This series is highly readable, and anyone who loves fantasy should find plenty to enjoy in this book. But why does it have to be so ridiculously long? Sure there is plenty going on, with as many threads interwoven as a fine tapestry - or at least a good pair of socks. Nevertheless, some of those threads could have been reduced to move the action along a little more quickly.

But my reasons for giving this only 3 stars must also include a feeling that this book is still rather derivative in a fantasy field that all too often takes its cue from Tolkien and/or fantasy role play games. It is yet another medieval setting with knights and priests and kings and tournaments and everything else that fantasy readers expect, but will put off readers new to the genre because it looks like a copy of Tolkien (sans elves, at least). The only novelty is the seasons, which do not turn with the years. But the logic of this kind of breaks when so many other aspects of our world are carried, as if verbatim, into this work. Sometimes Martin mentions something that just begs to put you in mind of our world, and so the otherness of this one does not stick.

Stylistically, all the characters seem to speak with the same voice. And the phrase "half a ..." seems to be one of Martin's favourites because we have "half a heartbeat" or "half a hundred" repeated so many times by so many characters that I wanted to scream each time I read it!

But if you want swords and sorcery in an earthy format and a good complex and engaging plot, you will enjoy these books. ( )

Awesome. Again if you liked the first two books your going to enjoy this one. The only thing that might be bad is that there are so many characters that are killed off that some of your favorites are probably going to get the axe. There is a lot of betrayal in this edition that will keep you shocked and guessing what will happen next. Three books in and no misses yet, everything had been great. ( )

Gets better and better, bleaker and bleaker for our heroes, though one thing these books do really well is mess with your concepts of heroism and villainy. ( )

Martin weaves such a beautifully complicated yarn where the characters become quite messed up that by the end of the tale almost every major character’s story turns to a drastically and almost shockingly different direction in some of the biggest twists of tales written in the genre. And nobody, I repeat, nobody would ever be prepared for the final page of the book. Kudos to George R.R. Martin! (more) ( )

Continuing to slog through this very good but oh-so-long series. Sometimes the suspense is unbearable, and I feel rather mad at Martin for torturing these characters so much. Just want ... a little break, a little happiness for them, a family reunion, not all the constant ROCKS FALL EVERYONE DIES.

But I keep reading. I've been with these people for over 3,000 pages, I don't want to stop halfway. I do want them to get that bit of happiness eventually. I hope. Maybe. Or at least an instantaneous death without any pain involved. ( )