A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire, Vol. 1-4: A Game of Thrones / A Clash of Kings / A Storm of Swords books 1-4: Steel and Snow / A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold/ A Feast for Crows

A Song of Ice and Fire #1-4

by George R.R. Martin

George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series has become, in many ways, the gold standard for modern epic fantasy. Martin—dubbed the "American Tolkien" by Time magazine—has created a world that is as rich and vital as any piece of historical fiction, set in an age of knights and chivalry and filled with a plethora of fascinating, multidimensional characters that you love, hate to love, or love to hate as they struggle for control of a divided kingdom. It is this very vitality that has led it to be adapted as the HBO miniseries “Game of Thrones.”

This bundle includes the following novels:
A GAME OF THRONES
A CLASH OF KINGS
A STORM OF SWORDS
A FEAST FOR CROWS

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Ebooks, Adventure, Science Fiction Fantasy, Novels

3936 pages, Paperback boxset

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

George Raymond Richard "R.R." Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: The Hero, sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.

As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.

In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.

Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.

Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george...

Reviews

[Recynd · Rating 5 out of 5]

After putting off starting this series for a month or so (I mean, really, these books are WHOPPERS), I decided I was finally ready to give it a whirl. Now, with more than half of the first book (A Game of Thrones: Song of Fire and Ice) under my belt, I say, "Where have you been hiding, my dear? It seems I've been waiting for you my whole life!" Like any new romance, it is constantly on my mind, and I find myself wishing there were more hours in a day, so it could fill those too. I read when I wake up in the morning, I read throughout the day, and I read until I fall asleep at night. I read while brushing my teeth and at meals. I am truly in love.

Historically, I haven't been a fantasy fan. The closest I ever came was enjoying the "Harry Potter" series, but that was a fluke. Twice I tried to develop a taste for "The Hobbit" (as a teen and more recently, as an adult), but it never took, nor did any of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy movies do the trick to capture my fancy. I haven't played World of Warcraft or any of the knock-offs; those fantasy worlds hold no interest for me. I do not want to rule armies or nations, which is a really good thing, since even the simplest strategy confounds me. So then what explains my deep infatuation with Game of Thrones ("GoT")?

Well, GoT has everything...and more, in spades...that I love in a good book: characters you can sink your teeth into, that are fully developed and multifaceted; romance, with plenty of sex (but not too graphic...but graphic enough); violence, but not without purpose; excellent pacing, with lots of twists and turns in the plot; drama, drama, and more drama; power struggles and intrigue...and that's just off the top of my head. Best of all, so far, anyway, the story is very well-written, and Martin takes full advantage of a broad vocabulary, without it ever feeling gratuitous or pedantic.

Simply put, I have fallen in love anew with the pleasures of reading. Not since I was a child have I lost myself in a story as deeply or as fully as I have with GoT. I feel like I am the recipient of a gift that is both magical and priceless. I'm a girl in love...and, thankfully, I've only just started my journey!

**********

Oh, how fickle am I?! Story of my life: from zero to sixty in a split second, and then, less than a mile down the road (after all, the acceleration's the fun part), I stop on a dime and forget where it was exactly I was headed. There MUST be a lesson there, somewhere, but...oh, look...a chicken!

2/3rds through the second book of the series, I abandoned it. Not because it's not good, but because my attention span just won't hold out for more of the same. Plus, there are too many damned characters to keep track of, and most of the names are un-pronounceable besides. A word of warning to you prudes out there: the prodigious sex is something akin to what a horny 15-year old boy might write. Seriously. Even my thick-skinned husband (who is working his way through the fourth book and still going strong) has complained about how juvenile the sex scenes are. However, he's still reading like crazy, so it's not that bad (or good, depending on how you look at it).

All things considered, I won't downgrade my five-star rating. It's not the books' fault that I have a commitment problem. As for the sex, who couldn't use a little vicarious adolescent indulgence every now and again?

[Jenine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am given to understand that G.R.R.Martin is an accomplished and beloved author. And I admit that these four books are the only G.R.R.Martin books I have read. So take this review with that in mind.

G.R.R.M. appears to have no concept of formulating a story arc around a central character (or characters) around which the plot (or plots) revolves, spanning problem to resolution and ultimately reaching some sort of conclusion. Instead, he seems extremely fond of creating lists of extremely detailed made-up stuff. Each successive scene is a pain-staking description of what everyone present is wearing, their homes and genealogy, what arms they carry and where they were made, what their home sigil is ... and what, if any, humorous nickname they might have.

Paragraph after paragraph of detailed lists! Lists of information that will NEVER be referred to again, and is not necessary for understanding the arc of the story. Because there IS no arc of story. He launches plot lines and fleshes out highly interesting characters only to abandon that entire story in the next breath, usually killing off the character you've just invested 200 pages getting to know in the process.

Maybe there's something here that is typical of the endless-fantasy-serial genre that I am just not familiar with. But in my book-reading world, if an author dedicates significant page space to a character or plot line, it's for a reason, and that reason becomes clear in ... well, let's say, FEWER than 4 books. But having read the first four, and the reader reviews of the fifth, I'm just not seeing it and I'm really REALLY unwilling to invest any additional time in this world without some promise of eventual CLOSURE.

So, basically, if you're looking for a travelogue of an interesting make-believe world where there's magic and swords and ladies in waiting, these are the books for you.

Oh yeah, and before you start, make sure you have a high tolerance for rape, brutality and torture. G.R.R.M. seems especially fond of these, and he never misses an opportunity to chuck a bucket of blood (or 7) all over the highly detailed scene he's just described over the course of the last 25 pages.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished Storm of Swords. WOW!

Never have I read a series with more intricate layers of the past affecting the present plot lines. The past is very slowly revealed to us, and motives and explanations take a while to surface. I can't believe we still don't know the full back story by the 3rd book, nor do we even have the events of the first book adequately explained by the third book. (But we're getting there...)

Never have I ever read a book where the character's wounds actually affect them for a while and take a long time to heal.

Never have I been more surprised at where certain characters end up; just when you think you know what's going to happen, GRRM abruptly shifts tracks.

Never have I gasped out loud more while reading a book, nor felt such elation at the characters' victories, and despair at their tragedies.

These books are AMAZING. Can't wait to keep reading A Feast for Crows.

[Matt Luedke · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels a little insane to review this entire series with one swing, especially considering that each book is like 800 pages, depending on the book and the format. But they are really intended as one big piece of work and I don't feel like writing a review of each separately anyway, so here goes (for the record I have read all 5, though for the first 3 books it was about 10 years ago).

In the 1990's, disgruntled TV writer George R R Martin decided to shake free of the budgetary restraints and censorship of his job and write a story so big in world and cast and ideas that it could never, ever be filmed-- and so profane and violent that it would never be shown. (He may have also been inspired by his two R R initials??)

The result is a sprawling world that, yes, is fantasy because dragons and such do exist. But don't despair if that's not your usual genre! The magic that does exist is so rare, weak, and finicky, that most characters consider it to barely exist at all. Instead, they almost exclusively interact on several layers of political intrigue and war.

There is a very large cast of characters, and particularly in the fourth and fifth books they start running into the good old second law of thermodynamics-- disorder never decreases! Martin's fiction is extremely realistic, so while the small (in comparison) cast at the beginning makes for good, tight drama, the fact that character A then meets B and C, who start to have their own chapters and meet D and E an so on, makes for a more realistic world.

'Depth' is a word that describes a lot of aspects of this series well. Of the cast, of each character's motivations (he went out of his way to take the more shallow characters from earlier books and flesh them out specifically. Very ballsy and a good move.), the geography, the religions (one of my favorite parts of the world), the mythology and history, the science (genetic biology), the minute details of cultures (food, gender roles, clothing, social rights, etc), transportation... Seemingly everything has been created and orchestrated towards what is going to be an amazing finish I'm sure. To be clear, I'm sure the ending will be great and I have some theories that I love to talk about with other series fans, but I have no idea when it will come. There were originally only going to be 5 books, now there are supposed to be 7 total. If he sticks to 7 and his current pace it will be done in about 10 years. If he adds more again, or slows down, who knows?

Very fun, rewarding to really dive into, and continually imaginative. If the last books are as good as I think they could be, this series will be a legitimate literary classic.

Plus, Tyrion is awesome in both book and TV form! (I won't include any spoilers about him)

[Coolmomsrule · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a woman, the first several chapters of ASOFAI were very disturbing to me; the lack of a strong female character and the violence against women made me nearly put the books down.

I'm glad I didn't.

Martin invests himself in every character he writes, and it shows. The men and women in the series show strength, resourcefulness and really grow as characters, and to give up early is to miss the process of maturation the characters themselves go through, especially Danaerys. Dani begins the series as a young, sheltered girl, both protected and abused by her older brother in his quest to restore their family to the throne.

But Dani quickly adapts to her surroundings, and learns much from listening and respecting the different cultures. She bends without breaking, something her stubborn brother cannot find it in himself to do. It is Dani, not her brother, who is truly descended from "the blood of the dragon". She is a complex character trying to do the right thing in a world that George R. R. Martin has deliberately made the opposite of good vs evil. In that world, pragmatists and strategists live while the naive and trusting die.

And this is where I talk about that world of the series, because it is really significant to note that, while a fantasy world, it is modeled on Europe during the Wars of the Roses and the families fighting for the throne at the time. The patriarchal society, arranged marriages, plotting and treason exist because the historical background upon which the fictional work is based included all those elements and they are necessary for the factions to make sense. Yet Martin still has women play pivotal roles.

Martin delights in turning expectations upside-down. He takes typical fantasy tropes and distorts them until the reader does not know what to expect. One of the reasons I like these books so much is their unpredictability. This is also a feature that has earned Martin his sharpest criticism, however; readers find that even their favorite characters are not guaranteed success, or a life without suffering, or even life at all.

Everyone suffers in these books, and I don't see a lot of moral posturing from Martin. Perhaps his overall philosophy could be summed up in one line from the books (and the HBO series based upon them), "In the game of thrones, you win or you die."

Tyrion, one of my favorite Martin characters, is not immune to the sling and arrows of outrageous fortune Martin has thrown at his characters, but he usually lands on his feet, because, as in chess, he sees the whole board and thinks several moves ahead. He learned, very young, the most important lesson of survival: naivete and innocence lead to suffering in this harsh world. Trust no one and never let your guard down.

I highly recommend these books (and the fifth, A Dance with Dragons) to anyone who enjoys epic fantasy, with the caveat that if like happy endings you might want to steer clear--I don't know yet what the series holds, but letting yourself get emotionally invested in any of Martin's characters is a dangerous undertaking and one that should only be undertaken by those who understand how fraught with peril Martin's "fantasy" world is.

[Lark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok. Read the 4 books. Liked it less the more I read.

The only people of virtue are destroyed one after the other. Everyone else is corrupt and SO vulgar. There are about 100 too many characters and I got bored with all the minute details about each unimportant one.... When you have to have a 30 page compendium of names and allegiances at the back of the book to make sense of it all, that's just too many...

Sufficiently curious to see how it all ends, but will be checking them out at the library. Not worth spending money on...

[Seawater · Rating 1 out of 5]

the characters are shallow and hollow. they are presented with only one or two qualities and those are pushed at every opportunity. sam the coward, cersei the crazy bitch, ned the honourable, etc. Or you have others that are talked up a lot but dont present any of the qualities they are alleged to have, like tywin.


the main plot mover is the death of characters and introduction of new ones which really gets old. and some of the deaths are really lazily done. birthing shadows to kill off some people because mr. martin seemingly has grown bored and doesnt wish to write about people any longer...
now, i dont mind killing or maiming main characters, it can be a good thing. but it just happens so often and sometimes for no reason other than just to kill someone that it gets old. its more of a surprise when someone doesnt die...except that since they are still alive they will likely die later.

[Patrick Prager · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing, setting, and intrigue are fantastic. However, Martin methodically kills off every "good" and likable character. We're left with a work that is, at best, grey... And at worst, one full of black characters.

I have read and loved many bleak books (The Road, Black Company) but no author seems to take pleasure I killing off characters like Martin.

[Lindaj · Rating 1 out of 5]

This author has been compared to Tolkein. Not even close. Tolkein wrote great characters, good and evil and in between. This guy makes up and kills off people so fast all you know about everyone is that they are "craven" or a "raper". The violence and raping is an overwhelming part of this book, not the story of the characters in the book. I am a persistent almost obsessive reader and I was mildly interested in a few of the characters so I actually finished all 4 of these books. I will not be reading book 5 or 6. Nothing ever happens, each character gets a chapter once in a while, but one chapter and then you don't hear from them again for what seems like forever. It is difficult to follow any of the stories because there are so many characters and more coming out of the woodwork in every book. And you don't like most of them, so don't care about them. The main characters in the first book that you want to like and root for and think this book is about almost all get killed off. It is hard to want to keep reading when anyone you cared about is either dead or gets only 2 or 3 chapters in the story. And really, how many times can you play the "oh look, they aren't really dead" card? Characters either don't get killed and show up later or show up later dead but still functioning, with no explanation of why someone can be killed 7 or 8 times but not be dead. Really? I'm tired of wading through and skipping huge parts of meaningless drivel to read one chapter on the few characters I'm even interested in any more.

[Rebecca Radnor]

I admit it, I started watching the HBO series first, fell in love with the story and decided I had to read the books. Unfortunately I don't have a lot of time for fun reading (I teach) but I'm still trekking my way through what is proving to be a hard book to put down.

Not sure yet which I enjoy more since Peter Dinklage's interpretation of the Tyrion Lannister character is SO incredibly good (he has definitely earned all the awards he has been winning for the role) ... and then there are the impressive performances of Michelle Fairley's Catelyn Stark and let's not forget the newcomer Maisie Williams as Arya Stark. ... however... as I read the book I realize that the HBO writers didn't have to go far from the original when converting the book to script. All the humor of Tyrion is there on the pages, etc.

[C-shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

8/19/17 - Rereading for the second time, starting with Volume 1, _A Game of Thrones_. Following comments were from my first reading in 2012.


* * * * *
I loved the mini-series, and the books are exactly like it. Dialogue for the most part is verbatim. Sooo exciting!
Wow, so good. First volume was finished 7/12/12. Now I'm starting on the next volume. The first was over 800 pages long, and the second is over 900 pages. I hope I live long enough to read all of these.
8/28/12 - Finished the second volume, "A Clash of Kings," all 900+ pages of it. It is still so wonderful, and I haven't tired of the story at all.
Today I started the third volume, "A Storm of Swords."
9/22/12 - I finally got through the 1128+-page third volume, "A Storm of Swords." This series just keeps getting better. The ending chapters were so exciting that I could not stand to put it down. Now I am working on the fourth volume, "A Feast for Crows." George R.R. Martin is a genius, and this is the most enjoyable set of books I have ever read.
10/21/12 - Finished the fourth volume, "A Feast for Crows." Third volume was the best, but this one was good too. It was full of new characters, most of which I couldn't form any close affinity for, and too little update on some old characters - promised in the next volume. I am so sad that the next one, "A Dance with Dragons," won't be published until March of 2013!!

[Ottox · Rating 2 out of 5]

"A Song of Ice and Fire" is well written. The problem is: the "evil" people are the heroes and the "good" people fail and die. I see enough of that in the real world, I don't want to encounter the same depressing state of affairs in my fantasy worlds, too. Also, it sets a bad moral example encouraging readers to be morally corrupt and behave in a way that ultimately destroys societies. (I guess that's why Hollywood has leaped on the chance to make a movie series from it).
Another issue: while the story is gripping and the writing crisp in the first two volumes, the later volumes are quite boring: uninteresting characters and not much of a plot. It was as if GRRM just wanted to fill the pages to get paid.

[Jenny Jo Weir · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like this series speaks for itself. I mean, there has to be a reason over a million people have read it and it’s still one of the bestselling series out there.
The complexity and characters and diversity of the world George creates is simply unexplainable. The whole thing is magical and ridiculously overwhelming in the best way.
I know everyone is upset with his delay in releasing the 2 final books in the series but once you read these, you can understand the time and effort it must take to create something this magnificent.
This series is it a league of its own. George sets the bar in a different universe and I can’t imagine anything else coming close to this grand scale and being as captivating.

[Jason Donoghue · Rating 5 out of 5]

truly enjoyable read, some books are better than others but that can be expected. i hate reading about Sansa and cat they are so boring and really hard to get through. It's a huge book series with so many characters and people to like and dislike.

my only dislike of the books are a lot of the stories are taken from history or other authors work and that takes away from the story.

[Andy Hickman · Rating 5 out of 5]

George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

I assume you all know the ancient proverb, “Don't judge a book by it's ….. TV series.”
I've intentionally not watched TV series but preferred to dive into the literature world of Westeros.

Brave, brutal, beautiful and beguiling.

The epic story starts out in a difinitive locality before spreading out over many sprawling political and topographical landscapes (similar to how Tolkein began in Hobbiton before reaching to the ends of Middle Earth)

So many classy sub-quotes in this book:

“I don't even know who my mother was,” Jon said.
“Some woman, no doubt. Most of them are.” (replied Tyrion)

“... the wild track … brought home the lesson that the map was one thing and the land quite another.”

“Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what's on the other side?”

“Let them see that their words can cut you, and you'll never be free of the mockery. If they want to give you a name, take it, make it your own. Then they can't hurt you with it anymore.”

“Her father used to say that a lord needed to eat with his men, if he hoped to keep them. 'Know the men who follow you,' she heard him tell Robb once, 'and let them know you. Don't ask your men to die for a stranger.' At Winterfell, he always had an extra seat set at his own table, and every day a different man would be asked to join him.”

“Let me tell you something about wolves, child. When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives. Summer is the time for squabbles. In winter, we must protect one another, keep each other warm, share our strengths. … You need her, as she needs you … and I need both of you, gods help me.” - Ned Stark to his daughter Arya

“And I have a tender spot in my heart for cripples and bastards and broken things.”

“Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.”
“The world was full of cravens who pretended to be heroes; it took a queer sort of courage to admit to cowardice as Samwell Tarly had.”

“A warm rain was pelting down from a starless black sky as they walked … the (summer) rain had driven everyone under their roofs. It beat down on Ned's head, warm as blood and relentless as old guilts.”

“And Jaimie was even worse, rash and headstrong and quick to anger. His brother never untied a not when he could slash it in two with his sword.”

“Lords are gold and knights steel, but two links can't make a chain. You also need silver and iron and lead, tin and copper and bronze and all the rest, and those are farmers and smiths and merchants and the like. A chain needs all sorts of metals, and a land needs all sorts of people.” - Jon Snow

“She had been dreaming, she realized … trying to remember was like trying to catch the rain with her fingers. The dream faded ...”

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or die. There is no middle ground.” - Cersei Lannister

“A man who won't listen can't hear.”
“... only none of them seemed to recognise her. Or if they did, they shied away as if she had the grey plague. … Vainly, she searched for friendly faces. Not one of them would meet her eyes. It was as if she had become a ghost, dead before her time.”

“There is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man.” Varys to Ned Stark regarding Cersei's fear.

“The Great Shepherd sent me to earth to heal his lambs, wherever I might find them.” - Mirri Maz Duur

“The Great Shepherd guards the flock.” - Mirri Maz Duur

“What grass the horses had left was heavy with dew, as if some passing god had scattered a bag of diamonds over the earth.”

- - - - -

George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings

An epic achievement by GRRM to create such a rich and exhaustive compilation of characters and backstories.

Spoiler alert: I was gutted when Yoren got killed.

“Crowns do queer things to the heads beneath them.”

“There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it.”

“Was there ever a war where only one side bled?”

“He was built like a keg, and had a similar capacity.”

“If every captain was a king aboard his own ship, as was often said, it was small wonder they named the islands the land of ten thousand kings. And when you have seen your kings shit over the rail and turn green in a storm, it was hard to bend the knee and pretend they were gods.”

“When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the world that you fear what he might say.”

“The white horse and the black one wheeled like lovers at a harvest dance, the riders throwing steel in place of kisses.”

“War will make them old,” Catelyn said, “as it did us… I pity them.”
“Because it will not last... they are the knights of summer, and winter is coming.”

“He woke to the sight of his own breath misting in the cold morning air. (He) reached to pull aside the cloak he'd hung over the rock, and found it stiff and frozen. He crept beneath it and stood up in a forest turned to crystal.
The pale pink light of dawn sparkled on branch and leaf and stone. Every blade of grass was carved from emerald, every drip of water turned to diamond. Flowers and mushrooms alike wore coats of glass. Even the mud puddles had a bright brown sheen. Through the shimmering greenery, the black tents of his brothers were encased in a fine glaze of ice.”

“The guards let him out a postern gate in the north wall, and they rode down Shadowblack Lane … past rows of shuttered windows and tall timber-and-stone buildings whose upper stories leaned out so far over the street they almost kissed. The moon seemed to follow them as they went, playing peek-and-sneak among the chimneys.”

“Perhaps that is the secret. It is not what we do, so much as why we do it.”

“Sleep is good … books are better.”

“Kings have no friends,” Stannis said bluntly, “only subjects and enemies.”

To the Father she prayed for justice, the strength to seek it and the wisdom to know it... “Show me the path I must walk, and do not let me stumble in the dark places that lie ahead.”

When the wind blew, he could hear the creak and groan of branches older than he was. A thousand leaves fluttered, and for a moment the forest seemed a deep green sea, storm-tossed and heaving, eternal and unknowable.

Cersei had managed to buy herself three hollow drums; they would make all the fierce booming sounds she required, but there was nothing inside. It amused Tyrion no end.

If the fire was too hot, you could hardly keep the pudding from scorching by tossing a handful of raisins in the pot.

Stones and dung and fouler things whistled overhead. “Feed us!” a woman shrieked. “Bread!” boomed a man behind her. “We want bread, bastard!” In a heartbeat, a thousand voices took up the chant. King Joffrey and King Robb and King Stannis were forgotten, and King Bread ruled alone. “Bread,” they clamored. “Bread, bread!”

He knew as much of ships and sails and shores as any man in the Seven Kingdoms, and had fought his share of desperate fights sword to sword on a wet deck. But to this sort of battle he came a maiden, nervous and afraid. Smugglers do not sound warhorns and raise banners. When they smell danger, they raise sail and run before the wind.
..

George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords
Part 1: Steel & Snow

The tension builds …

“All these kings would do a deal better if they would put down their swords and listen to their mothers.” - Lady Olenna (aka, The Queen of Thorns)

“It might have been minutes or it might have been hours; time slept when swords woke.”

“A coin is as dangerous as a sword in the wrong hands.” - Tyrion Lannister

“The tower stood upon an island, its twin reflected on the still blue waters. When the wind blew, ripples moved across the surface of the lake, chasing one another like boys at play.” - A Storm of Swords

Part 2: Blood & Gold

I threw this book down in outrage and disgust after the Red Wedding.
8 months later I tentatively picked it up again.
The closing chapters are gripping suspense. No one does maximum drama like GRRM.

“When they reached the top of the ridge and saw the river … “The rain was falling from a black iron sky, pricking the green and brown torrent with ten thousand swords.
The tops of half a hundred trees poked up out the swirling waters, their limbs clutching for the sky like the arms of drowning men.”

“The gatehouse towers emerged from the rain like ghosts, hazy grey apparitions that grew more solid the closer they rode.”

Stannis looked at them with annoyance. “Are you trained crows, to croak at me in turns? Enough.”

Stannis looked at him, jaw clenched. “Go,” the king said at last, “before you talk yourself back into the dungeon.”
Sometimes the storm winds blow so strong a man has no choice but to furl his sails. “Aye, Your Grace.” Davos bowed, but Stannis had seemingly forgotten him already.

His father always said that in battle a captain's lungs were as important as his sword arm. 'It does not matter how brave or brilliant a man is, if his commands cannot be heard,' Lord Eddard told his sons.

“Sometimes the short road is not the safest.” - Dalla.

Arya could taste the beginnings of panic in the back of her throat. Fear cuts deeper than swords. Fear cuts deeper

“It is hard to be so old,” he sighed as he settled onto the cushion. “And harder still to be so blind. I miss the sun. And books. I miss books most of all.” - Maester Aemon.

………………

George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows

I think I liked this one the most. After quitting the ASOIAF series after the Red Wedding event, I picked it up again a year later. With minimal expectations I enjoyed the rich complexity and comprehensiveness of the characters. Martin is a genius with a seemingly simple process of incarnationally encapsulating each unique character. His knowledge of English and medieval history is evident. Nobody writes prose like the GRRM!

“Before he had lost his sight, the maester had loved books as much as Samwell Tarly did. He understood the way that you could sometimes fall right into them, as if each page was a hole into another world.”

Arya: “Slowly, her eyes adjusted. The temple appeared much larger within than it had without.”

“Archmaester Rigney once wrote that history is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again, he said.”

“How can you even think of not attending? This will be history, alive ...”
“I prefer my history dead. Dead history is writ in ink, the living sort in blood.”

Laws of Hospitality and Guest Right.
“The Red Wedding was an affront to all the laws of gods and men, they say, and those who had a hand in it are damned.”
“Once they eat our bread and salt they are our guests and cannot harm us. The Freys had broken all the laws of hospitality when they'd murdered her lady mother and her brother at the Twins...”
“Bread and salt … we broke bread...” “Guest right ...”

“In the game of thrones, even the humblest pieces can have wills of their own. Sometimes they refuse to make the moves you've planned for them.”

[Leona Bodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If FEAST OF THE CROWS were the first title of the Song of Ice and Fire Series, I'd never have read the quadrilogy. The previous sequels were on the edge of your seat exciting and hard to put down. FEAST OF THE CROWS is the carrion of the lot. Characters of import that you'd expect to see, such as Tyrion, Lady Catelyn, Bran and Daenerys Targaryen were MIA, replaced by long-winded, minor characters, who are long in discussion and short on action. For the first time in the series, my eyes glazed over or blurred with boredom and my overwhleming inclination was to skip draggy passages.

So much maiming! Every character portrayed as good or innocent is maimed. That was uninspired and disturbing. Frankly, I didn't see the point and at times the gratuitous violence nauseated me such as Myrecella, Rob, etc.

Will Lady Brienne ever fulfill her mission? And if she does, will she ever have so much as have a fingernail left? Will Jon Snow ever know his siblings are alive? This sequel left me with little closure and a lot of frustration, since much of the plot never came to a point. The extended passages and lengthy interruptions between each character's tale made me loose interest in their particular stories.

The endless conflict between good and evil is frustrating since the bad constantly get the upper hand. No one character emerges as the protagonist. There's no triumphs that keep the plot pulsing, just endless chapters creeping to a dissatisfying close. No little victories to light the way. The Stark Family might has well have been cursed for their never-ending list of calamities while Cercei succeeds as the flagrant antagonist.

[María · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nearly five thousand pages and Cersei Lannister is still not dead.

[Wilmar Luna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, after three years of perseverance. I finally finished the first four books of A Song of Ice and Fire also known as the Game of Thrones TV series on HBO.

Unlike most readers on Goodreads, I am not a fast reader (unless a book is incredible). Let me tell you, when I started with book one: Game of Thrones, I hated it! The book bored me to tears and I kept on saying to myself, "There’s MORE?"

Whenever I’d see the name Catelyn pop up in a chapter. I died a little on the inside wonder why I was bothering to read this stupid book. Out of all the characters in the series, she was weakest and most boring to read. Why was she weak? Well, quite frankly she spent most of her time weeping, moaning, and worrying over her family. She didn’t know how to fight, didn’t have any cunning to pull off political maneuvers, and just basically whined and whined and whined.

Is she believable as a character, a mother who worries and frets over her children and grieves over her lost ones? Yes. Do I want to read entire chapters dedicated to this? Hell no!

Bran! Oh Bran. So boring, so pitifully boring. Whenever I read Bran’s chapters I always felt like it was an excuse for exposition and world building. Every chapter would talk about the history of Winterfell, how the castle has changed without Ned, insert other meaningless detail here. Boring, boring, boring! Bran himself is not a boring character but his young age made him incapable to influence the plot. Therefore, I could have done without (most) but not all of Bran’s chapters.

Daenerys and Sansa were so pitifully weak. It was a chore to read their chapters and I just hated pretty much 75% of Game of Thrones. Lot’s of marrying off women, rape, boob descriptions and incessant, repetitive description of clothes! It drove me mad every time GRRM introduced a new character and felt the need to describe their clothing. Violet tunics, roughspun breeches, gilded vests, ENOUGH ALREADY! It was so frustrating to read that I was often reminded how too much clothing description was considered bad writing. Granted, the descriptions were for establishing who people were, where they came from, how much money they had, what house they belonged to, but there’s so many characters that it’s impossible to keep track of it all.

To make matters worse, I kept on asking myself, “Where’s the plot?” Everything moved at such a glacial pace that I really didn’t care about most of these characters. Sure I liked Jon Snow, Tyrion, Ned, Robb, and a whole host of other characters but not enough to finish an entire book. It felt like the entire beginning of Game of Thrones was in truth, just a really long introduction.

And then a main character died . . .

And suddenly with only 25% of the book remaining . . .

I needed to know what happened next.

Book two:

Battles! The sh** hits the fan and suddenly people are making power plays for the Iron Throne. Undead attacking the wall, Robert’s brothers vying for the crown, Tyrion is getting blamed for everything despite being one of the most well qualified rulers in Westeros. The second book was without a question, amazing!

The characters became so much interesting. Daenerys who I thought was weak and boring was growing into a strong woman that could lead a small nation to claim what is rightfully hers. Arya (Whom loved reading by the way) has been around to different castles causing trouble wherever she goes, Bran’s made some new friends Jojen and Meera which made his chapters more interesting to read, The Ironmen want to expand from their island and rip territory from under everyone's feet, I could go on and on and on!

Book two just had this great pace and rhythm that was fun to read. Though I still hated and hate GRRM’s constant descriptions of clothing, I absolutely LOVED his description of everything else. From the way mud dripped from a portcullis to a wolf pulling glistening blue snakes from an outlaw’s belly. George R. R. Martin knows how to describe something using the least amount of words with the right kind of verbs and descriptors. Ironic, considering how long his novels are.

The way he describes the world and character actions triggers your mind to THINK and IMAGINE the scene. You can see the soldiers boot getting sucked by the mud and watch Sandor Clegane charge through the ranks with his sword swinging wildly in the air. GRRM knows how to use words and I personally would love to be able to write the way he does (though much leaner). As the plot continued to thicken so did my interest in the books.

I loved seeing Jaime’s progression from cocky bastard to fragile knight and was thrilled when female bad ass warrior Brienne joined the ranks. I felt sorry for Tyrion and cheered for Bronn and hated Tywin (but a good kind of hate.) By the time I finished this book, I was ready for the third.

Book three:

I was hoping to see more of the same in book three and GRRM did not fail to deliver. Again the prose was sharp and powerful. It filled my mind with thoughts of the world that the TV series could never hope to fill (I haven’t watched the series but a quick google image search left me unimpressed.)

Where as a new author may make the mistake of filling their book with description, Martin fills it with plot and character. Sure he goes off on tangents and starts describing those damn clothes! But when he’s back on track, man does the story grab your attention. All the elements just come together in an epic tale that immerses you in his world.

Book three was perhaps one of the most satisfying books to read by far. In this book, people who deserved what was coming to them get it in spades. I’m not one that ever wishes death upon real or fictional characters but these guys are a-holes. If GRRM’s goal was to create characters you loved to hate, he definitely succeeded.

Speaking of characters I love to hate, Cersei is currently my most hated character. Why? Because she’s a moron who thinks she’s so clever and knows everything. You know who Cersei reminds me of? A bad boss! You know the type. They think they know everything and tell you how to do your job when they don’t even know how to do their own.

Cersei is that bad boss. She constantly makes stupid decisions and is so weak that she can’t even defend herself. She’s always complaining that she should have been born a man and I just kept thinking to myself, “Well Brienne is not a man and she can kick ass.” She’s so dumb, so so dumb, but I enjoy despising this character because she’s entertaining to read.

The rest of the cast is great and really start coming into their own on book three. From Jon Snow and his difficult decisions with the Wildlings; to Sam being forced to find his courage; to Daeny learning that sacrifices must be made to become a ruler; to Arya learning to embrace a new life that erases her past; to Jaime regretting his past mistakes; I have grown to enjoy these characters. You feel bad for them, you cheer for them, and you don't want them to die.

Then we get to book four . . .

Book four:

Book four took a huge step backward. It was very similar to book one in that GRRM starts this book in a new setting with new characters and a unnecessarily long introduction. Instead of reading about your old favorites, you’re suddenly being asked to get invested in a new set of characters that quite frankly are not that good.

The most annoying of these new characters is Arianne Martell. Oooh do I loathe her and not in a good way. She’s a brat, she’s rude, she’s weak, she’s an idiot, and she is so gosh darn useless! If GRRM does something amazing with this character, I wouldn't care. I hate her and I hated reading her passages.

It seems that I have a tendency to dislike the female characters in this book right? Well, that wouldn’t make much sense because I’m a feminist at heart and write books about female super heroes. So what’s the problem?

My problem with most of the female characters in this series is that most of them are forced to do nothing. They have a big bark and know how to get on people’s nerves but at the end of the day they’re not moving the plot forward and can’t really do anything. Catelyn, Arianne, Sansa/Alayne, and in book one it was Daeny. These characters do not have enough strength to be able to bend and affect the plot in a meaningful way. They don’t do anything except complain, moan, and cry about their situation.

Sansa/Alayne has a chance of becoming an interesting character but at the end of book four there really wasn’t enough to convince me that she’s worth paying attention to yet. Too many of these women are constantly being traded like objects and I hate that. I would rather they have protested and fought and died while they were being traded away. Instead they are submissive and have no choice but to go along with someone's plans which is just insufferable to read.

That’s why characters like Brienne, Arya, Ygritte, Osha, Asha, Meera, and many more female characters are so much more interesting. They DO STUFF. They can fight, they can scheme, they can be loyal, they can hunt, they can FIGHT BACK. The characters I highlighted have personality that is not tied down by the boring and mundane--you’re a woman so go marry this jerk and create an alliance for us. Even Shae who was nothing more than a prostitute, managed to use her wiles to climb up the ladder and seduce people in power. None of the other characters that I loathe do anything like that.

I know that this is reflective of the time period and setting but quite honestly it didn’t make for an interesting read. There were times in book four where GRRM went off on these huge tangents that I found myself asking, “WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT THIS?” He would start going off on these world building tirades and force me to read chapters of characters that I didn’t care about. Honestly, after reading book four I lost all interest in finishing the series.

I don't want to be one of those readers that are waiting for the series to be finished. Book four was just so weak and so disappointing that I couldn't care less what happens next and I'd rather keep it that way. I've been traumatized in the past by TV shows that never had a series finale or had terrible endings and I don't want to risk myself loving book five. If the final book is finished in my lifetime then of course, I will finish the series

This was a very hot/cold book for me. On the one hand I loved George R. R. Martin’s prose, enjoyed his characters, enjoyed his action scenes, enjoyed the overall plot and the world. On the other hand, he definitely got too long winded with certain descriptions; went into way too much detail with the world building (not for me); and forced me to try get invested in new characters that were not that interesting.

It’s one thing to ask me to care about Stannis, the Wall, the Ironmen, Renly, Cersei and Jaime, Tyrion, the Starks, okay fine. But when you introduce Dorne and give me a horrible character like Arianne for an entire chapter. Screw that. GRRM could have saved himself a book if he had just focused on the core group of characters.

Also and this is my last quibble. I hate the fact that there’s no real main character. If there is a main character, I have no clue who that is. It’s probably Daeny but the fact that I have to question who the main character is really irks me. Sure not having a primary character makes it more realistic and makes every character the hero of their story but I personally don’t like that kind of story telling.

Also, I knew that he was going to kill off a lot of characters but I didn’t think he would do an “off-camera” death for my favorite one. Yeah, yeah, welcome to the club I suppose.

So I guess the big question is, would I recommend people pick up and read this series?

Absolutely!

I know it sounds like I had a lot of gripes in my review but that’s only because I enjoyed the books so much. Would I say that it was my favorite book series? No. GRRM almost lost me with book one and any series that almost lands in the DNF pile can never be a favorite.

Yet, despite its flaws, this has been an amazing series to read. If you like complex political machinations, betrayal, dragons, undead, detailed world building, and believable, realistic characters. Then please, pick up a copy and start reading.

It was a fun ride but I’m definitely glad its over.

[Monique Atouguia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the story line and the uniqueness behind it, but the series ending was not my cup of tea. And for that reason I have still not bothered watching the latest prequel.

[Alise Pulliam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the entire series.

[Rebecca Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Spoilers in review are indicated*

A Song of Ice and Fire is a complicated series. The differences between the first and last books are so vast it's almost impossible the review the series in one singular thought, with one cohesive rating. The analogy I've always used when comparing the series to someone who hasn't read it is the first book is a bullet, the last a painstakingly slow bulldozer. The first book I turned page after page, not putting it down, reading 600 or more pages in a day, and finishing pretty quickly. It was enthralling, absolutely gripping and had just the right amount of characters and plot that the reader didn't feel like it was a chore to keep up. That changed.
The second book Clash of Kings, had much of the same flavor of the first. More politics, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. A Storm of Swords was the monster that really changed the series' dynamic. One of my favorite of the series because it still had the whiplash plot of the first, the politics of the second, and new characters being introduced. However, while I was enjoying all of these factors, I could feel the tone changing. And change it did. Come the fourth and fifth book I was trudging through as slowly as the plot was progressing. A rapid change in characters left my favorites ***POSSIBLE SPOILER*** from the first book either dead or wayyy in the back ground. My favorite character's plots were no longer progressing, because chapters had to be implemented that concerned characters I had never met, had no attachment to, and frankly, didn't matter much to the plot until they were forced in a place it didn't seem like they belonged.

At first I recommended these books to everyone who would listen. Now, I caution people to stay away unless they're committed. The relentless and unnecessary details coupled with lists of factoids concerning characters I haven't known for more than a few dozen pages got extremely tedious.

The whole series, and this has a tendency to happen with fantasy series, just got far too big. It started out as this streamlined action oriented plot with a few dynamic characters, humor, and an easy to grasp palette of detail. It became a huge, trudging monster of a series with characters I couldn't connect with, didn't like, and where I'd turn every page in the hopes that I'd get to a chapter concerning a character I've known for more than a couple hundred pages and have actually come to enjoy. By A Dance With Dragons *POSSIBLE SPOILER* out of the 18 characters I only really looked forward to Tyrion and Arya's plots...Sometimes Dany's as well though her's went all sideways and somehow managed to get uninteresting as well. It got so big that key elements of the first book are being tossed by the wayside. **Possible Spoiler** For example, where was Sansa? For the ENTIRETY of a dance with dragons...That's a huge plot hole that doesn't make sense. She was an original character, the daughter of Eddard, held prisoner at King's landing....How does she just fall off the map?? To make way for the riveting story of Quentyn Martell? **SPOILER** Whose entire story had no real enthralling rising and falling action? We followed him for an entire book and endured his undynamic character stance and his bland taste, hoping that he would rise from the ashes, only to have him die in some ridiculously foolish scheme that should never have taken place because Dany should never have locked the dragons up in the first place! It was like GRRM took this amazing concept and these amazing people and thought, "How can I make this as boring an unsatisfying as possible?" We all wanted Dany to charge back to Westeros on Drogo's back with battle cries and the whole fire and brimstone, and restore the kingdom...no...instead she's eating candied bugs or whatever it was and fretting over how to correctly wear a bed sheet so as not to offend the natives. No one cares Dany, go wage war or something. I understand that authors are not always going to have the happy ending that readers want, and characters aren't always going to do what you want them to, but when every single character's story is falling to boredom, that's an issue.

Ended up being more of a rant than a review but, hopefully you get the point.

[Deepak Mehta · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!
(If you haven't read all the books till now, do not read the review)

There are many things about ASOIAF that make it one of the most loved, hated, awaited and admired series of all times.

1. Main characters die
First the beheading of Ned at the end of aGoT, then the absolutely disgraceful attack, and subsequent beheading, of Robb at the Red Wedding in aSoS and then finally the (percieved) death of Jon at the end of aDwD, all the characters percieved as the central ones till now are dead. Except Danerys, of course. But she is not the main character in my opinion.

2. There are no main characters
Everyone thought Ned was the main character in the beginning of the series. Then people thought it was Danerys, then Jon and/or Tyrion. The greatest trick "the devil" pulled here is that there is no central character.

3. There is no absolutely good/bad person (except probably a few Starks)
Everyone is a shade of grey. Except probably for Ned/Robb/Jon. Everyone has a dark past or a dirty secret. And this is the exact manifestation of the real world. There is no absolute.

4. It always surprises you
I have spent countless nights staying awake because I could not simply put the books down. Everytime I thought, "Just this chapter and I will go to sleep", and every time the chapter ended at a point where it was impossible to not continue.

5. Keeps you wanting for more
The best part I liked about the series is the multiple viewpoints. Every PoV ends at a high and then the next chapter with the same character resurfaces after hundreds of pages, keeping you entranced and wanting for more.

6. The subtle hints and the conspiracy theories
I was mind-blown when I first learnt about the R+L=J theory, though when I read all there was probably about it, I felt foolish for not picking up on the subtle hints dropped by GRRM throughout the series. The same goes for the PwwP and the Azor Ahai Reborn theories.

For me, ASOIAF will forever remain on the top 3 series list alongside LOTR and Harry Potter.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a series worthy of its hype. The world Martin creates is intricate, realistic, gritty and beautifully crafted. The character writing is some of the best I've ever read, and the characters are never static, they all evolve through the books and your feelings change towards them. They are never two dimensional either and I often found myself sympathising with characters who may have started out as nominally 'bad'. Martin uses the level of empathy he generates with the characters against you, and happily murders his way through his cast, even central or well liked characters, generating genuine emotions in his reader. Usually rage. The world is nominally magical, but it is low fantasy, focussing more on earthy political machinations and magic never really intrudes into the story or breaks the immersion with wand waving. The world is brutal, as you would expect from a medieval type setting, with gore aplenty, although not simply for the sake of it. He is also something of a dirty old man, and his title of George 'Rape Rape' Martin is almost earned. Despite this his female characters are extremely well written and major players in the story. Here's hoping he doesn't get too distracted by the tv series and manages to get around to finishing the last two doorstopper size books before his advancing years and lifestyle cause an author total existence failure through an inevitable heart attack. Finally, the only aspect of his otherwise brilliantly believable world that my scientist's mind couldn't suspend disbelief for is the messed up seasons of Westeros. Seasons are of arbitrary length and timing? Multiple years long? I can't begin to think of the orbital geometry required for that...the farmers almanac must be very messed up there.

[Samuel García · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great work of fantasy, with its ups and downs (in terms of attention grabbing). Had a few problems with Martin's style of writing at first, like he was playing at being a fantasy writer, mimicking a fantasy narrative style, instead of just writing. It did get better after the second book. As for the story itself, it has no shortage of shocking moments, and I love how Martin does not try to sway the readers into preferring some characters over others, or establishing a "good" side and an "evil" side. In this way, this might be one of the most realistic portrayals of a fantasy medieval setting in all of literature.

[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY GOD! This book is ALL KINDS of epic. If you find that you can't stick to it when you first starting read the book... BE PATIENT! The first 150 pages are a bit intense because there are SO many characters and so much going on but oh, once you get the hang of who's who and what's what it will just blow.your.mind. It's one of those books that takes things slow and just keeps building up till it just explodes into all kinds of good stuff in the end but even when it's going slow there are some incredible twists! I can't WAIT to get to the other books.

(I didn't watch the TV series because I knew I'd read the book someday... I bought the books last year! Heh)

[Helen Paton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Am I the only person who is getting disillusioned with this series? I enjoyed the first book enough to buy the 2nd, and even the third, and could dismiss the perversions he uses as a tool to cater to those who want Shades of Grey Fantasy style.

However, a few chapters in, I really lost interest in the characters. The ones who did rate sympathy or admiration have either been killed, or become boring, and I simply don't give a damn who lives or dies in this series now. As far as I'm concerned, they are all lost causes in any case. I shan't bother continuing with the book, nor the new television series.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh goodness this was quite the long haul but I made it! Very excellent, dived right into ADwD. Some foreshadowing, which is always fun. I'm enjoying trying to decide which side various characters are REALLY on.

Starting a re-read as of 7/9/16

[Olivia Adelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay okay i did it to my own damn self. I KNOW. it doesn't make it hurt less though.

things to note:

1) this man enjoys cruel and unusual punishment judging by his fondness for the slow torture he inflicts upon readers that JUST WANT TO KNOW WHAT TF HAPPENS NEXT (i dont care if im an old crone by the time the next book comes out ill just be happy that the torture is over)

2)i really need to talk to people that have read the whole series. I think this might be the only series that I wasnt mad that I watched the show before reading the books... I think it helped with conceptualization; world-building; and establishing character relationships and interconnections.
I can understand how people who just pick up the book get intimidated because there are sooo many minor characters that its easy to get gobbled up in a likely irrelevant plot line. IF YOU HAVE OPINIONS ON THIS LETS CHAT.

3) the best thing i did was read this series. theres such much yummy content it kept my brain occupied for long I loved it. but it also allowed me to see how much the show extrapolates and varies from the text. VERY interesting the choices they made. I understand some and others im like bro how did you leave that out. ESPECIALLY the whole Sanda and Lord Bastard plotlines.


if u reading this and you want to win my heart take me on a date and lets discuss possible plotline paths and character arcs

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

George R.R. Martin is not shy about creating a fantasy world of great complexity, peopling it with many characters, some of whom are noble, some clever, some conniving, and some downright evil. He probably felt empowered by the fact that he shares the rare phenomena of two middle names, both beginning with "R," with the other epic fantasy world creator of our time, J.R.R. Tolkien.

The times are apparently in the post-dragon era, but their existence is not so long ago that they are considered mythological. Beyond the great Wall to the North, built generations ago, there are wild and mysterious people and animals about whom fantastic stories are told to children at bedtime, but those beings may or may not be mythological. The seasons are harsh, measured in years, and though snow and cold is frequently the norm, it is considered the season of summer as the story begins.

Life is incredibly hard and is cut short all too often by violence. The author is telling the story of several families in the Seven Kingdoms. Until relatively few years ago the kingdoms had developed independently and had warred among themselves. Now however the kingdoms are functioning as one under one head of State, King Robert. Robert, a fearless warrior in his youth, loved the process of becoming king, but now, some 20 years later, is not enjoying the duties that go along with the title. His wife Cersei and her family, the Lannisters, seem to be eroding Robert's effectiveness while quietly becoming more and more powerful themselves. Robert's best friend, Eddard Stark is lord of his own realm, Winterfell, which is the kingdom of the North.

Eddard had been a courageous warrior alongside Robert, but has become a wise and trusted leader of his people and a good family man as well. Neither he nor his wife Catelyn are happy when the king summons him to become his second in command at King's Landing. The position is called the King's Hand and involves doing any task the king is not interested in doing. King's Landing is many days' journey to the south of Winterfell. Eddard makes the tactical decision to go, leaving Catelyn and their sons to protect and maintain their land, but taking their daughters and a small contingent of trusted followers. The sacrifice seems necessary to protect the peace of the Kingdom, not to mention delving into the mysterious death of the king's previous Hand.

The saga unfolds in the words of various members of Stark's family as well as the brother of the queen, the dwarf Tyrion Lannister. He is a man blessed with sharp wit and a good mind to offset his malformed body. In addition to his three sons and two daughters by his wife Catelyn, Eddard is also raising his bastard son Jon Snow and a ward from one of the families of the South, Theon Greyjoy.

The perspective of the surviving children of the king who was deposed by Robert also becomes an integral part of the story. The family Targaryen had been the last keepers of the dragons and were the last rulers of the Old Dynasty.

Much of the intrigue is revealed to the reader through the naive point of view of the children, who are blind to the wiles of many of the cunning adults they observe. It is a pleasure to watch them learn and grow wiser, in most cases, as they deal with the circumstances that have been thrust upon them.

Several volumes remain before this magnificent saga is complete, and I have already downloaded A Clash of Kings. I'm sure I'll have mixed feelings when I have read the last one. This world just swallows up your imagination, and just like The Lord of the Rings, it will be hard to leave behind.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very late getting to these books. In fact, despite being a huge fan of the genre, I had never even heard of them until the first season of the TV show was well underway. Oh, I'm sure my eyes glossed over the covers many times in the book stores, but really and truly I had no idea that I was missing something so grand and wonderful. I tend to be very reluctant to join steamroller momentum of hyped books, having been burned in the past by stuff that everyone else insisted was the best read since Shakespeare. But the more that momentum built, the more I noticed that nobody was giving away anything about the plots, a sign of something very rare indeed. I heard whispered mentions of "Red Weddings" and "Iron Thrones" but not an inkling as to what it was all about. Friends bantered amongst each other "Winter is Coming" or "You know nothing", but refused to explain their cryptic meanings. It was like an inner circle with rites of secrecy and I was becoming intrigued.

At least having the minor knowledge that they were books in medieval-type settings and involved war, war, war, I bought my husband an ereader for his birthday and loaded it with this set. He read it. No, actually, he devoured it. A man that will often take months and months to read one book read four in mere weeks. He finished the last page and told me that I had to read it. It wasn't a polite suggestion. It was a barked order learned from the hardened characters that live within the covers.

And so, in the early days of a hot summer, I immersed myself in Winter.

George R. R. Martin is an author who is skilled at pulling the rug from underneath you. He crafts amazingly layered characters and makes you emotionally invested in each and everyone of them - there are people that you will intensely hate or love, who will make you cry for their pain or deeply wallow in schadenfreude if they fall. Even the characters that you despise for their downright rotten behaviour have serious layered motivations behind their actions. And just when you think a story line is securely running in one direction, Martin plucks his strings and the story spills out in 50 new directions.

Magical creatures also exist in Martin's world. There is always a danger that such creatures will end up being unintentionally comical or perhaps unnatural. Under Martin's skilled pen they are as entangled in his natural world as the earth and sky and water. I have not found one author who has handled this as adeptly other than Tolkien.

A word to the wise. Annotate your books, follow the character lists at the back of the books, keep a small chart or find a character chart online that doesn't give spoilers . This book is literally a cast of thousands. It may seem like work, but believe me you are not going to mind one bit once you get into it. And if you don't, "Frey" may be a new addition to your four-letter word lexicon.

Also, do not, do not, do not read these books on an empty stomach. "Food" and "Feasts" are two characters that are strangely left off the character lists in the books, yet they are some of the most richly detailed elements of the whole book.

And if you require five good short reasons as to why you should read these books may I submit in the following order: 1) Tyrion Lannister. 2) The brave daring of little girls and boys who endure difficulties that adults cannot. 3) Treachery, Treason, Triumph and Tragedy. 4) Many, many Kings. Many, many Queens. One throne. 5) Tyrion Lannister. Intrigued?