Song of Ice and Fire Series...

AngelofDeath · 01-15-2002, 01:17 PM

Has anyone read this? What are the books, and what is the story like?
i.e. Is it fantasy with magic(that type of thing)

and was it any good?

I've read The sword of Truth and WoT series, and loved them both.

Thanks for any info

Thoran · 01-15-2002, 02:39 PM

I've read the first two books... A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings and I'm going to read the third once I find it on a bookshelf somewhere (don't get to bookstores too often).

The first two were OUTSTANDING books. They're the type that draw you into each character's story so much that you get MAD when he ends a chapter and switches to a different character. And then at the end of THAT chapter he switches and you get MAD again. Very strange feeling! He pulls you in and hooks you to the character so much that forcing you to change gears is very disconcerting.

Anyway... one warning is that his writing style is graphic and he's not afraid to break the rules (like killing off main characters... which he does regularly). Theres lots of violance and even some sex (yaaaa!). All in all it's easily the best fantasy series I'm currently engaged in reading. (and I'm reading the Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth series' also) and some of the overall best books I've read recently... although I'd probably have to give that nod to C. J. Cherryh's Faded Sun Trilogy. (Sci-fi)

Sneeki Two · 01-17-2002, 01:38 AM

I started Goodkind's series while waiting for Jordan's books and got hooked. I picked up Sword of Fire and Ice (Martin's series) while waiting for the other two. This is now the series I really wait for.

I think it is one of the best ongoing series out there right now. I have read all three so far and cannot wait for the next. All who have read the 3rd book will know what I'm I'm talking about.

The series starts with a world where magic is mostly a thing of history but there are signs of its return (and the return is done nicely). You get the feel of huge things taking shape as the series moves along.

Martin has some of the most interesting character's in the genre. However, there are no real goody-two-shoes types like Drizzt DoUrden. All of his characters have flaws, and there are many you cant wait to see killed in the most brutal fashion imagined, while there are some you pray will overcome adversity. Some you love to hate and some you hate to love. He writes his chapters from the viewpoint of any one character, and it will drive you nuts when you end a chapter and see another characters name at the beginning of the next.

Martin's game of houses is way more complicated than Jordan's, and they all play for keeps. You will literally loath some of the acts that are enacted for the conquest of power. If you like war, there is plenty. As stated before, his writing is very graphic and the F word along with all the others are used quite often, but they also bring a more down-to-earth feeling to the characters. They don't come off as super-natural, but more like regular people.

All the Knights, Lords and Ladies have stories behind them (both good and bad). There is one knight called the Mountain that Rides (you just gotta love that and he more than makes up for his namesake). There are many more colorful characters with interesting knicknames and pasts.

Overall I highly recommend this series, and if you are a fan of big books then this is one you will love. Like I said, I have read all of WOT and SOT and they pale in comparison to Sword of Fire and Ice.

Just my 2.

Kresselack · 01-17-2002, 04:14 AM

The story is very good and there is not much magic in the story. However the plot took a dark turn and some people don't like it much but I think it is very appropriate.

I recommend the series, it's my favourite currntly.

Thoran · 01-17-2002, 11:38 AM

My wife said the books were too hard to follow... which I can understand but totally don't agree with (I eat up the complexities of Noble intrigue)... I'm not sure which dark turn you're talking about there there have been at least a half dozen of them in the first two books alone! Some of them leave you thinking "Oh my GOD, I can't believe he just did that".

I also like how Martin gets you really hating a character (I'm thinking of Jamie) then turns around and shows you that there's some good in the guy... and actually gets you feeling SYMPATHETIC for that same person you hated before. IMO Martin's writing has a depth that Both Jordan and Goodkind lack... a "Grit" if you will. It's that realism that draws me to this series. The use of Magic has been sparing so far but where it's used it's used BRILLIANTLY. The birth of the dragons was an awesome scene, and the use of the wolves (don't want to give too much away)... good stuff.

I think I'm going to go find the third book TODAY... you guys got me itching to read the next installment... especially after the mysterious "you guys who've read the third book know what I mean..." [img]smile.gif[/img]

Thoran · 01-17-2002, 11:41 AM

Sneeki Two... my sequence was exactly the same... started with Jordan... then added Goodkind... then found Martin.

And don't think I hate the other two... I still eagerly await the next insallment of both series (although the last Goodkind book was a bit odd, spending an entire book on two peripheral characters).

Ezekial · 01-17-2002, 04:16 PM

Hmm..I liked the first two alot, and whilst I don't feel that the darkness of the third is a bad thing (he handles it very well) I do feel that nearly everyone has betrayed half the other chacracters at least once takes things a bit far...

Sneeki Two · 01-18-2002, 12:53 AM

There are some reealllly dark turns in book 3. If you thought the first two had some wild twists in it, book 3 will totally blow your mind. There were many times when I just sat there with my jaw dropped, thinking I cant believe what they just did. You also begin to see a lot more magic in Book 3 (and it aint the pretty AD&D stuff...its damn twisted).

There are also some really funny parts. Tyrion Lannister (aka The Imp) is hilarious and definetly one of my favs. I also laughed out loud at the mercenary Vargo Hoat (aka The Goat). That lisp he speaks with is just damn funny(btw he is also known for cutting off peoples hands and feet...nasty dude).

To Thoran:
I still eagerly read the other series also, but that last Goodkind book kinda dissappointed me. I read his stuff to see Richard and Kahlan in action. As I got closer and closer to the end, I was wondering how he was going to end this (when do we see the main characters get into the meat of the book). To me it ended too short. He should have just wrote 2 or 3 hundred more pages and finished it the right way.

Thoran · 01-26-2002, 03:07 PM

Have you ever done this... I just went and bought "A Storm of Swords" yesterday only to get it home and discover I'd already read it... a HUGE disappointment. I remember that after I'd read the first book I immediately bought the second... but in reality I'd bought the second and third... and read them all in the space of a week (they're THAT good).

Anyway, I thought the mayhem that occurred in the third book was very well done but certainly dark. If you've ever read about the court intrigue of the middle ages you'll know that the percentage of back stabbing in this book is certainly not excessive. I'd recommend exploring the history behind "The War of the Rose"... or maybe the reign of Louis XIV.

Zbyszek · 01-30-2002, 09:36 AM

Additionally, there are some short stories in this serie. I have read one and remember that in US it was published in some magazine.
It was also good [img]smile.gif[/img]

01-15-2002, 01:17 PM	#1
AngelofDeath Drizzt Do'Urden Join Date: June 11, 2001 Location: Wherever the road takes me..... Age: 53 Posts: 609	Has anyone read this? What are the books, and what is the story like? i.e. Is it fantasy with magic(that type of thing) and was it any good? I've read The sword of Truth and WoT series, and loved them both. Thanks for any info __________________ I am the Angel of Death You Can Not Hide

01-17-2002, 04:16 PM	#7
Ezekial The Magister Join Date: November 1, 2001 Location: Bournemouth, England Posts: 114	Hmm..I liked the first two alot, and whilst I don't feel that the darkness of the third is a bad thing (he handles it very well) I do feel that nearly everyone has betrayed half the other chacracters at least once takes things a bit far... __________________ I will strew your flesh upon the mountains, and fill the valleys with your carcass. I will drench the land even to the mountains with your flowing blood...<br />Ezekiel 32:5

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01-15-2002, 02:39 PM	#2
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 56 Posts: 2,109	I've read the first two books... A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings and I'm going to read the third once I find it on a bookshelf somewhere (don't get to bookstores too often). The first two were OUTSTANDING books. They're the type that draw you into each character's story so much that you get MAD when he ends a chapter and switches to a different character. And then at the end of THAT chapter he switches and you get MAD again. Very strange feeling! He pulls you in and hooks you to the character so much that forcing you to change gears is very disconcerting. Anyway... one warning is that his writing style is graphic and he's not afraid to break the rules (like killing off main characters... which he does regularly). Theres lots of violance and even some sex (yaaaa!). All in all it's easily the best fantasy series I'm currently engaged in reading. (and I'm reading the Wheel of Time and Sword of Truth series' also) and some of the overall best books I've read recently... although I'd probably have to give that nod to C. J. Cherryh's Faded Sun Trilogy. (Sci-fi)

01-17-2002, 01:38 AM	#3
Sneeki Two Dungeon Master Join Date: August 11, 2001 Location: Tx, USA Posts: 88	I started Goodkind's series while waiting for Jordan's books and got hooked. I picked up Sword of Fire and Ice (Martin's series) while waiting for the other two. This is now the series I really wait for. I think it is one of the best ongoing series out there right now. I have read all three so far and cannot wait for the next. All who have read the 3rd book will know what I'm I'm talking about. The series starts with a world where magic is mostly a thing of history but there are signs of its return (and the return is done nicely). You get the feel of huge things taking shape as the series moves along. Martin has some of the most interesting character's in the genre. However, there are no real goody-two-shoes types like Drizzt DoUrden. All of his characters have flaws, and there are many you cant wait to see killed in the most brutal fashion imagined, while there are some you pray will overcome adversity. Some you love to hate and some you hate to love. He writes his chapters from the viewpoint of any one character, and it will drive you nuts when you end a chapter and see another characters name at the beginning of the next. Martin's game of houses is way more complicated than Jordan's, and they all play for keeps. You will literally loath some of the acts that are enacted for the conquest of power. If you like war, there is plenty. As stated before, his writing is very graphic and the F word along with all the others are used quite often, but they also bring a more down-to-earth feeling to the characters. They don't come off as super-natural, but more like regular people. All the Knights, Lords and Ladies have stories behind them (both good and bad). There is one knight called the Mountain that Rides (you just gotta love that and he more than makes up for his namesake). There are many more colorful characters with interesting knicknames and pasts. Overall I highly recommend this series, and if you are a fan of big books then this is one you will love. Like I said, I have read all of WOT and SOT and they pale in comparison to Sword of Fire and Ice. Just my 2.

01-17-2002, 04:14 AM	#4
Kresselack Elite Waterdeep Guard Join Date: November 7, 2001 Location: Singapore Posts: 49	The story is very good and there is not much magic in the story. However the plot took a dark turn and some people don't like it much but I think it is very appropriate. I recommend the series, it's my favourite currntly.

01-17-2002, 11:38 AM	#5
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 56 Posts: 2,109	My wife said the books were too hard to follow... which I can understand but totally don't agree with (I eat up the complexities of Noble intrigue)... I'm not sure which dark turn you're talking about there there have been at least a half dozen of them in the first two books alone! Some of them leave you thinking "Oh my GOD, I can't believe he just did that". I also like how Martin gets you really hating a character (I'm thinking of Jamie) then turns around and shows you that there's some good in the guy... and actually gets you feeling SYMPATHETIC for that same person you hated before. IMO Martin's writing has a depth that Both Jordan and Goodkind lack... a "Grit" if you will. It's that realism that draws me to this series. The use of Magic has been sparing so far but where it's used it's used BRILLIANTLY. The birth of the dragons was an awesome scene, and the use of the wolves (don't want to give too much away)... good stuff. I think I'm going to go find the third book TODAY... you guys got me itching to read the next installment... especially after the mysterious "you guys who've read the third book know what I mean..." [img]smile.gif[/img]

01-17-2002, 11:41 AM	#6
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 56 Posts: 2,109	Sneeki Two... my sequence was exactly the same... started with Jordan... then added Goodkind... then found Martin. And don't think I hate the other two... I still eagerly await the next insallment of both series (although the last Goodkind book was a bit odd, spending an entire book on two peripheral characters).

01-18-2002, 12:53 AM	#8
Sneeki Two Dungeon Master Join Date: August 11, 2001 Location: Tx, USA Posts: 88	There are some reealllly dark turns in book 3. If you thought the first two had some wild twists in it, book 3 will totally blow your mind. There were many times when I just sat there with my jaw dropped, thinking I cant believe what they just did. You also begin to see a lot more magic in Book 3 (and it aint the pretty AD&D stuff...its damn twisted). There are also some really funny parts. Tyrion Lannister (aka The Imp) is hilarious and definetly one of my favs. I also laughed out loud at the mercenary Vargo Hoat (aka The Goat). That lisp he speaks with is just damn funny(btw he is also known for cutting off peoples hands and feet...nasty dude). To Thoran: I still eagerly read the other series also, but that last Goodkind book kinda dissappointed me. I read his stuff to see Richard and Kahlan in action. As I got closer and closer to the end, I was wondering how he was going to end this (when do we see the main characters get into the meat of the book). To me it ended too short. He should have just wrote 2 or 3 hundred more pages and finished it the right way.

01-26-2002, 03:07 PM	#9
Thoran Galvatron Join Date: January 10, 2002 Location: Upstate NY Age: 56 Posts: 2,109	Have you ever done this... I just went and bought "A Storm of Swords" yesterday only to get it home and discover I'd already read it... a HUGE disappointment. I remember that after I'd read the first book I immediately bought the second... but in reality I'd bought the second and third... and read them all in the space of a week (they're THAT good). Anyway, I thought the mayhem that occurred in the third book was very well done but certainly dark. If you've ever read about the court intrigue of the middle ages you'll know that the percentage of back stabbing in this book is certainly not excessive. I'd recommend exploring the history behind "The War of the Rose"... or maybe the reign of Louis XIV.

01-30-2002, 09:36 AM	#10
Zbyszek Avatar Join Date: August 27, 2001 Location: Poznan, Poland Posts: 575	Additionally, there are some short stories in this serie. I have read one and remember that in US it was published in some magazine. It was also good [img]smile.gif[/img]

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