Though I suppose that means I’ll be howling with the rest of the fans years from now waiting for one of the future volumes.

A slight correction: “A Dance with Dragons” will not be the final instalment. However, this is a brilliant series that has already achieved great things and broken more than a few moulds. Highly recommended for those who enjoy an intricacy and detailed character development.

I was one of those people who held out for YEARS…hearing everybody rave about A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE and just not believing the hype about it. But finally, last year I gave in and dubiously picked up the first book. Well, not only was it terrific, it was addictive…I burned my way through those books one after the other.
Martin’s grasp of character is absolutely stunning. His fantastic world isn’t nearly so interesting as the characters who inhabit it. He makes you CARE for these characters. He makes you HATE some of these characters…and sometimes makes you CARE for the ones you HATE! His perfect grasp of point-of-view storytelling has changed the way I approach my own writing.
The other magical thing about these books is how very based in reality this fantasy world is. It’s been compared to “historical fiction”…it just so happens to be the history of an imaginary world. But the mud, blood, sweat, dirt and tears are steeped in realism. Which only makes the heroics that much more heroic…the stakes are life-and-death, even in the smallest of battles.
I, for one, will keep my fingers crossed that this becomes a high-quality HBO series. I’ve been waiting for something to match the power and majesty of ROME. This…could…be it.
Meanwhile, the final volume of the saga is due to hit stores this fall! Worth the wait.