A Song of Ice and Fire, 7 Volumes Paperback – 12 July 2012

I came to this having watched the first series of the TV dramatisation having not read any serious Fantasy novels for about 20 years and was not disappointed. However that isnt to say this series of novels isnt badly flawed. I give it 5 stars because it is compulsive reading but then crack cocaine is compulsive, and I suppose that would probably get 5 stars if anyone ever reviewed it. Actually what it reminded me most of was Harry Potter, but only if JK Rowling had come to hate her creation. Like Harry the world that is created is compelling and the detail is fantastic, the characters are fully realised, the writing is only OK and the plots creak at best and at worst are non existent. Here, seven books in, we are mostly worried about what has happened to Theon's appendage ( and the revelations in the Tv series do nothing to resolve this). The two basic tropes here are the entire book being written from characters point s of view in an episodic way and the authors propensity for bumping off major characters when you least expect it. Which starts out as refreshing but eventually gives a chaotic and disjointed narrative and no real plot trajectory. There are just too many voices and too many ideas, this could be thirty books not nine ( or ten).He says he knows how it is going to end (I wonder if Charles Dickens ever felt compelled to make such a statement!) but he has clearly lost the map of how to get there. Having said all that the journey of reading this is amazing and clearly he is not going to bump off Tyrion ( or probably John Snow unless to spite us all, or Dany) which means that, once done it might become the most important fantasy about a vertically challenged hero since.....well Frodo Baggins.This does seem to be the case where an authors creation has gone out of control in the era of the internet. Blogs, forums, ideas and pressure while the plot is unrealised and as a consequence opinion feeding into the plot development, either to satisfy his audience or to spite them. An interesting aside is whether he will live to finish it, or whether it will ever be finished!And finally, the TV series (which is brilliantly realised) follows the main trajectory of plot but characters are amalgamated, plots changed and mutated and information provided that is not in the book but may not be...real..again this means the unfinished novel exists in a post modern world where it is influenced not just by the internet but by television but the reaction to televison and the requiremnts of television.So an author who may not live to finish his creation which is evolving out of his control because of the internet and the exigencies of television. A metaphor for our times I think. My favourite character? Obviously John Snow.

Excellent product, swift transaction and arrived earlier than the date mentioned! Will definitely shop with them again!

I should start by saying that I purchased these books after seeing the superb show Game of Thrones (named from book one) on TV. This is not normally something I would recommend, because personally think it's better to read the source material first. That said, I was exceptionally glad I took the plunge to buy the books, because it is one of the most thematically rich, rewarding, exhilarating and impossible to put down series in the "fantasy" genre.I should say that for those of you who are coming to A Song of Ice and Fire having seen the TV show, it makes the show look even more impressive, and yet there is a lot of additional material present in the book that makes it hugely rewarding. The writing style is wonderful. Descriptive but fluid, it has a rawness to it that makes you love and loath characters in equal measure. The style of writing has an adult feel to it, both in the graphic nature of violence and the sexual relationships of the characters. The scale of the book is huge, with most locations set within the vast continent of Westeros, which feels as big if not bigger than Tolkien's Middle Earth.Criticisms, there aren't many. I found at the outset there are a lot of names and this can make it seem a little bewildering at first. It doesn't take long for that to pass though. The main "criticism", comes in the form of the more sexual side to the books. Within the first 100 pages of the first book Game of Thrones you encounter incest, and the marriage/sexual act of one of the main characters, Daenerys Targaryen, who is 13, with her husband. In the TV show, they have made the characters older to overcome the obvious issues, however this may make some readers uncomfortable. I should note that rarely is this stuff described very graphically or for prolonged periods of prose, and thus only makes up a tiny proportion of the overall story. That said, I, like any sane person am not condoning this, I am just trying to present it as portrayed within the books. A final note, although not strictly a criticism, Martin has not finished the whole body of work yet, so by the end of the seven volumes you will need to wait longer for the conclusion to the story.Overall, I cannot recommend this highly enough. The quality of the writing is superb, the story is as complex as it is engrossing and George Martin cannot be praised enough for this stunning (but unfinished) body of work. As discussed, there are recurring aspects that some readers may find distasteful. Getting all seven volumes at once is certainly the best value for money, and when you get to the end of one book, you will be glad the next one is there waiting for you. For fans of the TV show, reading the source material from which it is derived will give you added appreciation for what they achieved for the show (albeit some details are different), and an appreciation for the vast and complex web of characters and stunning locations George Martin has constructed.

Absolutely perfect condition. I ended up purchasing a pre-owned, like new, full box set well expecting the new paperback prints. I ended up getting the original 2012 beautifully colourful paperback prints! A most pleasant surprise and a perfect addition to my full collection.

Got for daughter and she loves them