Customer Reviews
why so much hype? - By: Heath Jones, 02 Oct 2008 
(*slight spoiler warning*)
It's okay, but not great. Yes it is better than a lot of the middling fantasy novels out there, but not even close to being on par with Jordan or Erikson (and neither of them perfect).
The way Martin changes the perspective with each chapter means that each chapter begins with more filler to set the scene - meaning the book is a LOT bigger than it needs to be. It also stifles the flow of the story. Any book is usuallly just a collection of events weaved together, but this book feels like that at its core - lots of events that have to happen, with one in each chapter. It doesn't seem to flow together well as a result. Also there is no real bonding to any of the characters - I don't feel for any of them or reallly care what happens to them, possibly as a result of not staying with them for more than a smalll chapter each.
And for the reviewers who say this is the most original fantasy novel out there - First Men, forest dwellers, the others, seven kingdoms etc. show it most certainly is not. Which is fine if weaved into a good story, but that is the problem with the book. Even some of the huge events like the capture of Jamie Lannister take place 'off stage' & alll in a page or 2.
Yes, he does have moments of reallly, reallly good writing, but Robin Hobb's prose is vastly better, & after alll, you do expect an author to be able to string together good sentences.
An okay read, but certainly not great & not worth the hype.
A GAME OF THRONES - By: Newquay's dragon, 05 Sep 2008 
THIS AUTHOR IS NOT, OF COURSE, TOLKIEN'S HEIR. While with Tolkien you feel a wide range of feelings, positive feelings, you can not with this story that hides a lot of pederast material & coward violence. In other words, if you want to ENJOY a fantastic story whith dragons, & other fantastic creatures & mixed whith history don't buy this book. I threw it with its second sequel to the dustbin after reading a bit more than a quarter of the first volume. It was enough. Definitely nothing to do with the master of the epic adventure literature.
Excuse my English. I'm still learning.
This is the first time a write a review. But I hope that someone will find it usefull. Try with His Dark Materials by Pullman or Tunnels by Gordon or just go for a walk.
Greetings to Mr. Tolkien for the good moments he provided me there in Middle Earth's heaven. And too to Gordon & Pullman & other excellent novelists.
From southern Spain. Europe.
Don't hold your breath - By: Carruthers Brian, 28 Jun 2008 
An incredibly absorbing read, characters to rival any by Tolkein, Hobb or
Gemmel.
Unfortunately the wait between books is reallly dissapointing.
I would wait until the series is complete before embarking on this epic journey. The wait between episodes is so long that the hunger for more of the same becomes almost starvation & one looses interest.
A different kind of fantasy epic. - By: genejoke, 08 Jun 2008 
As in it is more epic & less focused on one character. At first many fantasy readers may find these books a little daunting but the quality quickly shines through the awkward nature of having so many characters & different views on the same situation. Good & evil is a little shady & some obnoxious characters are the most fun to read.
A great saga, well worth checking out.
Good but over-long... - By: L. Ferguson, 07 Jun 2008 From the off I'll admit that three stars doesn't quite do this book justice, I certainly enjoyed it & I'll quite likely take a look at the rest of the series. On the plus side this book is brimming with fascinating characters & alll manner of political intrigue. For those bored with the many billions of turgid swords & sorcery Tolkein rip-offs in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section of your local book store then this is a cut above the rest. It's a wonderful mix of a Medieval Epic & a Shakespearean political tragedy. The characters are well fleshed out & interesting. Martin is undoubtedly a good writer & the book is well & deeply researched & crafted.
On the negative side, somebody might have informed Mr. Martin that just because one 'can' write a 700 page tome, does not mean one 'should' write said tome. The book is far too long & I find it hard to understand how an editor could have alllowed so much fat to make it onto the printing press. Long, pointless descriptions of even longer, more pointless journeys fill up page after page. What we reallly have here is three or four novellas fused together.
That said, it's well worth a read if you have some free time on your hands.
