Nothing screams best author in my opinion, it's just a very good story told very well. First book got me hooked already but what made it better later is the insight you get in the characters and society of Westeros and beyond, through the happenings that are told through lots of different persons from different backgrounds. Tolkien isn't the best fantasy author either, he just went deep in his settings history (besides being the originator of the genre) and that what lots of people love... same with the Game of thrones series really, although this is easier to read hence why some find it the best.
I put off reading A dance with dragons to avoid the inevitable frustration of having to wait on the next one. So I reread the series to kill some time and then dove right in. I finished it a couple of days ago and all I have to say is "HOLY SHIT!" For those of you that got bored during A feast for crows-- push through! Reading a bunch of chapters about your least favorite characters makes it so much more rewarding when you get to #5! When I was reading a feast for crows for the first time, I hated how he split the books but once I got to a dance with dragons, I wouldn't of had it any other way. I won't give any spoilers about #5 but let me say that the first 4 books are truly books of summer. comparing them to #5 is like comparing one of renly's dainty southern knights to a knight of the north. its like night and day. there's no need to say the words of House Stark anymore; for winter has come.:freezing:
I still wait with reading the last book because of the inevitable frustration I already met when I finished the first 4 books and had to wait for 5. Now I would have to wait again for the next book so I rather wait longer until it's all complete and read the whole shit again I'm looking forward to watching season 3 next month :cheers2:
I bought the latest book and then set it on a shelf. I'm going to wait until he's finished at least one more or maybe two. I get so invested in the characters that it's hard for me to have these big spaces in between. I mean I've actually cried and mourned when characters I liked died. And I miss people when I don't get more info about my favorites that are still alive. I'm sounding kind of crazy now.
Well, this is the same for me too. Not only the characters though (and I love how he does not spare the more significant characters) but just the story and setting is so fun I just want to read the story until the end! So I have decided for myself that I will only be disappointed that I have to stop reading when it is completed and not after every book Happily there will be only 7 books as I understand it :2thumbsup:
I love A Song of Ice and Fire. I've read all the books up to A Dance With Dragons... and I'm halfway through that. I'd recommend it to anyone
I'm almost up to the end of Dance With Dragons, this series has been so awesome I will definitely read it again (I will have to , seeing how long it's taking George R. R. Martin to write the sixth book! I will have forgotten everything...so many Houses and names...
I like the show, A Game of Thrones - but I can't read this series because I find the prose to be really bad. I'm really interested in getting more back story and background info on the world he's created, but his writing isn't nearly as interesting as his world-building.
I had a problem with his writing at the beginning, but you get used to it and the plot takes over -- all you start to care about is the story, it could really be written a lot worse and I'd still read it for the story.