Rating: 
Summary: Awesome
Review: There's too many reviews as it is so I'll keep it short. Basically, yes this is the best of the series so far. And the series is perhaps better than any other fantasy I've read. Such a thick and tasty plot...the only problem you might have with this book is the delicious bitterness of seeing the "bad guys" win a bit too often for comfort. The raw power of this series is staggering. The real problem with this book is the hunger for more once you get to the end.
Rating:
Summary: First Rate Reading
Review: This is the third and longest installment in George R. R. Martin's mammoth fantasy epic, and it's as enjoyable and engrossing as the first two volumes. Martin is a brilliant author, whose sparkling prose brings a scene vividly to life.This is the kind of book that gets you thinking about the characters as if they were real people. Virtually every fantasy series claims to present a "fully realized imaginary world" but this is the only one that has done it for me, and that includes Tolkien. There are some legitimate criticisms. The torrent of names can become overwhelming at times, especially with the large number of minor characters and the way allegiances can change abruptly. Arya Stark's wanderings become meanderings for a while, and some passages seem to have just a bit too much description. Perhaps the narrative could have been trimmed a bit. However, my reaction to any confusion as to who's who is to go back and re-read the first two books. It's going to be a long wait until the next volume! There's still a lot of story to be told here. Although major changes occur in the lives of all major characters (and most of the minor ones), one can't help wishing the next installment were already on the shelves, so that we could continue with this marvelous story. Still, if Martin had telescoped it down to one or two volumes it certainly wouldn't have the texture and richness that it does. There's real storytelling magic at work here.
Rating:
Summary: This book made me late for work twice!
Review: It has been years, YEARS, since I stayed up on a weeknight until 2:00am reading a book because I couldn't stand not knowing what would happen next. It conjures nostalgia I have for my favorite writers such as Zelazny, Jack Chalker, and Phillip Jose Farmer. Nobody writes like they did / do. I would put George Martin right beside those greats. His latest book is fantasic. There isn't a boring chapter in it, or boring characters. Watch out for plot twists galore as well as superb characterization. You feel as if you know The Imp, Jaime, and the rest. I was appalled at "The Red Wedding" scene because it came as such a surprise. The ending was fabulous as well! I can't wait until the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Captivating and Tantalizing! A must have!!!
Review: So far this book is the best in the series. The plot lines that were first started in A Game of Thrones have grown larger and deeper. The characters are so alive that I actually found myself getting caught up in thier struggles. George R.R. Martin has a true gift with story telling. The characters are so in depth and unique. The web of deception so intricate and thick. I highly recommend this book and the series for any fan of the genre and for those who aren't.
Rating: 
Summary: Lannister's motto should be "Heard it before.."
Review: The first book was great the second was good and now the third book is wearing thin. When I first read the book I was a big fan. I enjoyed his characters depth and his gritty storing telling, alas I feel all of the books to date possess the same story. Several nobles who feel they should be the rightful king or queen. A noble family divided and are attempting to either escape or find there way home (this bit is especially dull.) and the mystery of the north. This storyline sofar to date has been in all three books and each book has over 1000 pages. My advice to Mr Martin - less description and recycled tales and more story.
Rating:
Summary: Best Book In a While
Review: George RR Martin has unleashed one of the best triologies (so far) in fantasy that I have read in a while. The first and second editions to A Song of Fire and Ice are great but the third volume in the series surpasses those two. This book is great...hands down one of the best of the year that I have read. The last 250 pages are so amazing that I couldn't put the book down. The character development in this book is great, you get to see new sides to old characters and actually learn some of the reasoning behind why those characters act the way they do. If you are into fantasy books and have not read this series yet, what are you waiting for??? The only problem is that now I have to wait another year or so for the next installment of the series. "Winter is coming" and it seems to me that it is hitting hard.
Rating:
Summary: Characters and Plot galore!
Review: When an author shines over a series of books, expectations are raised, and you want the next book he writes to be even better. When it is simply as excellent as the ones that came before, you may hector and quibble. Well, taken any way you want, "A Storm Of Swords" is fabulous. I hadn't read even ONE series of "realist" fantasy literature that continued to impress past the first one. Robert Jordan merely managed to raise glimmers of that amazing first book in all the remaining books of his endless series. Folks, quite simply, an author's first book contains a complete statement of "his world", and to often subsequent books in a series belabor the obvious, or depart from basic premises in an attempt to startle. Does anyone else remember "The Sword Of Shannara"? Jordan's first book "Eye OF The World" was simply stunning, but he hasn't been able to sustain that level of excitement. I suppose like me you continued to read Brooks' and Jordan's vision, and others, finding your enjoyment vaguely less and less with each episode. That is not the case at all with this series! George RR Martin's books wrap you up in a world of people whom I think are as real as any I have read in a fantasy series. This series is a great work! Most fantasy works are adolescent and immature. I got to the point where if I read of Nynaeve tugging her braid again, or Elayne or any female gauging her woman-wear in Tellaranriod one more time, I would have screamed in agony. That is just one case in point. Mr. Martin's "A Song Of Ice And Fire" series is a grand departure from adolescent meanderings! Martin is staking new ground with very adult themes. In his grand story, last year's hero is last month's villian, and last month's villian is yesterday's conflicted hero, who is now today's dubious villian. Isn't that a description of life, with heightened dramatic impact and intensity? And the sheer delight of the writing! However, I must say I thought Arya and Sansa continue to be dramatically expressed less well than they ought, but every other character is simply scintillating. Less you think I am saying Mr. Martin can't handle female characters, I suggest you pay attention to Catelyn and Daenarys, whom I thought he developed with brilliance! And Jon is a hero for all time. The best thing about these books: You never know what events, tragic and devastating, or affirming and glorious, will occur to your favorite characters. And these people in Mr. Martin's books grow and learn, or regress, over time! THAT is a wonder to behold in these days. In summary: "A Storm Of Swords" is world-building at its best, with characters for us all to read about, and care about, to celebrate, curse, grieve for, and pity. Plotlines flowed and suprised me, yet in retrospect they remained consistent with the vision. "A Storm Of Swords", like the earlier books in Mr. Martin's series, is greatness.
Rating:
Summary: Five stars not enough...
Review: George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" is absolutely peerless in the field of fantasy fiction. In truth, I had all but lost hope that someone would come along to breathe new life into this tired genre, but here you have it. Beyond the compelling, deeply realized characters, the lush detail in the storytelling and the unpredictability of the plot, it is Martin's craftsmanship that stands out. The dialogue is razor sharp, mature, and varies constantly with the age, gender and social station of the main characters. The plot is thickly and highly complex, but Martin never seems to lose control of it. Story threads weave in and out of the narrative flawlessly, and nothing is haphazardly resolved, forgotten or left to chance. The plot turns are so unpredictable that the entire story can change dramatically in the space of a page or two, without the reader being able to foretell anything, and Martin is utterly ruthless when it comes to killing off characters. As this third installment progresses, the lines between "good" and "evil", indistinct even in the first book, become even more blurred as politics shift, pacts are struck and family and allies are betrayed. However, the political machinations seem to be moving into the background, and as major plot strands resolve, the mystical/magical side of the story emerges from the ominous backdrop it was in the first two books. This series stands head, shoulders and torso above other would-be epic writers, like Jordan and Goodkind, and their inane dialogue and endless rewriting of the same book. Martin's story is progressing toward a gigantic second half, and my only complaint is having to wait another 18 months-plus for the next book.
Rating:
Summary: Well Worth The Wait!!
Review: George R. R. Martin's latest installment was utterly fantastic and well worth the wait! The entire novel is full of intrigue and suspense and is very difficult to put down. Martin's attention to detail allows for a plotline and chracter development that is unrivaled. If you love the works of Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, or any other fantasy novelist, once you read George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, you will have a new favorite! Trust Me on this one!
Rating:
Summary: Great Book!
Review: A Storm of Swords is the third book in this series. Each book has been well written with twists and surprises which keep on coming. This book continues that tradition. First, the war continues. The Lannister Family is winning but is paying a high price. The cost of losing, however, is much worse. The King of the North, Robb, has a new set of problems, and each solution looks worse then the problem. In the South, Stannis' lot seems worse. After being thown back at his seige of Kingslanding, many of his supporters have deserted him. He doesn't seem to have the power to win, but he is unable to concede what he believes is rightfully his. Overseas, the last Queen of the old dynasty has her own problems, which are significant. And, past the Wall, to the far north, wicked magic has risen and the problem there bode ill for the rest of kingdom. This is just the beginning! This book, a history of the kingdom, plays no favorites. The good, and bad, of each party is shown. Some people have more honor then others, but each person also has his or her flaws and defects. In the last book, Stannis' witch told the Onion Knight that a man is good or bad, not both - but this entire book argues against that statement. There are no perfect people in this book. Everyone is flawed, everyone is human. Moreover, because this book is a history of the kingdom, and not the story of a single person, we never know what will happen next. And I am not going to tell you now. I will say that there is more death and destruction, and some of my favorite remaining charactors have been killed. Who do we cheer for now? That, fortunately, is not a problem. The writer, Mr. Martin, provides new heroes and villians, and the reader is never forgetten. If you like fantasy, you will love this book. If you already love fantasy, this book, no doubt, will be one of your new favorites. I look forward to the next addition, and you will too.
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