PRAISE FOR

A GAME OF THRONES

“Reminiscent of T. H. White’s The Once and Future King, this novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweeping historical, and the intensely personal.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers. A Game of Thrones grabs hold and won’t let go. It’s brilliant.”

—Robert Jordan

“Such a splendid tale and such a fantistorical! I read my eyes out.”

—Anne McCaffrey

“Martin makes a triumphant return to high fantasy … [his] trophy case is already stuffed with major prizes, including Hugos, Nebulas, Locus Awards and a Bram Stoker. He’s probably going to have to add another shelf, at least.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A vast, rich saga, with splendid characters and an intricate plot flawlessly articulated against a backdrop of real depth and texture.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“The keen and complex human characters and the convincing force of their surroundings operate as magic … setting George R. R. Martin’s first fantasy epic well above the norms of the genre.”

—Locus Magazine

“It is perhaps the best of the epic fantasies—readable and realistic.”

—Marion Zimmer Bradley

“The major fantasy of the decade … compulsively readable.”

—The Denver Post

“George R. R. Martin is one of our very best science fiction writers, and this is one of his very best books.”

—Raymond E. Feist

“We have been invited to a grand feast and pageant: George R. R. Martin has unveiled for us an intensely realized, romantic but realistic world … if the next two volumes are as good as this one, it will be a wonderful feast indeed.”

—Chicago Sun-Times

“I would be very surprised if this is not the major fantasy publishing event of 1996, and I’m already impatient for the next installment.”

— Science Fiction Chronicle .

“A colorful, majestic tapestry of characters, action and plot that deserves a spot on any reader’s wall … the pages seem to pass in a blur as you read.”

—Albuquerque Journal

“George Martin is assuredly a new master craftsman in the guild of heroic fantasy.”

—Katharine Kerr

“ A Game of Thrones offers the rich tapestry that the very best fantasy demands: iron and steel within the silk, grandeur within the wonder, and characters torn between deep love and loyalty. Few created worlds are as imaginative and diverse. George R. R. Martin is to be applauded.”

—Janny Wurts

“A dazzling fantasy adventure … with a great cast of characters that weave a tapestry of court intrigue, skullduggery, vicious betrayal and greathearted sacrifice.”

—Julian May

“Terrific, incredibly powerful, with phenomenal characterizations and exquisite writing.”

—Teresa Medeiros

“The characterization was superb, the story vivid and heartbreaking … when is the next one coming out?”

—Linda Howard

A CLASH OF KINGS

“A truly epic fantasy set in a world bedecked with 8,000 years of history, beset by an imminent winter that will last ten years and bedazzled by swords and spells wielded to devastating effect … here he provides a banquet for fantasy lovers with large appetites.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Martin amply fulfills the first volume’s promise and continues what seems destined to be one of the best fantasy series ever written.”

— The Denver Post

“High fantasy with a vengeance.”

—The San Diego Union-Tribune

“Rivals T. H. White’s The Once and Future King .”

—The Des Moines Register

“So complex, fascinating and well-rendered, readers will almost certainly be hooked by the whole series.”

—The Oregonian

A STORM OF SWORDS

“One of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy … richly imagined.”

—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“George R. R. Martin continues to take epic fantasy to new levels of insight and sophistication, resonant with the turmoils and stress of the world we call our own.”

—Locus Magazine

“Martin creates a gorgeously and intricately textured world, peopled with absolutely believable and fascinating characters.”

—The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

“High fantasy doesn’t get any better than this.”

—The Oregonian

“A riveting continuation of a series whose brilliance continues to dazzle.”

— The Patriot News

“Enough grit and action to please even the most macho … a page-turner.”

—The Dallas Morning News

“The latest and the best in a powerful … cycle that delivers real people and a page-turning plot.”

—Contra Costa Times

“Martin’s epic advances his series with gritty characterizations, bold plot moves and plenty of action.”

—St. Louis Post-Dispatch 7fADVuDRZoeCm13273PvRjTj3D2t80Pw4S8UIvOxc3ckG6U1c/OTBovpefaB5F/N