A Game of Thrones & A Clash of Kings

[Tsujigiri]

Ok

A Game of Thrones & A Clash of Kings

I've had these books on my shelf for about 3 years and never cracked the cover, I intended to by life got in the way.

Would anyone care to brifly tell me what his writing style is like, maybe provide some impetus to reading them

 

[Lord of Winterfell]

Probably the best fantasy I've ever read (and I've read pretty much everything).

And the best characterization I've ever read period... regardless of genre.

I think you will regret not having read them sooner... very special books.

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

Tsujigiri,
GRRM is brilliant in portraying believeable characters in a historical seeming setting, with complex political & personal motives.

He also has a nice habit of following the natural progression of a story without fear of the consequences (things happen you wouldn't expect him to have the guts to pull off)

Apart from Raymond E Fiest, the Song of Ice & Fire has become my favourite series

 

[red_temple]

I'd say that GRRM has an extremely polished and professional writing style. You can tell that he has been doing this all his life. His prose rarely (if ever) lags; he gives you the exact amount of info that you need to know to carry the story along. This being said, though, he does manage to give you a rich and detailed world and makes it easy for the reader to picture every scene. The dialoge is also excellent - some of the best I've ever read. His word choice and vocabulary are also exquisite, always using the proper words to convey the story clearly - no awkward sentences or ambiguous descriptions. Very smooth.

The story itself is grim and gritty. Magic is very much in the background (of the first 2 novels, at least), and is never used as a ham-handed plot device. No "all-powerful" wizards coming in to save the day with a snap of their fingers. If a character is in an impossible-to-escape, life threatening situation, he/she is likely to die. The books will make you angry at times, as GRRM is not afraid to "off" the characters you love.

Quite easily the best fantasy I've read in a while, IMHO.

 

[Tsujigiri]

The story itself is grim and gritty

Nuff said, that's what I tend to look for in a novel, if it's safe and sane then I get bored

 

[Detritus]

These books are definitely not safe and sane . There is at least one moment in each book in the series so far that will make you go "OH MY GOD!! I don't believe he just did that". A Storm of Swords being the one that contains a real big kick in the teeth.

Just as you think a character is safe and all is going to plan GRRM likes to turn the whole thing upside down and make you stop reading for a lil bit as you recover from the shock.

 

[a|one]

These are the 2 shortest long books you'll ever read. There is no doubt that you will enjoy them, just make sure you arent planning to do anything the night you start(including sleep).

 

[djdonegal]

I remember when someone bought these books for me a few years ago, I was only about 16, I thought that they weren't going to be that good, but I read them as I had nothing else to read at the time. Thank goodness for that. They have become my favourite Fantasy series (albeit I haven't read a wide range of Fantasy books) and this series is the reason I found this site.

I read the first book in record time and went out straight away and bought "Clash of Kings", before then buying both "Storm of Swords" parts just a week or two after that. I have been eagerly awaiting the release of "Feast for Crows" ever since, and have been getting thoroughly agitated by the way the release date has been pushed back time and again.

DJ

 

[Winters_Sorrow]

How're you getting on with those 2 books anyway, Tsuji?

I've just got Erikson's Malazan series out the library - seems a bit harder to get into, but I'm sticking with it!

 

[Tsujigiri]

I haven't read anything apart from History texts and work related stuff this month so far, and I just had a call about more work.
You try to hide from it but then it comes looking for you, I supose it's better then the alternative though..

 

[Rahl Windsong]

Ok

A Game of Thrones & A Clash of Kings

I've had these books on my shelf for about 3 years and never cracked the cover, I intended to by life got in the way.

Would anyone care to brifly tell me what his writing style is like, maybe provide some impetus to reading them

A master at his craft, you can read and re-read those books and get more out of them each time you do and his books will stand the test of time in my humble oppinion. A good story is just that, and even 100 years from now aSoIaF will still be a good story.

Sincerely,

Rahl Windsong

 

[biodroid]

Does the pace pick up in AGOT and does it keep in the rest of the series? I am about half way through and it's slow going.

 

[The Imp]

Does the pace pick up in AGOT and does it keep in the rest of the series? I am about half way through and it's slow going.

Think of AGOT as being a very long preface to the rest of the series. CHarcters are introduced, plotlines are developed, etc,. and it can be slow going, especially if you don't know who anyone is yet and have to refer back to previous chapters on a regular basis. On a re-read I flew through this book and it was actually more enjoyable.

once things "get moving" you won't be able to catch your breath. As someone said above, it's the fastest long book(s) you'll ever read. Once all of the separate stories really get moving you won't beleive how fast you'll get through them.