Tell me about this Martin guy.

[CrusaderX]

Definitely read A Game of Thrones ASAP - you'll love it.

But whatever you do, DO NOT read too much about the book online. Don't visit websites that talk about the book. Stay away from the reviews on amazon.com since spoilers abound there. And even avoid reading the book jackets from the later novels ( A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords ) since they give away huge plot developments.

Trust me, the incredible element of surprise is one of the most amazing things about these books, and if you read spoilers ahead of time, you'll lessen your enjoyment. Just pick up the first book, and get ready for a wild ride! You won't be sorry.

 

[SableWyvern]

it's the most defining work for this genre since LotR.

Ah, well, since I've never heard anything at all like that said about any other fantasy author, it must be good.

"A Song of Ice and Fire" is a masterpiece by a very, very good writer.

As opposed to the masterpieces by very, very crap writers, hey?

Words of advice from CrusaderX
But whatever you do, DO NOT read too much about the book online. Don't visit websites that talk about the book. Stay away from the reviews on amazon.com since spoilers abound there. And even avoid reading the book jackets from the later novels ( A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords ) since they give away huge plot developments.

Trust me, the incredible element of surprise is one of the most amazing things about these books, and if you read spoilers ahead of time, you'll lessen your enjoyment.

Thanks for the heads up.

Wild assertions from CrusaderX
Just pick up the first book, and get ready for a wild ride! You won't be sorry.

Aha. I'll just have your address thanks, so I can pay you a visit if I regret my purchase.

Actually, I don't recall ever before purchasing a work of fiction unread, unless I knew the author well. It's crazy comments like your last one that have convinced me I'd better grab these.

 

[JoeBlank]

About halfway into A Game of Thrones myself, and agree that it is excellent. It was another thread on these boards that inspired me to pick it up.

I too was hesitant to buy the book without having read any of Martin's work. The decision was made for me when I found it at the library before getting to the bookstore. However, I think I will still have to buy AGoT, as I may want to look back at it while reading the others. Can others confirm that I may want to look back at the earlier books while reading the rest of the series? Many characters to keep straight, but there is a handy appendix of the most important houses and those associated with them.

If I pace myself right, and take breaks between books, the first 3 will stll be fresh in my mind when the 4th comes out. I have heard warnings to expect very long waits for the remaining sequels.

Heed the advice not to read online reviews. Found out about a character death myself, from a site dedicated to the series. Still can not believe they did not keep the review spoiler-free. Luckily, there is so much to be surprised by that I think there will still be plenty of surprises for me.

 

[Desdichado]

It is called "The Hedge Knight." And it's a great short story. Way better than, oh, Robert Jordan's story in the same book!

 

[LightPhoenix]

Well, I'll agree that the series is extremely good. However, as someone posted above, the series still has three or four more books to it, and Martin isn't exactly the fastest writer in the world. As you said you've forsworn series that are incomplete, you may want to wait for the series to finish, though god knows when that would be. It's your call... they're hefty books, not this three-hundred page crap that comes out often, so they should take a while (unless you're like me and have read Shogun in one day).

To provide some interesting dialogue, I would not in any way call it "the defining work in this genre". Of course, I wouldn't call LotR that either...

Martin's series is good because the writing is both consistent (which I feel is Jordan's big problem) and complex. Most notably, he's capable of taking many threads and weaving them together to great effect.

Overall, it is very much medieval in it's setting - I could believe this was actually happening in Europe, were the supernatural aspects real. Take this as you will. It's obvious in any case that a lot of ideas were drawn from that era.

 

[Eosin the Red]

Martins work pulls very heavily from the War of Roses...

It is highly recommended. Comparing to Jordan, is like comparing Star wars to Star Trek. They really are in different sub-genres.

When I knew the series was mind blowingly awesome - spoiler free BTW.

Book 3 wedding scene. I was so mad I wanted to throw the book but it was too dang big. I got up took the book with me into my back yard and chucked the thing as far as I could. I left it there for 5 min then picked it up and started reading again!

 

[JoeBlank]

Speaking of spoilers, is there a mini-spoiler in this thread simply because of the name of a poster? Even if this is true, again I don't think a little spoiler will hurt much, as how you get there is half the fun.

 

[Alaric_Prympax]

Book 3 wedding scene. I was so mad I wanted to throw the book but it was too dang big. I got up took the book with me into my back yard and chucked the thing as far as I could. I left it there for 5 min then picked it up and started reading again!

Eosin, I know exactly how you feel. I took me awhile to pick up the book after I set it down but I just had to know what else would happen. You never know which direction this story will go. God! I love it! I can't wait for "A Feast for Crows"!