The third in an excellent series. This one suffered from a meandering narrative and a little bit of bloat. There was a lot of criss-crossing the countryside by various characters, and a few too many coincidental meetings for my taste. Also in excess in this book were: travellers' tales and songs on the way to elsewhere; and prophetic utterings.

Where this series excels is in the characters and the imagined social space they occupy. Overall this installment is good, but not as good as the first two. I nevertheless look forward to A Feast for Crows. ( )

"You know nothing, Jon Snow."

The above is a constant refrain from several books in George R R
Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series.

I have not read a fantasy series that so captivated me in literally ages.

GRRM constantly put his characters into situations where the 'honorable' choice is often untenable, impossible or appears to be entirely without honor. And even when the characters struggle to find the honorable choice, half the time (if not more) the taste of honor turns to dust in their mouths and things beyond their control, understanding, or knowledge, make their choices, their lives, their beliefs shatter apart.

Lots of wars, sword play, heartbreak, and an incredible number of twists, make the books entirely unpredictable. You can't even count on a character surviving. And if they do, death might be kinder. Although if they do survive, you can be certain they've changed and grown and become tempered steel.

Highly, highly recommended. ( )

One criterion I use for books which I rate with 5 stars is do I care about the characters? Are they more than just interesting. Are they characters I will remember? This is the third book in the series I have read and I have a number of characters who I am following closely, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Sansa Stark, Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarley, Sandor Clegane, Jaime Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen. Then there are a large contingent of really foul characters who deserve terrible ends, Cersei Lannister and Gregor Clegane for instance.
The plot lines weave in every direction, but it is high entertainment. It IS an investment in time but worth it. Mr. Martin knows his Middle Ages and all about war and what goes on. This is a Fantasy book but it rings true. The characters behave in believable ways, though not always predictable...and that's a good thing. ( )

The war for control of the Seven Kingdoms rages on, but now mainly consists of the Lannisters in the south against the Starks in the north. Meanwhile in the far North, a huge barbarian army marches on the Wall with the intent of taking back much of the land to the south of it. In the continent to the east, Danerys Targaryen uses her dragons to gather an army for her own assault on Westeros.

So far, this series has just gotten more interesting with each volume, and this is my favorite of the three so far. All of the characters face difficult situations and have to make tough choices. In enjoyed seeing some new environments such as the strange cities in the east that Danerys encounters, and the view of the people north of the wall. The book does exactly what it needs to do; it continues and deepens the ongoing plot lines of the series and made me anxious to read the next book. ( )

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. ( )