Rating: 
Summary: Brace yourself--It's awesome
Review: This guy is a wicked writer. I got so pumped-up reading it--I couldn't sleep. Believe it or not it is slightly better than a G of T
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars or you're confused.......
Review: This book was incredible. The only thing I've ever read that could equal it, the first two. I'm now ripping the pages out of the wheel of time for toilet paper....... Buy this book.
Rating:
Summary: addiction is too weak a word
Review: This book is just plain incredible. I have tried other fantasy novels and none can stack up to this series. Martin makes Terry Goodkind look like a little lost child in the woods and even Robert Jordan seems like an amateur story teller next to him. These characters are REAL - no cooky cutter heroes and villians. Who to hate? Who to love? Over the three books and especially this one - they keep switching. Outcomes are never to be assumed, Martin is never predictable. People die. This is HIS world, Martin never loses control and no one is safe. And this novel is his best one yet. Three novels done, and not once does the story show signs of slowing. There is no filler. Every sentence is signifigant - Martin is not out to make a buck on this masterpeice. There is no doubt that they will just keep on getting better and better until the end.
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Summary: Glued to it....
Review: It is difficult to really express what I enjoyed so much about this entry in the SOIF series withouit giving away some major plot lines, but suffice it to say, there are a considerable number of very compelling, interesting and realistic characters. Each one has their own intriguing storyline and tendrils of plot lines whisp out, interconnect and combust as the story proceeds. The overall storyline has become highly unpredictable, which is a rarity in this genre. The only downside of enjoying this series is the waiting between volumes. By the time each installment comes out, the intricacy of the plot line requires first re-consuming the previous volumes as a refresher.
Rating:
Summary: Even better than the first?
Review: I had nearly given up on epic fantasy when (at the nagging behest of numerous friends) I finally read Game of Thrones and found myself drawn, almost against my will, into Martin's complex and unpredictable world. So it was with some disappointment that I read Clash of Kings which, though better than most of the fantasy currently on the market, was a bit of a dull outing after the brilliance of Game. But with A Storm of Swords, Martin once again raises the bar on what epic fantasy can, and should, be. When was the last time you read a novel of more than 900 pages and felt that it was a little too SHORT? In Storm, there are numerous places where Martin could have expanded on his narrative, and chose instead to keep the pace rushing headlong to the stunning climax. There is enough material tossed away over the course of this book to fill the career of a lesser novelist, as beloved characters and seemingly-important plots and subplots from the first two books fall by the wayside, sacrificed to the brutal necessity of what is becoming one of the greatest stories in all of 20th century fantasy fiction. If, like myself, you were somewhat disappointed in the second volume of this wonderful writer's current epic, don't let it deter you from reading A Storm of Swords. The power, the mystery, the magic, and the intrigue that made the first volume so compulsively addictive are back in force. The third volume actually exceeds Game of Thrones for unpredictability, for character development, for the brilliant execution of an increasingly gripping story, and for the sheer rushing headlong madness of its pace. If you can stand to wait, pick it up over a holiday weekend, when the inevitable loss of sleep won't be as much of a problem. When the last page is finished, you'll sit as I did, stunned, filled with awe at the scope and power of Martin's creative genius. This is what all so-called "epic" fantasy should someday hope to be.
Rating: 
Summary: Most impressive.
Review: This book really is a 5. I wish there was a rating for writing separate from the recommendation rating. My only problem lied with the heavy use of swearing that would, IMHO, make it unsuitable for anyone under 15 or so. It is not that kids do not know these words and curses, just that as a parent I would be hard pressed to put this book on my kid's nighttable. This said, it is a a _very_, _very_ good book. I have not been this impressed since the first couple of books of the "Wheel of Time" cycle by R. Jordan. Book drops some of the conventions of the genre, such as no explicit sexual situations or adult language, but definitely hits the spot as far as plot twists are concerned. The author is not afraid to kill of characters as needed and is very good about telling the story in "simulcast" from 10 different people in different places and the same time. It never stands still and even at 900 pages or so is an engrossing read. I have even taken the train instead of my car just to be able to read some more. Awesome gift for anyone who read the first 2 books.
Rating:
Summary: What makes this book so good?
Review: Storm of Swords is a great addition to this series. Martin risks driving his readers away by killing off central characters, but doing so is true to the story he's telling. In Storm of Swords, the rebellion in the seven kingdoms is gradually winding down as the various kings die--some mysteriously and magically. North of the wall, both human and non-human enemies of all of the kingdoms are growing stronger while the kingdoms remain focussed only on their internal struggles. The Black Watch seems unlikely to hold the wall. Martin continues his style of tracking a number of characters, giving each a chapter, then leaving them hanging. He introduces several new point-of-view characters including Jaime the Kingslayer, and returns several favorites. Daenerys Targaryen, in particular, has matured nicely as a character. She now has personal motives beyond merely becoming queen because she is the last Targaryen, and is developing leadership skills and the ability to make hard decisions. The Stark children remain strangely underdeveloped given that they have been central characters throughout this series. Possibly they will be fully fleshed out in the fourth book in the series. At 900+ pages, the book is daunting--but I still found it hard to put down and finished in two days. I don't buy many books in hardback but this is a steal.
Rating:
Summary: The Good, The Bad, & the Ugly
Review: That cliché is the most accurate description of this fantasy epic: "A Song of Fire and Ice". When I finished "Game of Thrones " I foolishly thought I had a clear view of who was the Good and who was the Bad. After "Clash of Kings", I again grew bold enough to make that judgement call. Now I've finished "Storm of Swords",and Martin has shown me he's the master and this pupil better not chose sides. Its easy to tell who the Ugly are; freaks, dwarves, undead, the scarred, the drunken, and the craven, but whose side are they on? (Don't think the handsome ones can stay out of those ranks either, not with the "Bloody Mummers" or "The Mountain Who Rides" roaming the countryside.) This epic power struggle could just as well have happened in medieval times. (That is, if the dead could walk, the seasons last for years and prehistoric mammals would've survived.) While the list of characters seems endless, each one is believable and intriguing and in each chapter, they take turns showing you this tale through their eyes. Trust no one, because the most noble can fall to shame and the most despicable can become selfless. Most of all, be warned. George R.R. Martin has no mercy. At any given moment, anyone and I do mean anyone, can die.
Rating:
Summary: This series is getting better, not worse like others
Review: I just finished it and this book was worth every page. Recently I've been pretty disappointed by series fantasy books. Notably the Wheel of Time series which initially showed such great imagination but lapsed into serious inaction by the main characters in the last few installments. Not so with the Fire and Ice series. The characters act, they don't just travel, there are countless twists that generally are believable once the facts are revealed. There are compelling characters that prevail and perish. This series is very light on magical elements but it doesn't suffer from that. Buy all three now!!!
Rating:
Summary: All By Itself
Review: In an era in which we find ourselves beseiged by lousy fantasy books from writers like Robert Jordan and Mark Anthony, George R.R. Martin help one to keep the faith. A Storm of Swords has him masterfully juggling several intriguing threads, crossing some, keeping others separate. Aside from his ability to write with skill and grace, Martin also has, and uses, the power to blindside the reader. There were at least five instances in this book that make me say aloud, "What? You're kidding!" Martin takes chances and writes a book that isn't the same old territory recharted, with the same two-dimensional characters reacting predictably. With the possible exception of Glen Cook's Black Company series, the Song of Fire and Ice Series is by far the best continuing saga currently being told.
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