A Song of Ice and Fire 1-4: A Game of Thrones / Clash of Kings / A Storm of Swords / A Feast for Crows

Dear George R.R. Martin (if that's your real name),

It is known: You are one sick, sick mofo. With "A Song of Ice and Fire," you have fleshed out and made explicit everything that was probably happening behind the scenes in "Lord of the Rings," the night being dark and full of terrors and all. The things that tweedy, Norse epic poem-lovin' J.R.R. Tolkien probably didn't even think about. The things that probably DID get written about in the early days of BBS slash fiction. Which you yourself were probably writing.

Gotta hand it to you, though, you provide us with badass female characters, an area where Tolkien failed epically, Éowyn excepted. You have rendered a universe of moral ambiguity and shades of grey (and yes, I must use the show more Anglophilic spelling) rather than Tolkien's black-and-white, good-v-evil Middle Earth. You have no qualms about killing off beloved characters, though you do have a bad habit of resurrecting them as intelligent, ruthless zombies.

I thank you for writing chapters from significant characters' points of view, because they instantly become sympathetic and interesting rather than being lost in the horde. I look forward to the next installment. Will you PLEASE tell us what happened to Rickon? He hasn't been around for several volumes now. And Nymeria must be out there somewhere, too.

So long, and thanks for all the catchphrases,

A reader

P.S. By R'hllor/the Stranger/the Seven/the Old Gods, would someone PLEASE just give Lady Stoneheart copies of "A Clash of Kings," "A Storm of Swords," "A Feast for Crows," and "A Dance with Dragons"? She could focus her vengeance on the right parties if she would just kick back and do some reading instead of relying on ravens and spies to bring her outdated news. show less

In his A Song of Ice and Fire series, George R.R. Martin writes high fantasy with a modern feel. His world evokes classic fantasy like Tolkien's Middle Earth: the Doom of Valyria could stand for the fall of Numenor; magic had gone out of the world but is now posing a renewed threat; and the world has a history thousands of years long, much of which is lost or the stuff of legend. These comparisons come easy, but they link Martin to earlier authors of high fantasy, going back all the way to the Arthurian myths. Martin's Westeros and its neighboring lands represents a hodgepodge of the European Middle Ages, the Islamic Golden Age, myths of Atlantis, the Inquisition, and many others. Similarities to other works of fantasy are bound to show more arise as all draw upon this shared cultural history.
Unlike earlier works of high fantasy, which were typified by an elevated use of language and avoidance of sexuality except where absolutely necessary, Martin does not hide the ugly realities of his world. For those used to Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, or even T.H. White's The Once and Future King, this may be off-putting at first. Over time, though, the reader comes to appreciate the honesty. Knights may be capable of great deeds, but they are only human and far more relatable for it.
This box set, combining the first four books, is a nice introduction to the series. Though HBO's Game of Thrones takes its title from the first book and is based on the complete series, there's more depth here than the show can offer and more ambiguity befitting a kingdom at war. As to the paperbacks themselves, while most are in the thousands of pages, the glue binding is durable and flexible enough to resist splitting while enabling the reader to easily turn the pages. show less

This is a series that I've heard compared to Tolkien--but really has a completely different feel than Lord of the Rings and I'm not sure if in the end it will compare in classic status--some of that depends on how strong the series as a whole stands up when completed. It's certainly told in a much more intimate, straightforward way than Tolkien. Martin's narrative skills are top-notch, but I wouldn't call him lyrical or poetic. His characters are more rounded and moving than Tolkien's legendary figures. And God knows, Martin's female characters are much, much stronger--among the strongest I've read in fantasy. I once saw a clip of Martin being interviewed. He was asked how is it he writes such strong women characters. His answer was show more priceless--that he had always thought of women as people.

He also though paints a very gritty dark world. Not fairy-tale dark with Dark Lords--but one that reads more often like historical fiction, even horror than high fantasy--knights and ladies notwithstanding. Supposedly this series is inspired by the English War of the Roses between the Lancasters and the Yorks. You can even see that in the names of two opposing families focused upon, the Lannisters and the Starks. But it's not as if it's a one to one correspondence in characters or plot points--that might be a launch off point, but there's nothing predictable in the twists and turns of plot here. Martin doesn't hesitate to be cruel to his characters, and it can be unsettling. If you want your guaranteed happily ever after--well, I suspect this isn't your series. No one is safe. But that does mean the stakes are higher, and when a character you care about is in danger, you're at the edge of your seat, because you know it matters--terrible things can happen.

However, I do have some concerns about where Martin is going--beyond the fear favorite characters are not going to make it to the end alive, let alone happy. There was over five years between the fourth and fifth books which was finally published a couple of years ago. Supposedly Martin has shared with producers of the HBO series based on the books his end game--so that does give me some hope we'll get a resolution, one way or another. But it might not be for a long, long time. And I haven't read the latest book yet that comes after these Dances with Dragons, but people whose reviews I respect claim it's a mess, and I know from the book preceding, A Feast of Crows that he basically split the manuscript for that in two, and not chronologically, but by character so they overlap. I don't think that choice is entirely successful even with that book. But I'll say this--I've gotten through literally thousands of pages of this series--and I wasn't bored and I still care. show less

Book Title: "Game of Thrones”
Author: George R.R. Martin
Published By: Bantam Books
Age Recommended: 18+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5

Review: I seldom read one book out of a series and give a review. Usually, I will wait until I have finished the entire series and then give a collaborative review that sums up the writers complete work. I may be the only one that holds such an opinion, but when I write this I mean it sincerely. George R. R. Martin’s “Ice & Fire” series is not one of those series you could possibly review as a set. My reasons for this assumption are as follows; these books are so in depth so profoundly well-written and so amazingly astute that they simply must have the justice of their own individual show more reviews.
When I started this endeavor I went the route less traveled and actually began by watching the first season on television before ever having picked up the first novel. I actually thought there was no possible way the book could be even remotely as good as the show. Boy was I wrong. Even though the television show follows the book to a ‘T’ there is simply no substitute for the writing genius of the magnanimous, George R. R. Martin. This man has the profound ability to breathe life into his characters to the point that you sincerely believe they were once real. Eddard Stark is the kind of man every child would want as a father, every woman would dream of as their husband and yet he still has a hard edge that denotes a strength unlike any you could imagine. What I love most about George though, is his complete faith in his readers which allows him to take a character like Eddard Stark and kill him just as you’re falling in love with him all the while knowing that his many other remarkable characters have captured you so completely in their web that you have no choice but to continue on because you, yourself, have unwittingly become a part of “The Game of Thrones.”
This review must end here because I fear I will give away too much and readers that have yet to embark upon this journey will ever forgive me. I do however, wish the readers to know that once you start you’ll never want it to end and you will find that even trying to take a break in between and pick up another book to read is completely impossible. Be prepared to spend a good part of your next few months reading this series and know that it will not be time wasted, yet time well spent enriching and in some cases redeeming your love of great fantasy writing. Now, it is on to book two for me! I’ll be back! show less

Good thing I buckled up before starting on book one of this series, "A Game of Thrones" - I can already tell it's gonna be a hell of a ride. One of the grimmest fantasies I've read, and quite twisted - but at this point, I'm trusting in the author that by the time book seven rolls around, all will be well. So far, I'm not really getting the Tolkien comparisons, as there isn't much in the way of magic - but certainly the epic backstories of the family dynasties involved are impressive. It's going to take me a while to get through this series, but now that I'm finished the first book I'm going to check out the HBO adaptation - I have a feeling that the delicious Sean Bean will be fantastic as Lord Eddard Stark...

Book 1: The writing is good, and occasionally the characters and events are captivating. However, the whole thing feels like a mob-family story done medieval style, like the Sopranos crossed with King Arthur. There is not a lot of fantastical elements, humor, or fun; instead there is a lot of violence and many heads on spikes. I'm sure it makes for good TV; however, this does not rise to the level of Tolkien, whatever other book reviewers may say. After a break I'll try book 2 and revisit this review.

Watched season one on HBO with RainMan, and we both loved it. Got the set to read, and I could not pry myself away from the iPad!! It's a grownup version of Tolkien, with fewer monster-monsters and more human-monsters, but plenty of political maneuverings and enough graphic sex to keep RainMan's attention for quite some time. This is a fully imagined world with characters you will love and hate and then be completely pissed when they die off -- only to be replaced with more phenomenally interesting characters. read my way through the 5th-- Dance With Dargons, and now I'm going to have to sit back and wait for the next one. Arrrrrggggghhhhh...