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Submitted by Gemini 
(Dec 08, 2007)

I heard about the Song of Ice and Fire series a year ago, so I went out and bought the first book, "A Game of Thrones." Immediately after finishing it I ran to Barnes and Noble and bought the second book, "A Clash of Kings." Then, as you can imagine, I raced back to the store to buy the third book, "A Storm of Swords." However, halfway through the middle of the third book in the series I started getting the feeling that the series really had no point. Martin gives the impression that he just makes the chapters up as he goes along. I do admit that the writing itself is very captivating, and kept me turning the page. I also applaud his decision not to have the generic fantasy theme of "good v. evil." But the story just keeps dragging on. It is difficult to gage the end. Yes, you get the feeling that a major war is in the future, but a preview of the journey would have been nice. The Lord of the Rings trilogy is long, yet the reader knows up front that the story follows the quest to bring the ring to Mount Doom. Even the "Harry Potter" series, also 7 books, structures the story for seven years of school to fight Voldemort in the end, allowing the reader to know how far she/he has journeyed through the story. The "Song of Ice and Fire" series sets no structure, which gives the impression that the story development is very weak-minded. It feels reminiscent of "Quantum Leap" or "The Fugitive," where the formula for each episode can be repeated indefinitely. Where some may see the writing as possessing several "gotcha" moments, I imagine many readers will become unaffected by the random "surprises" after becoming desensitized to the "twists." This is how Martin's story unfolds, like a roller coaster that has no track in front of it. The track is placed a second before the coaster gets to that point. Sure, there are several big "drops" in the story, but half the fun of big "drops" is looking forward to the fall. In this instance you have no idea where the coaster is going, or even if you'll ever be able to get off for that matter. I also wish Martin did not include the traditional science fiction/fantasy "Duke Leto" character in the form of Ned Stark. Again, Martin writes each page well, but he does not write "the big picture" well at all. There is no light at the end of the tunnel. In fact, it's unclear if there is even a tunnel at all.

This series is a hard read, both frustrating and rewarding in the best possible way. There is no good and evil, no overbearing evil ruler to vanquish. War is in not some romantic getaway. Magic is mysterious and frightening. The prose is tight, the plot realistic which often leaves it muddled, but it is the characters that keep you reading. They are well written and each one of them develop as the series with progresses.

It can be frustrating at times having to jump around from different points of views, but at times the way plot progression is done in this matter is brilliant.

Of all the books I have read in the last couple of years, A Song of Ice and Fire series are probably the best. Many reviews have gone into much more detail than this one, but I plan on hitting the high points.

Firstly, multiple character point of views. This makes for a unique style and is the best choice for a complex plot such as this one. Yet, the main drawback is you will find that you simply will not like some characters as much as others and may find yourself putting the book down once you reach some of the characters. I personally have a much harder time reading about the three kids than the rest of the cast and have decided to move onto something else. Also, you will probably want to learn of events from other character’s views, though you probably will but just later on in the series. (As of my reading so far into the third book, there is only one character I currently want to “see from”.) As I said though, this is vantage is ultimately the best choice for this series and is very effective.

Next, the world itself. Best put, this is like a real-world medieval setting where all of the stories of older times were true. It is gritty and often grim. There is little magic left in the world, save a few remnants and its stories. This world stands apart from most fantasy settings and creates a more interesting experience.

Finally, the character depth. I personally enjoy thinking about character’s rationale, emotions, thoughts, and their impacts. This pushes many other books, movies, games, etc. to a much higher status in my mind. For example, I liked The Godfather Part III because of the depth of Michael’s mental anguish. There are some very interesting conflicts. (Vague spoilers follow) One of my favorites is the conflict that a “prince”, who was separated from his home since a child, undergoes when returning home, trying to reclaim his place unsuccessfully, and the betrayal of many of his life long friends. Another great one is trying to understand the rationale behind a seemingly decent and honorable man’s conquest of Westeros. (End vague spoilers)

Flat out, all of the parts of this series come together and create an unforgettable experience. Read it.

George R. R. Martin creates a detailed, complex, and consistent fantasy world. I rate his work with the best large scale fantasy work available.

Those with a background in history will discern many parallels from the last 3,000 years of human history, but Martin's world is truly unique. The writing level is accessible rather than erudite. The historical sense is phenomenal.

The conflict revolves around control of Westeros, a large island with a narrow neck whose ancient peoples have been displaced by larger, more violent peoples. With a fully realized and distinct history, we cannot quite equate Westeros with England, Wales & Scotland, but there is certainly a familiar flavor.

Besides political control, there is a detailed conflict in religion, between the almost extinct nature worship of the early folk, the prevalent worship of the seven faced god of the invaders, and the new monotheistic and iconoclastic religion.

The kingdoms of Westeros lock in battle, assassination, and betrayal. While they fight, doom approaches North and South. The threat of supernatural destruction from the cold North proceeds even while destruction by fire creeps from the desert South.

These conflicts are deftly woven from numerous points of view. There is no detailed description of magical training, and the science is real but primitive. There are numerous supernatural events, however, and this is truly a fantasy series.

Martin interweaves an extremely violent political, social, and religous conflict of great scope and detail. He also details issues relating to castle construction and defense, swordplay forms, and large scale battle scenes.

There are a few 'mature' scenes, but the focus of the work is on violence rather than the varieties of human love. Those scenes included do seem appropriate for the work and its intended audience.

As a comparison, in the sff genre, other favorites of mine include C.J. Cherryh, Robert Jordan, and Robin Hobbes. I believe that if you are a fan of any of these authors, you should give George R.R. Martin a read.

I had been told about this series so I expressed an interest in reading them. They were bought for me as a gift last Christmas and I just finished the third.
They sat there for a while as I finished up other books and I finally got to the first one.
I did not see what the big deal was.
This isn't exactly high brow literature in genre or out, it is pretty standard. It certainly doesn't transcend the fantasy genre. I had heard there wasn't much magic in the series and that it was all about the characters; it was a great series, the best since Tolkien, better than Tolkien. Well, it started out alright, but got boring in a hurry. The story plods along after Bran has a little situation.
That one was a surprise; I was pleased. So far so good. After a while, I wanted another one to happen but it didn't happen enough to keep me happy. After a couple more, it was easy to see that is used as a device. First time was clever, but if it gets used again and again, it becomes cliche. "Martin doesn't write like others, he kills characters" is already cliche.
As for the "not much magic" claim, I think it has plenty. First, the magic kicked it off in the first chapter. Second, dragons. The dragons are just as much a fantasy element as magic. Also, for some reason, some people think that lack of magic makes it original and means someone who doesn't like magic will enjoy the book. It doesn't; people either like the genre or they don't, magic or not. Third, overly fantastic reactions and unrealistic drama are also elements in a lot of fantasy, and this series has plenty of both. Whether or not the fans of this series think so, I felt it was only a slightly more adult version of Robert Jordan. Adult meaning he uses swear words (which actually made it seem more juvenile) and more graphic detail about the couplings. Where Martin and Jordan differ I don't care. I won't read either of them again.
I didn't think the characters were real at all. Most of his characters are children and the scenes he frames them in can be quite unrealistic. Kids don't hold up this well in situations. Turn off a show they like and they throw temper tantrums. The one kid who got on my nerves the most was the twerp wanting to see Tyrion fly. That was just stupid. How many people would she have had to thrown off that cliff for him to think it was simply a fun family game? Please. Teenagers: anyone who has one wouldn't believe they would behave in the manner Martin writes, and certainly wouldn't let them run the show. If my kid were suddenly made king, he would be a puppet, and I would rule him with an iron fist to make sure he doesn't do something really stupid. Like this king kid did. Realism? Realism isn't anywhere in these books. It isn't historical fiction: it is just a simplistic fantasy. If it were War of the Roses, I'd rather read about the War of the Roses with historical accuracy not fluff and sex thrown in to try and jazz it up.
Tyrion is less annoying than some of the characters but I didn't need to read about him with a woman. Martin is a misogynist and I am surprised women's groups and children's groups haven't kicked his door down to rate his books and prevent their sale to minors. Some of his writing actually borders on bad "Penthouse letter" quality because he chooses to include this junk. If you think I'm kidding, I have a friend who listened to this book in his car during commutes, and he said it was embarrassing to hear. Try it: read it aloud at church or with a few family and friends. Pick only the scenes where there is something sexual said. Most people wouldn't think what you read was great literature; they'd think you were reading a compilation of Penthouse erotica set in a magical land.
It took months to read the first book of tripe. After that, it took months to read the second and months to read the third. I simply did not care about the characters, and could go weeks at a time without even thinking about it. I have read every book bought for me, and that is the only reason I finished reading this series. I have decided to dump it off at a local used book store and hope somebody gets it that hasn't read enough good literature to recognize it as a waste of time. Ignorance truly is bliss.
I will not tolerate another gift from Martin and have made it known to anyone who usually buys me books to get me gift certificates instead so I can choose something that is interesting to read. I read somewhere, maybe someone else's review, that they felt this was written like a bunch of smaller scenes strung together and I think that is right. Each chapter reads almost like a short story, but not a good enough short story. They string together and end up with nothing other than a few people died who seemed like good guys, a bastard son, some bad people, and some deaths, and another death. Ad nauseam. Boo hoo: that doesn't make it gritty or real. What is the true story here? I don't think there is one other than "One day, someone will take the crown and the land will be whole!" Which has been written before with less vulgarity. And then he'll die, and it will give him a second series to write and milk till he goes to his grave. These books won't survive the test of time.
It isn't lousy enough to win a Hugo or any other award (and the list of winners has some real dogs on it the last decade), but I'm sure it'll slide into that one day, covered in equal parts filth and accolades. I don't recommend these books to anyone, and certainly not to children.