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So I was perusing my list of books to possibly read, and I came upon this one. Should I read it, or would I be wasting my time? Could you explain why you liked/disliked it? Please, no spoilers.

Yes, read it. I did it in audio and that made for a better flow (ha, it always does!). I definitely recommend audio if the size of the book is putting you off. My local library had it in this format. The narrator is excellent.

I enjoy how the story is told from many different characters' points of view, both good guys and bad. All of the story lines spiral and sometimes intertwine with each other. I didn't love books 4 or 5, but I would read the series just to experience book 3!! Wow! Even after 5 books, I don't really know where the author is going with the story, but I will surely stick around to find out.

I hope you like it!

Yes, yes, yes, READ THIS BOOK!

I was hesitant too when I first came across the book; epic fantasy is not really a genre I read (for some reason it just didn't connect with me). What first drew me into reading it was it's prose style -- it's written in a very clear and direct way. Sometimes fantasy can get a little too fanciful, but not in this case. George R.R. Martin is like Bob Ross -- he's a writer that is able to create a complete picture in your mind with the simplest of words.

Another great thing about the books is that, with the way the chapters are structured, you are able to learn about pretty much every major character and see this world through their eyes. You see that the "good" guys are probably too much so for their own good, that the "villains" are not bad just for the sake of it, and that even the characters you root against you end up rooting for.

It's a big, twisty world with complicated people and DRAGONS!

I've read all five GOT books, and think I recommend reading it. PROS: I liked the first book enough to continue reading the second and third; the characters are interesting and I was curious to see what happened to/with them, although I was more interested in some story lines than in others. CONS: I was not happy with books 4 and 5 (which essentially split the storylines between them); it's a dark, depressing read in the end.

If you've watched the show don't read it. I tried myself and i was tainted by watching the show first, the writing is good but they condense it so much in the show reading was like watching paint dry. I kept saying "ok get to >insert part< already"

I agree. It would be hard to read this if you already watched the series or parts of it.

If you haven't, definitely start reading. I remember thinking at page 50, it finally became addictive. I had to push myself to get to that point and from then on it was a great read. What everyone said above it true. The rotating perspectives of the way the chapters are organized make it a faster read. You don't stay in one place for long. You travel here with this character, then see the world from a different perspective in the next chapter.

BUT what everyone left out is Tyrion. I kept reading to catch a glimpse of him. When the story focused on him, life was grand. When there was less, I knew eventually he would come back to center stage and he is fantastic.

Thank you all. These are quite helpful. :)

The series is great...the downside is that once you get done all the books, the next book isn't written yet, and the author seems in no hurry.

I definitely think you should read it, but it is a long read, and it took me quite a while to read it. It's awesome though. :D

Amanda wrote: "So I was perusing my list of books to possibly read, and I came upon this one. Should I read it, or would I be wasting my time? Could you explain why you liked/disliked it? Please, no spoilers."

yes yes yes you just have to if your into books like this its just amazing to read

This was one of the best series I've ever read. I studied English history in college and found Martin's use of the War of the Roses as a plotline brilliant. I enjoyed the fact that he showed each character's perspective so the reader is never left guessing why characters do what they do. The quality of the writing is outstanding. I highly recommend these books.

I'd say it's worth the read.
I read this book after watching the first three seasons and still enjoyed it very much.

I noticed some people who were impatient and had already seen the show would become bored with the book as they waited for major plot points to happen. If you're willing to read it and just enjoy the ride, you'll like it.

Just about every fight or battle from the show is ten times cooler in the book and there are tons of parts that were clipped from the show that will add depth and history to all the characters and make it easier to understand the show.

I loved it and I hated it.
The world building is astonishing and overwhelming. The character development has no equal. You become immersed into the the world.
The bad..... Martin plays with your emotions. He builds characters in such a way as to make you fall in love with them, champion for them, and probably more often hate/despise characters. Once you develop an emotional bound (good or bad) Mr. Martin will pull the carpet out from underneath your feet and leave you scrambling to attach your emotions to other characters. If you can handle the emotional roller coaster this is a must read. If you like knowing who wins and who loses by page 50 or even who the true protagonist is then forget about.
This series is all over the place and to me that is its downfall. By being unpredictable Martin is predictable in that you are certain to be pissed off by the end of the current book in the series that you are reading.

Here's what you can look forward to:

1. Extensive world building. There's a lot of history and characters to get a handle on, but Martin builds up quite an extensive world.

2. Multiple points of view. Martin likes to cover events through a variety of perspectives, often from relatively minor characters.

3. Characters you love will die. Although Martin does get a little predictable (in later books), the deaths should come as a surprise in the first book.

4. A dark and gritty world. Martin's fantasy has a very different view of human nature to someone like Tolkien. The people here are hard-hearted, bad things happen frequently, and decent people are few and far between.

5. The prose isn't overly flowery. It should be a fairly easy read (linguistically).

It is definitely worth reading.

Yes. Epic story, mountains of well drawn, complicated characters, myths, dragons and - DireWolves! Who could ask for anything more?