I normally don't review a book (or a collection of books) until I'm finished reading it/them. I'm only about halfway through the second book, and I like what I've read so far. The story really picked up for me once I got to know the important characters.But these books are well known already, and a series based on them has already been produced, so I'm here to talk about the physical stuff.Wow. This is an awesome set of books. Beautifully bound, with easy-to-turn pages sporting rounded corners on very fine quality paper -- and an amazingly clear and easy-on-the-eyes set of typefonts that do not tire the eyes despite the relatively-small size. The embossed binding is pleasing to the eye as well as to the hand. Since most of the books are over 1000 pages each, it is good that the books are not onerous to hold.One item of minor note: The different volumes have somewhat different font sizes and types. It might be to reduce the number of pages in a volume, or simply the different typefonts used for the different years of original publication, which suggests these are the originals reduced in size for the collection's format. It's all still good.I'm glad to own this collection, which will have value long after I have finished reading it.

This is, without a doubt, one of the nicest book sets I own. The faux leather covers are beautiful, with rich colors, embossed details, and silver foil lettering that give the collection a premium look, at an affordable cost. The slipcase is sturdy and keeps the books well protected while looking fantastic on display.The pages are good quality, the binding feels solid, and the books are comfortable to read despite their size. Whether you’re a longtime A Song of Ice and Fire fan or buying this as a gift, this set is absolutely worth it. It looks even better in person than it does in the photo. Highly recommended!

I’m here to review the set, not the books. These are beautiful covers, sturdy and would make a great gift! These box they come in has that same faux leather material and holds up amazingly. Do yourself a favor and get these for your collection. Pages are almost like bible pages, yet perfectly readable. Small size is excellent for daily carry and text is clear and readable.

Sometimes there are stories that aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, then there’s other times when they are. George R. R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones, however, is in a category that far exceeds the latter.In book one of the critically acclaimed series, A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin guides us with perspectives of uniquely fleshed-out characters who drive a plot that’s just as complex and immense as the world we march through. This keyed-in immersion grants us an up-close and personal experience, which naturally develops love-hate-relationships with not just each chapter’s given character perspective but also of those involved that we’re not given.A great blend of humor, action, drama, betrayal, love, gloom, politics, and suspense keep the pages from feeling stale all the way to the epic conclusion of the final page. Considering this is the first of the series, I felt like much of this book was getting acquainted with how Martin’s world and his characters truly tick up to the point of a certain person’s passing.Once said character passes away, literally all hell breaks loose and the story shifts into a much darker tone than what was perceived in the earlier chapters and the pacing subsequently picks up accordingly.A Game of Thrones’ pacing doesn’t exactly run at a sonic speed, but the book isn’t by any means a snail in that aspect either. That’s a huge plus considering the voluminous cast, which can make it a challenge to keep up with names at times, but their deeds along with decent pacing are carefully crafted in such a way that makes certain names stick in your mind even when you’re not clued in through the chapter’s given perspective.Overall, an amazing story of epic scale that I feel I’ve hardly scratched the surface of. The fight/battle scenes weren’t as intense or well-choreographed as say, R.A Salvatore’s—in my opinion, but they were still satisfactory. Most authors improve with time, and I expect no less from GRRM. Martin’s writing is without question some of the best I’ve read and it was an honor reading his work and learning how to implement certain techniques into my own writing’s evolution.

"Some say the world will end in fire,Some say in ice.From what I’ve tasted of desireI hold with those who favor fire.But if it had to perish twice,I think I know enough of hateTo say that for destruction iceIs also greatAnd would suffice."“Fire and Ice”Robert Frost, 1920George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire is the story that we need to heed right now.Yes, this is a series with all of the trappings of high fantasy: including knights, fair maidens, sorcerers, giants, and dragons. But unlike most works of the genre, the tropes don’t allow a satisfying escape from the frustrations of the modern world. Instead, they help readers explore character motivations, cultural norms, and political predicaments that speak to our own experiences in life.Martin is well read in history, and many details in his books are inspired by real events and peoples from the Middle Ages. Despite his attention to detail, reenactment is not what motivates him to tell his tale. When discussing his priorities as an author, Martin has repeatedly paraphrased Faulkner, saying: “the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.” Indeed, the characters of the story are often challenged by wrenching moral dilemmas, and the choices they make have powerful consequences for their lives and the lives of others. The historical details are a means to teach us about ourselves, and about humanity at large.Accordingly, the conflicts of the story are not just internal. War and political skirmishes feature prominently in A Song of Ice and Fire, as they have in human history. Martin has cited Robert Frost’s poem “Fire and Ice” as an inspiration for his series, and its vision of destruction at the hands of human passion and cruelty epitomizes the challenges faced by the people of Westeros and Essos. Martin himself is a conscientious objector who considers most of the wars of history to have been unnecessary and disastrous ventures. His pacifism is not absolute (he has stated that some wars are necessary, such as World War II), but he nevertheless thinks it is important to consider very carefully the costs of war, without minimizing the spectacular power that military pageantry can have on a people.The titular “ice” and “fire” subtly evoke our collective capacity for rage and desolation, but more obviously they serve as the framing supernatural conceits of the series. Like in many horror stories, the people of Martin’s otherwise realistic setting are caught unawares as inexplicable forces awaken to encroach upon their safety and normalcy. Unlike most horror stories, though, this supernatural presence enters in the midst of heated squabbles, betrayals, atrocities, revolutions, and escalating warfare across the human world. The question that the series lays down is: can we ultimately look beyond our deep grievances and band together against the forces that threaten us all, before it is too late?The central threat is introduced at the very beginning of the story: a mysterious race of beings slowly moving from the permanently frozen lands of the North into Westeros and beyond. Unlike the buggers of Ender’s Game, these are not misunderstood victims of a prejudiced perspective; these are inscrutable, cruel beings capable of extinguishing all life and warmth from the earth. Yet for most of the chapters of Martin’s novels, “the Others” remain but an ominous suggestion, blithely dismissed as a story until it is too late.As this doom approaches, supernatural forces are stirred throughout the lands, allowing certain individuals to foresee future events, to inhabit the bodies of other beasts, to raise the dead, and (representing fire) to awaken living dragons. The people of Westeros and Essos react to these phenomena much as we would react to them: with disbelief, horror, or with religious awe. Yet these spectacular forces do not help any characters in their quest to save themselves from the coming apocalypse—in many cases, they introduce more problems for those who wield them than they do solutions. What can ultimately save the human race from complete obliteration is not any mystical power or prophecy, but a moral vision to unite disparate peoples against the forces that threaten stability from within and without, and the courage to act upon that vision. This is the central human challenge.Given the enormity of this challenge, the scope of the story is necessarily massive. Martin has an extraordinary gift for portraying how factions converge and clash, and how societal and ecological factors shift and interact over time to create a roiling stew of chaotic cultural systems. But, importantly, the feel of “A Song of Ice and Fire” is intimate rather than omniscient. Each chapter provides events from only one character’s perspective, in a tightly limited third person style. From each point of view, internal thoughts are explored, as are memories, dreams, and visions. Martin uses this grand mosaic of subjective snapshots to establish h...