A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Unlike 99% of the reviews out there, I will be rather critical of this book (and the series as a whole). In the beginning of the Fire and Ice series I enjoyed the books and the rather large cast of characters that he developed. However, there was one very, very large nagging point: every single chapter ends on a cliff hanger which has passed by once you reach the characters' next chapter. An example of such is Samwell Tarly reaching the wall with his woman and the child. His/A chapter ends with the three being surrounded by "others" when a man in black on a moose comes to rescue him. The last we read is Sam grabbing the helping hand and realizing its black and cold. Ok, that makes me want to read further on this interesting character. Wrong! The next time we join Sam the incident has passed and gets only a passing mention. This is only a single example, it happens at virtually every chapter. The cliffhanger is resolved by the characters (without us knowing) in the intervening hundred pages. I think this writing style shows a lack of ability on the Author's part to paint a world for us to see, instead relying on us to decided exactly what happened. If I wanted to read a "choose your plot book" I would go back to reading the books I did in first grade. If I wanted to "fill in the plot" I would write my own books. This writing is NOT what I seek in picking a series of books to read. I want to be immersed in the world of the book, all of the other aspects of the book - gritty realism, shades of gray instead of white and black - lend themselves to this goal. I will finish the series, however the next book may have its spine removed to shuffle the pages some. To the Author: its OK to end a chapter in the middle of a mundane section, it does not have to end in a "what's going to happen" every time.

Overall, a good story. However, be prepared to be irritated (at least) or angered enough to put the series away (at most) depending on the amount of imagination you have to put into this book.

This book is the most epic fantasy book I have read in my life. It tells the story from so many charachter's viewpoints: Eddard, Arya, Tyrion, Sansa, Jon, Robb, Bran, Dany, etc. and yet I was never confused about what was happening.
I read a lot of fantasy so the length of this did not bother me but if you are on of the people who is scared of long books, then don't let this book scare you. It is long, but the read is so effortless that you don't notice the book flying by.
To tell you the truth, I was kind of disappointed when I finished it because I was enjoying it so much. All in all, a great book, something to aspire to.

I don't like to bandy about the word brilliant.....but this book (and series) deserves it. Many fantasy fans may flinch from this series because it's almost TOO steeped in reality, but I find it a refreshing breath of air that is needed in fantasy.

The first novel in the series of "Fire and Ice" is actually based on the real-life English history of the War of The Roses. Told from different points of view (not unlike Robert Jordan's WoT series), the plot unfolds as the noble family of Starks investigate a murder and attempted murder plot by the powerful Lannister family. Nothing is as it seems, and good guys turn out to be bad, and bad good. Many fans don't like the fact that there is no CLEAR protaganist, but I LOVE it. I love how Cat Stark is not 100% likable, or how the Lannisters are actually pretty cool and you can't help but cheer on Tyrion Lannister. Better yet, there is no promise that the "good guys" make it out of the story alive. This gives the story and characters a 3-D feel, and keeps the reader turning the page just to find out who wins the "Game of Thrones."
If you like the standard "good guy vs bad guy" deal, go read something else. If you want something refreshing and enlightening, read this book. It doesn't get much better.....