to you to figure out which is which. As soon as you have it figured out, Martin reveals some hidden motivation or plot twist that turns all your theories to dust. There was no point during my read where I was waiting for something to happen. The story moves along in a stately fashion, with all the numerous details fleshed out in full color, smello-vision, and 3-D.
Rating:
Summary: Close to the Edge
Review: So I loved the first two books of this series. I read this third installment in a couple of days (with not quite enough sleep). I will admit that I was emotionally involved and kept on the edge of my seat for most of the 1000+ pages, but I cannot in good conscience give this more than 3 stars. I echo those who have given three or fewer stars in saying that there are some serious flaws with this series. My biggest gripe is that there is no way it should be taking this long for the friggin' plot to move ahead. I mean what has really happened in nearly 3,000 pages? (For the love of all that is good and right in the world can we get some better editing here?) People get killed, women raped and all in all the decent people just have bad luck. I could bear it in the first two books because I did really like the characters and I figured that things would pick up. . . hey maybe even a sibling or two could get reunited or Arya might jump off the road to becoming a murderess . . .hell maybe one of the old gods could suddenly appear and bite off Cersei's head. . . but did it? NO! It might as well have read the second book again . . except lots of main characters die here so i guess it wouldn't have been quite the same. I'm definitely going to fork out money for the 4th book (the trade paperback version though) but if I"m going to invest my time (and sacrifice sleep) for something I want to get something out of it. Thanks for all the character development (and page after page of the same intrigue and history) but can we have a significant change in the situation here? Pretty please with sugar on top? If not, I think I'll have to move on. . .
Rating:
Summary: MY GOD, THE GLORY CONTINUES!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Amazing. The epic continues and the stakes are raised even higher than they were in the second book. The death of a very integral character surprised me and many at the end of the first book and only continued in the second. Try not to fall in love with anyone too much because you'll never know who is offed next. With the third you can expect armies of the undead, messy and costly battles to all of the families, and dragons in full destructive mode. The intrigues take unexpected turns, even to skeptics who beleived they had it all figured out. My only worry is that the story gets somuch deeper that I don't know if Martin can reasonably pull it all together in just two more books. As a fan of the Wheel of Time I find it refreshing that Martin can convey as much of a richly detailed back story as well as an equal amount of back-stabbing without the need to stretch it out over ten billion volumes. READ THIS SERIES! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: If you have ever read a fantasy book and enjoyed it, heres one that should be next on your must reads list if not already on it. The series (A song of ice and fire) is amazing with all it's plots and schemes and tricks and turns.
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