A game of thrones

George R.R. Martin is a good story teller, but it is very obvious who his favorite characters are from the way he writes their chapters. His female characters tend to have thoughts that only men think about—their bodies, for instance. Even his "strong" female characters are very weak when compared to his men. Some of the characters have few to no flaws, so reading their chapters can be boring. Jumping from character to character the way the author does is jarring to the reader.

The story is very strong, so if you're not a critical reader, you will love this book.

Good, but not great.

Like others said, this is a great series but is dark and not for the faint of heart.

Definitely read the books BEFORE you watch the show. The book is extremely complex and detailed, and I expect to re-read the series a few times to grasp everything that is going on. I have only seen the first season of the show, but I was impressed with how they condensed it.

Definitely read this series. Don't be intimidated by the length of the books. You will get sucked in and finish them faster that you think. Read them before you watch the TV show. This is one of the best fantasy stories I've read.

Definitely keeps your attention! Highly recommended for fantasy lovers and non-fantasy lovers alike. Can't wait to dive into Clash of Kings!

Held my attention through the entire book, very sad sometimes, but also intensely suspenseful.

nice work

I really enjoyed this book, but after I read it I did not read the sequels. I just couldn't stand having my heart ripped out of my chest so many times in one book, and I knew it wasn't going to get any better in subsequent books.

That said, I heartily enjoyed the HBO version of this book and I'm looking forward to season 2 so I can find out what happens to all the characters in the subsequent novels. TV provides enough distance for me to able to enjoy it, but the books are just a little too gritty for me.

Trigger warning for sexual violence.

cool

For those of you looking for a new fantasy and curious about George R. R. Martin, I’m here to lay it out for you. I won’t go into a point by point plot summary, because you can read that elsewhere, and done better than me, but suffice it to say there is a large cast of characters a la Robert Jordan and in Martin’s case lots of houses vying for power. His books are harsh, and certainly for adults; there are a lot of bad things that happen to the characters, and Martin doesn’t shy away from things like incest, rape, or brutality. So, you’ve got to be able to handle that sort of thing. But, if you can, the political intrigue is top notch, and the fact that magic is only hinted at here and there gives it a gritty realism. The most notable thing about his books, however, is that they can be quite unpredictable, and Martin isn’t afraid to have really horrible things happen to a character, or even kill them off, if he wants to,which leaves a feeling that any character could be next; no one is safe. It’s a level of tension that many authors don’t achieve, and I give him credit for it. On the other hand some people find this frustrating- and add in the fact that the books for this have been coming out very-very-very slowly so it may be a long while before it reaches a satisfying conclusion. Still, a great read for a unique fantasy intrigue series.