<p>Anyone have an opinion on these books? Looking at a few weeks of travel and would love to find a good series to read.</p>
<p>They’re great! The series is called A Song of Ice and Fire, and the 5th book just came out. Very realistic characters, stunning storyline, everyone I know who has read them loved them.</p>
<p>Yes, very very good series :3.</p>
<p>Haha! In the middle of the 4th book now. They are hard to put down and so rich in visual imagery that they keep going in your dreams after you stop reading at night.</p>
<p>The name is A Song of Ice and Fire.</p>
<p>Not A Game of Thrones, which is the name of the first book, and certainly not Game of Thrones. That’s a TV show.</p>
<p>And yes, they’re awesome. I finished ADWD a couple of days ago. My only issue with the series is that I’ll have to wait several years for the next installment. Hopefully Martin will put up a few teaser chapters on his website like he did last time, to tide us over.</p>
<p>So yes, definitely recommended!</p>
<p>If you have an ereader that can check out library ebooks, my library had multiple copies of a mega volume of the first four books in the series. The publisher was probably trying to boost interest in book five. I haven’t started it yet but I am looking forward to giving this series a try.</p>
<p>If you like fantasy, go for it. My only complaint is that George R.R. Martin took FOREVER to release the latest one. He wrote some other books in between, which was very frustrating.</p>
<p>If you are looking for other good fantasy series besides that one, I would recommend:</p>
<p>Robin Hobb (Assassin series, start with Assassin’s Apprentice). I recently finished the Assassin series, and am about halfway through the Tawny Man series (same characters).</p>
<p>Juliet Marillier (Sevenwaters series, start with Daughter of the Forest)</p>
<p>My son loves George RR Martin and has read the Song of Ice and Fire series a few times but he didn’t like the last one.</p>
<p>I’m on the first book and loved it so far.</p>
<p>Just started reading the new one. I STRONGLY recommend you get it on an e-reader (LOVE my kindle). Your arm, hands and shoulders will thank you for it!</p>
<p>The first three books - awesome - about 0.8 Robert Jordans :-). Book 4 was written by the same writing skills dude who wrote the 5th Harry Potter book - rather awful -. Book 5 has way too many loose ends and new sub-plots popping up but otherwise good.</p>
<p>If you’re offended by lots of casual, ehem, consorting, you may want to reconsider.</p>
<p>George Martin is leagues above Robert Jordan in every way.</p>
<p>Totally agree with the need to offer a caution about being offended. The books contain stark portrayals of violence and, well, allegiances that are unsettling, to say the least.</p>
<p>And the “dude” that wrote the 5th Harry Potter book is the same woman that wrote all of them. </p>
<p>I do enjoy GOT, but I must say that I have difficulty at times following the intricacies of the shifting “political” alliances as well as keeping a good mental image of the fictional terrain the characters are traversing. I guess one of the drawbacks of NOT reading a hard-copy version would be easier access to maps and such, but you can find those sorts of things online if you need them.</p>
<p>My oldest son is SO into these books…has been for years. He is an English teacher, and when he discovers you have read them, you are in for quite the lively discussion. I always feel a bit inadequate, though, because I don’t remember all the characters’ names, etc. Like I might not get a good grade! :)</p>
<p>I’m currently near the end of the third one. If you like fantasy, definitely go for it, and maybe even if you don’t. (These books are MUCH better than Robert Jordan, whose series I eventually gave up on.) I would agree that an e-reader version would be better for travel, though, because these books are BIG. Yes, there is a lot of violence and cruelty. Martin’s characters are interesting, and I’ve been astonished at the degree to which he modulates both villains–who can turn into flawed heroes–and heroes, who can exhibit behaviors that you will abhor. Simplistic, he is not.</p>
<p>Well, in Jordan’s defense. he did put out a lot more books on a more regular basis than Martin (even after he bought the farm), and up to book 7 or 8 one could actually keep track of the plot without a refresher course. Martin spends a lot more time with character development and the way his books are organized make them an ‘easier read’ than Jordan’s… One depends more on magic and the such while the other, well, very little… Also, Martin tends to kill off characters faster than Redshirts in a Star Trek episode :-0 and the way the books are written one may have to wait, ummm, a decade, to find out what happened to such-and-such.</p>
<p>As for Harry Potter #5, just a personal opinion, there is absolutely no way that the same author who put out #4 (the best book in the series in my opinion) could turn around and produce something as awful as #5… JK never impressed me with her writing prowess (in fact, those of us that are relatively hard core fiction fans probably wonder how come she became richer than the Queen of England all while people putting out some compelling work never made it big…</p>
<p>Watching the HBO series is leading me to begin the books this summer. Good to see the reviews here. Dragons are the icing on the cake for me.</p>
<p>I love the Song of Fire and Ice series and on the last one. However, I got into the series early and always had to wait a while for the next book which leaves me frequently confused and trying to remember intricate lineages and plot lines. I could never get through the Jordan series as it all seemed so trite and obvious IMO. My son also loves the Martin series.</p>
<p>I always liked Harry Potter but she really seemed to “mail in” the 5th book and it was a difficult read.</p>
<p>There’s always Book Without Ends, er, World Without End, by Ken Follet along with Pillars of the Earth. No magick involved, just good ole’ Civil Engineering and such. Specially for those who complain that George RR Martin took too long to come up with book 5 (Follet took 18 years for the follow-up…)</p>
<p>cartera, if you like dragons, my I suggest Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series? It has been described as Patrick O’Brian with dragons. I love Patrick O’Brian–and have always enjoyed sea stories and historical fiction–and this series really is unique, in my experience. (For those who may think solely of Anne McCaffery when they think of dragons, these books do not have the bodice-ripper aspects of her oeuvre.)</p>
<p>Another good book for those with dragon leanings is “Tea with the Black Dragon” by R. A. MacAvoy.</p>
<p>I’ll just add that I like Martin’s “Wild Cards” series of “mosaic” novels (written by a team of writers) about superheroes.</p>