I got this in 2008's LibraryThing secret Santa - you can probably tell from the title that it's a fantasy book. It's a pretty epic one, and the first in a fairly long series, I believe. I enjoyed the plot (with all its political drama) and most of the characters are very well-described. However, the writing is a little repetitive in places (a few minor characters are described in exactly the same way every time they appear, e.g. extravagantly shrugging guy) and (while mostly plot-relevant or realistic) the amounts of rape and incest in this book somewhat disturbed me, so I don't think I'll be carrying on with this.

Other things Martin seems particularly obsessed with: horses, prostitutes, food that contains honey. ( )

Fama totalmente justificada. Impresionante. ( )

I thought I was done with high fantasy--or really any fantasy--but, on a lark, I took the advice of several friends with good taste in books and picked this up. Glad I did! It's readable, with enough fantasy tropes to feel familiar but not so many as as to bore or annoy the reader. Some of the female characters have realistic personalities and voices, which I never really expect to find, after reading so much Jordan. It's told from the perspective of one character per chapter, which was a little bit off-putting at first but seems, upon reflection, like the very best way to tell a story with so many threads. I'll stick with the series to see whether Martin keeps his threads in hand or begins to let them fray--with a series this long, either's possible. ( )

This is one of the most compelling historical fantasy novels I've read in a long time! I sped through the available titles in the series and am eagerly awaiting the next addition. The characters are fascinating (and the author is not afraid to kill them off!); there is a perfect blend of realism and fantasy. ( )

This is the story of kings, princes and knights, a battle over thrones and the Seven Kingdoms, and the beginning of the mysteries that lie beyond the Wall. This is the first volume of the Song of Fire and Ice trilogy.

This book was probably my first "proper fantasy" book ever, and I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. This book is very well-written, particularly the way that the story is told from a number of different perspectives throughout, which helps the reader to empathise with the different characters. The story itself, and the tragic consequences of greed and treachery, were enough to keep me interested in what was going to happen.

Towards the end of the book, I did lose a bit of interest, as there was a lot of talk about battle strategies and logistics, whereas I was more interested in the characters and their relations with each other. However, this did not detract from the very powerful story. Will I continue to read the other books in the trilogy? Not sure yet. At the moment I'm quite committed to reading various books for various challenges etc, and I guess reading the follow-up books may lose its impact if I leave it too long... ( )