Rating: 
Summary: Only for the most jaded reader
Review: A friend recommended this series to me, but after reading the first and second books, I will read no further and will not heed any more recommendations from that friend. This story is a brutally violent, totally unsympathetic monstrosity that I am shocked anyone would enjoy. Recommending this series to anyone who isn't completely prepared for explicit, detailed descriptions of rape, murder of childen, torture, and mutilation is like recommending "Debbie Does Dallas" to your grandparents.Without going into specifics so as not to spoil the story for anyone making the mistake of reading this book, suffice it to say that reading "A Song of Fire and Ice" is like staring at roadkill on the highway. If it makes you sick, you will hate this story. If you look at roadkill and snicker, then this series is perfect for you.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Empire Strikes Back . . .
Review: What is it about the second story in a series? Why is it so difficult to keep anything but the prominent aspects of a series alive through the second feature into the third? Beautiful story elements and characters and relationships get lost in the fray of an author's attempt to get the story to some distant destination. Martin's second book is far from filler or fluff, but it leaves a lot to be desired compared to his first effort in this series. Martin continues to do a nice job with some of his many characters, but not all. Some that are vital get dropped in favor of more gratuitous, more gratifying scenes. Some that are minor (so far (?)) get meaty story lines and some fine writing, but to what end? Still other characters are dropped completely and become exposition - that is disappointing in a series that revolves around character development. All in all, it takes the separate plot lines too long to come to fruition, and the characters that you are given reason to care about too long to return. Martin has lost some of his control and power in this book. There are definitive highlights, and you'll need those as you get through. Bran's character gets fleshed out quite a bit, as does Arya's. Catelyn and Sansa become more real, and Tyrion (Oh Tyrion, oh Tyrion) continues to be a joy. There are some fantastic minor characters that play an important role, with hints for the future. Martin is good at hiding the truth behind a shade and a mirror, so who knows what to make of many of his hints and nudges. He builds on several feudal sub-plots to good advantage as the scope of his books continues to grow. There are new villains and some surprises as the kingdom plunges further into chaos. You'll enjoy the book, but let's hope this is the ebb and not the flow.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost as good as A Game of Thrones.
Review: Upon reading the first book in this series (A Game of Thrones), I ran around for weeks, telling everyone that would listen that it was the best book I have ever read. So it was with a weird mix of anticipation and dread that I started A Clash of Kings. What if it wasn't as good? Well, it was as good. The only reason I'm not giving it a 5 is because by the end of the book, I was starting to have a little trouble keeping all of the various characters, their machinations, the wars, betrayals, alliances, etc., straight. This is a REALLY dense, busy book; you have to pay attention when you read it. After the shocking murder that threw the Seven Kingdoms into turmoil in Book One, the various Kingdoms are at war; No less than 5 different men are claiming the mantle of King.......
Joffrey Baratheon- son of the late King Robert....or IS he?
Renly Baratheon- Robert's younger brother. A great talker, but can he lead an Army?
Stannis Baratheon- Robert's older brother. He's lived in Robert's shadow for over a decade (Hating him all that time), and now he's ready to claim what he feels should have been his all along....by any means necessary.
Robb Stark- A 16 year old who has had the mantle of leadership thrust upon him, he fights more for revenge upon the people who tore apart his family than for power.
Balon Greyjoy- Father of Theon Greyjoy, Ward of Eddard Stark. While the other 4 armies fight in the open, he will sneak in and try to get revenge on his dead enemy.
Meanwhile, Danaerys Targaryen, the rightful heir to the Iron Throne, struggles to raise an army, and reclaim her birthright. (Did I mention she's only 14 years old?)
And beyond the wall in the North, Mance Rayder is rallying an army of Wildlings, Wargs, Mammoths, Giants, and God-knows-what-else, in a bid to break through the wall, and take the Seven Kingdoms as his own. And that's just the Cliffs Notes version.....There's intrigue, incest, sorcery, cannibalism, the walking dead, fratricide, rapes, murders, looting & pillaging...whew! Martin, as in the last book, earns a ton of admiration for being able to juggle dozens of stories, told from 10 or 12 different perspectives, without confusing the reader (too much, at least!). After reading the first Two books back-to-back, I decided to read someting else before plunging into Book Three. Perhaps the truest compliment I can Give Mr. Martin is this: In the 4 days since I finished A Clash of Kings, I think of Arya, Sansa, Robb, Rickon, Bran, Jon, and the Wolves quite a bit. I can't wait to see what happens to them next, and fervently hope that they all make it through to the conclusion of the series alive. Bravo, Mr. Martin! Now on to A Storm of Swords!
Rating: 
Summary: A Different Kind of Fantasy #2
Review: Mr. Martin continues his Epic in this book. The world he introduced to us in A Game of Thrones starts to flesh out. The old king is dead and there is a question about the legitimacy of his heirs. Thus a peaceful succession is prevented and three claims to the throne of the Seven Kingdoms are made, as well as two claims to the thrones of kingdoms that were independent before the Taragaryen Kings came to the Seven Kingdoms three hundred years before. And let us not the forget that the last of the Taragaryen House is making a claim to the throne from exile in the islands and lands of the east.
This book has more of the magical element in it than the first of this series, as the Night's Watch at the north border of the seven kingdoms comes to realise that there is a great deal of truth to the old legends, and that they have more to worry about beyond their Wall than just the barbarians. Also, one of the kings, whose claim is the strongest, but whose support is the weakest, has converted to a different god, and the priestess who converted him is a sorceress to boot. This will have an effect on the story.
Mr. Martin continues using the almost agonizing tactic of telling each chapter from the viewpoint of individual characters. This makes it more realistic, I believe, as we then come to know more characters, and Mr. Martin does not make them unrealistic, as they are all prone to misperceptions, and very human tendencies.
Also, I believe that he very realistically portrays the class differences from kings to lords, from powerful lords to weak and minor ones, and from the minor nobility to the serfs and peasants. Also in this struggle are those who see and are willing to risk themselves to rise to higher station, whether a serf who would become a knight, or lords who would become kings. It is a very harsh world, and those who rise can also fall. We see this more in this book than in the first, and I suspect that we will see it through-out the series. The most realistic element that I see is that first of all, very few people in this are cut-and-dried, out-and-out villains or heroes, and characters that we like do not always survive, let alone prevail. I have mine opinions about where this story will go, and who will be most important, but it is too early to tell. I do think that I can see the beginning of a quest element in this story.
I definitely recommend this series to other readers.
Rating:
Summary: Overall very well done
Review: I picked up the first of this series of books directly after finishing Tolkiens immortal trilogy as well as the Silmarillion. I was hoping to find something as engrossing and exciting as Tolkien's masterpiece but unfortunately I was dissapointed. However, I did persevere and finished the first, and now I am glad to say after having finishing the second that it was well worth the time spent and I can't wait for the third to come out on paperback (so I'm cheap). Mr. Martin paints an extremely elaborate picture that I feel could occupy atleast 5 more books, and to that I say "Bring 'em on". Though he does get a little caught up in the details (does he love food or what?), overall the books are very entertaining and worth the time spent reading their 800+ pages. They may not be for everyone, but if you enjoy good fantasy you may want to pick these books up.
Rating:
Summary: Martin gets 6 stars!
Review: George RR Martin cements himself in as one of the greatest writers with this series. It has all the depth we have come to expect in a long fantasy series. It has no filler whatsoever. This is also the only series that even as it unfolds leaves you with no idea as to what the end will be like! You don't know who will live or who will be in power....Wow. Also, his strictly POV writing is superb, I found it impossible not to identify with the characters, even those who I didn't like before getting their POV. It keeps you on the edge up until the last page and makes it impossible not to order the next book as soon as you close it....
Rating:
Summary: The Best High Fantasy I have Ever Read
Review: George R. R. Martin took over the high fantasy genre and raised the stakes, and the style, to a higher level. The characters are real and dimentional, the lines of good and evil are blurred, and you find yourself wondering, "who is the good guy, anyway?". He seamlessly connects stories told from different characters' viewpoints into an epic tale with all of the right elements that make you want to emerse yourself into this world. It will change your opinion of what is good fantasy...what is good WRITING in general, and leave you scrambling for the next book as soon as you put the first one down.
Rating:
Summary: A Twisting, Turning Sequel
Review: Could this book be any better? I don't think so, and I will tell you why. The Song of Ice and Fire takes place primarily in Westeros, a rich and varied land that was once divided into seven seperate kingdoms but was united under the Targaryens, who were later overthrown by Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon. Robert took the Iron Thrown of the Seven Kingdoms and later took Eddard Stark as his hand. After both Eddard and Robert were killed, due to the shceming of Queen Cersei, her brother and lover Jaime Lannister, Westeros was divided with 6 factions fighting for the right to the Iron Throne. The Lannisters,The Starks,The Ironmen, Stannis Baratheon,Renly Baratheon, and Queen Danaerys Stormborn, the last remaining Targaryen. Now, with the back story out of the way, here are my impressions. One thing I like about George R.R. Martin is he always manages to surprise you. In both A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings he has several HUGE twists that you would NEVER expect. He is never scared of killing main characters, and their are several that die in this sequel. Martin decieves you, and near the end of the book you THINK that a couple of main characters die for about 6 chapters before he reveals the truth. For those six chapters you are CERTAIN that they are dead, and then BOOM, you find out that they are alive. Wow. There aren't many authors that can convince you like Martin manages to do. This book is intense. The Naval Battle at King's Landing couldn't have been done better than it was, and Jon's adventures on the other side of the wall are very cool. I finished this book in about a week, which is good for me considering that it is nearly 1000 pages. Buy this book NOW.
Rating:
Summary: Epic poetry one-upped
Review: Yes you heard me...this is what reading A song of Ice and Fire is like...reading a medieval epic poem. This is beyond high fantasy, this series( or saga) is told like a quasi-historical drama that reads like an epic poem ala the norse and germanic tales of Egil's Saga, Beowulf, Niebelunglied , Volsungs et all.
With that said...this is what sets this story apart from so many fantasy series...its not driven by the same old cliche of an all encompassing prophecy, with a central 'big baddie', nor is it soaked to the gils in magic..this story, like epic poetry, like history, is a HUMAN story...fate/providence/prophecy does not decide what happens so much as the characters themselve, their decisions, desires, wisdom and blunders.I mean there are moments in history or in an epic poem where you think to yourself'if only they would have done this instead...' thats what reading Matin does to the reader....make you truly hope the characters make the right decision..b/c in this series, blunders have fatal consequences, for the minor and major character alike. Also, like epic poetry..the characterization is more fleshed out in this series than in any other I have read. Now granted, I have not read many authors( only Goodkind and Jordan) but still, I have seen Martin avoid simple two dimensional characters- the ultra pious and honorable good guy and the unredeemably bad, bad guy. Martin's characters, like many in epic poems, and certainly thru medieval history, are more flavored than that..some are honorable, yet can be ruthless...some are ruthless and cruel, yet have a scrap of honor on some points. Again...this is a HUMAN story(saga) and no human is one sided. On the other side, lets not forget that Martin bases his story on our medieval world..a time that was NOT pc by any means. So, in the story we have graphic violence, sex, mention of whoring, foul language, and adult themes...many reviewers have complained about this, all I can say is....have any of you read your history?? or your medieval lit? Need I remind you that the most vaulted medieval/renaisance writer in history(Shakespeare) had more scenes of butchery and bawdiness in his whole cannon than in this book? I mean..come on people..this is not sanitized disneyized fantasy here...its realistic. and if you examine the period this is 'set' in or the literature of that period...u will see that sex and violence was very much a part of that time period( as it is now) . If you just dont like that sort of thing in your fantasy, fine, but dont complain of excessiveness..If you think this is excessive, read Titus, or Song of Roland, of the Niebelunglied( a queen slew her own child to try and kill her brothers) and tell me which is more gory. Now, to the book itself, lol..Martin, simply put ,is a genius at narrative. The reason why he eclipses epic poetry in my book is b/c he gives every chapter thru a pov of a character, which, simply put, manipulates the reader. Never have I ever had my loyalties to characters questioned as much as with this book...he simply does not let the reader polarize anyone in the book, or at least, not very many. Also, like Jordan, Martin is THE master of political machinations..and if you think the schemeing is excessive, read some medieval british history...that stuff is better than any cheasy soap, more so b/c it truly happened. The plots are so masterfully interwoven, its like watching a tapestry be spun right in front of you. Also on that note, b/c the narration is episodic( like epic poetry and history) rather than linear, Martin avoids the traps that befall other authors( Jordan); that being repetative narrative prose. An economy of well phrased words keeps the story moving and the pace very brisk. I moved thru Martin's 900 pagees in what seemed like no time at all..I cant say the same for 600 pages of Jordan. So basically it comes down to this..If you like and I mean like the medieval time period- read this book. If you like political fantasy-read this book If you like realism, and dont mind adult themes- read this book If you are tired of the same cliches..i.e'boy is plucked from obscurity, discovers latent magic, gets magic sword, falls in love with queen/princess..fights the evil dark lord and saves the day'- read this IF you like minimal magic with maximum impact, by all means read this book otherwise...im afraid you wont have much to look forward to.-A.N.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but not as good as the first
Review: This is a very good book, but not as good as the first volume. The plot grows more and more complicated, with turns and twists absolutely impredictable (and this is great!) but it seems to me that the characters act too little: in a thousand pages you would expect a lot of things to happen, instead at the end some of the characters are almost in the same situation as at the beginning of the story. So you wonder if you had to go through so many chapters and find out that nothing had changed (see Bran and Jon most of all). Anyhow, I enjoyed all the chapters because, even if you FEEL as if something SHOULD happen (but it doesn't), they are so well written and the characters so rich, that you go on restlessly.
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