Rating: 
Summary: A fabulous installment, but an installment nonetheless
Review: So much happens, but so little changes... A reader should beware. Reading this book without knowing what goes before is lost. A reader aware of the past would read this book and be rewarded.Bleah. I can't keep writing like that. Just in case a reader is wondering, how can George R.R. Martin hope to write a six-book series when he kills off so many in the first two, he adds so many new characters -- like Jaqen, the mysterious killer off to join the Night's Watch. There's much more magic in this book than the first one, but there's an explanation (kind of), and it does little to detract from the action and excitement and realism that does take place (though the reader may feel cheated out of a couple of potentially interesting battles). Medieval fighting tactics come to the fore, and the detail is amazing. As in the previous novel, there is much in the way of battlefield tactics and palace intrigues. The "smallfolk" have a greater role, as the impact of the wars ruin the lives of those powerful and weak. Enjoy this one for the depth and the amazing characters.
Rating: 
Summary: Second in quality only to the prequel
Review: George R.R. Martin has done it again, and with style, I might add. His innovative writing that was displayed in "A Game Of Thrones" makes a triumphant return. Two new characters' viewpoints are added to compensate for the loss of one in the first book, both of which are insightful and fun to read. I am astounded by the way that the author can empathize so accurately with NINE different characters, all which build off each other to convey the hugely addictive storyline. I found it impossible not to care about the characters--the witty Tyrion, the grim Davos, the arrogant Theon, the saddened Catelyn...I love them all. My only complaint is that magic is used more than in the first book, which slightly detracts from the gritty realism. Nothing to sneeze over, though. This is a great book written by a brilliant author. Do yourself a favor and add this one to your collection.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent fantasy novel
Review: This novel has everything thogether what makes reading fantasy so interesting: fascinating characters, interesting plots and intrigues, and wonderfully described landscapes, creating this typical atmosphere, all this makes this book a page-turner and despite the 700 pages, you will be through with it much more quickly then you thought... A world we gladly enter to read this greatly entertaining novel. I hope that the sequel will come up to the level of this book! I can recommend it to every fantasy reader interested in Middle-Age-like worlds without too much magical elements. If you enjoyed this novel, I recommend you read Jackal of Nar by John Marco as well.
Rating:
Summary: Do not punish Martin for Jordan's sins!
Review: If I hear "Jordanitus" one more time I am going to puke! People, quit condeming others for Jordan's sins as a bad writer. If the writing continues as it is - I would love nothing more than this series to go on and on. Every chapter is filled with intrigue that progresses the story as well as defines characters - Martin is a master of storytelling, plot development, story movement, and character greyness. Whereas Martin delivers a lavish meal that you feel guilty for having so much goodness, Jordan offers crumbs until you become so warped that crumbs begin to look like feasts and you thank Jordan for them. Do not compare these authors...Martin spoils the reader while Jordan spoils the series - that is the only comparison. So what if Martin describes in detail the food they are eating - that is the talent of a true author - to set you into the story and make you feel apart of it...food is very important to a reader, and your comment on Martin liking food himself is also shameful. This is the best Fantasy Series I have ever read - sitting next to The Lord of the Rings, and just above Leiber's Fafhrd and Mouser series...this series will change your life.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing!
Review: I read his first book (A Game of Thrones) and was hooked! This one is even better! The plot keeps getting thicker. If you like fantasy, you'll love this book. But this is no light-hearted story, mind. At times, it feels that everything is going wrong. The bad guys are winning and the good guys are losing. And then...it gets worse. The book gets frustrating at times like these. More than once, I found myself saying "No! Don't die!" The characters are done so well that you actually care for what happens to them. Even the villains! Tyrion is my favorite character. The battle scenes are very realistic, full of confusion and chaos. I especially loved the sea battle. Martin's first book didn't have a lot of magic, but this one does. Magic is still rare in the world but its rarity makes it the more mysterious and interesting. I can't wait for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Who ELSE wants to be a King?
Review: Everyone! There are like seven would-be Kings and Queens trying to take over the Seven Kingdoms! I haven't seen anything like it- Armies crawling all over the countryside. All throughout this book you find yourself trying to imagine who will run into whom. Hoping so-and-so gets his hands on this guy, and so on. And when they do encounter each other- it's incredible! You will love this series! This story is told from the point-of-view of nine (at present) distinct main characters with a great supporting cast, and while some feel this gets too confusing- I love it. It feels like you are reading nine stories at the same time. Most are excellent... Sansa and Catelyn might have to go if they don't get better, but Tyrion is one of my favorite characters ever. What really rivets you is the fact that Martin is not afraid to kill off his characters. Not like in Wheel of Time where everyone manages to escape or make a comeback (look for Moiraine and Lanfear in the next one). One small factor does manage to irk me... the language. Not the cursing mind you. That was used rather tastefully and not over done. What I refer to is the annoying speech habits of certain characters... The Crow was fine yelling, "Corn!" or whatever, but then you have the alchemist saying "...hmmm." in every sentence, Stannis' fool with, "I know! I know! Oh! Oh!" and there's a few others not to mention HODOR! This was annoying, but just a minor gripe. I don't feel it was quite as good as Game of Thrones, but it sure comes close, and still enough for a "5 star". Martin's plotting and dialogue are truly masterful and you'd be a fool to pass up on reading this series (6 books projected). But there is a lot of painful waiting between each new installment and at least six years until the end- Oh the agony!
Rating:
Summary: Definetly best fantasy novel of the year!
Review: Martin's "Song of Fire and Ice" can't even begin to compare with the other fantasy currently on market. An epic struggle woven with humanity. There is none of the Robert Jordan type hero who has omnipotent powers in this series. Nor does Martin scratch the surface of the characters, as with any good book you began to hate or love each of them. The writing is great, the battles are brilliant, and plot is twist-ridden. I just wish Martin would finish the third installment faster...
Rating:
Summary: Martin writes yet more classic fantasy
Review: OK, so A Game of Thrones was an excellent book. The Seven Kingdoms falls apart and we get a ringside seat for all of the action. With A Clash of Kings George R R Martin extends his great writing skill and style to another 800 page monster novel, and it's just as good as the first in the series, if not better. Everything in the Seven Kingdoms falls apart in this book, and one of the main characters is dead, but which one, and is s/he really dead? These events take place and many, many more in the space of this book that stands by itself as a must for any serious fantasy fan. If you want the real stuff, the blood and the sex and the intrigue and the back-stabbing, A Song of Ice and Fire is definitely the series for you. It isn't any lightweight fantasy, it's George R R Martin at his best.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Well, better than wonderful. Just what fantasy and S&S addicts long for when you first begin a series -- a great first book, a better second book and the promise of a third. My only reservation in recommending this book would be its graphic sexual and violent content -- the battles are better than DUNE and the sex is distinctly hard edged. So okay... don't let your 8th grader read it. The family saga is beautifully written and clearly told -- like Richard Adams, Martin's prose makes a movie in the mind of the reader. His pace never lags. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Slower paced than the first...but still great!
Review: This book continues the stories of the first - and by continues, I mean in every sense of the word. Few new characters are introduced, but those are colorful, and engaging, and the women of the stories start to come into their own. While Theon's characterization in this novel came as a bit of a surprise at first, like everything else in the book, it made sense after a while. You get the sense though, reading this, that it's mostly a set up for the third (and possibly final) book. The story is so engrossing though, that you don't care. As a bonus: Sansa develops a brain.
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