Recommendations?

[Rawled Demha]

hey guys. i'd never heard of mr martin here, not before i came to this site. its been niggling at me, especially since loadsa people seem to love him, and i like to call myself a fantasy freak. pride demands i read him.

i was wondering if anyone could recommend a title to start from, preferably a well known one - cos i assume that i never heard of him because i never saw (or noticed) his works in my local bookshops or libraries.

[Overread]

Well the best to start from would be his A song of Ice and Fire series - currently his most popular works. It starts with A Game of Thrones and a brief understanding would be to say that it follows numerous characters over that lands in a medivel fantasy setting, where the attention to detail and accuracy is highly evident, and yet there is also the precence of long forgotten, and not so forgotten magics.

[GOLLUM]

You could also try another tact and try some of his standalone works. Of these I can recommend fevre Dream, a story about a group of Vampires on the Mississippi river. It's an excellent book, highlighting Martin's ability as a writer who is very capable in any Genre. Sandkings is another worth checking out as is Armageddon Rag.

[Boaz]

If you like big, sweeping, multi-character epics, then you'll love...

Sorry, it's a running joke and I don't wanna end up with Aeg on my case.

[C Of K]

I started reading His A Song of Ice and Fire, and I haven't been disappointed yet. A Game of Thrones was downright scary how good it was. *wishes that he'd never read it, so that he might go back and read it for the first time*

[The Curious Orange]

Game of Thrones, definitely the place to start.

[Florian the Fool]

I think this is the place for the traditional warning to ASOIF newbies - It isn't finished yet! We are four volumes in, the fifth is currently expected in the UK sometime next spring (although this is speculation and no definite announcement has yet been made) and we are currently expecting two more volumes after that to make a total of seven.

For many people this is not a problem. There is, after all, plenty more to read while you are waiting. But some people (a good friend of mine among them) do not want to embark on such a long voyage (and there's a lot of reading in ASOIF) without the reassurance that they will get to the end. They find the irresolution and lack of closure frustrating. If you count yourself amongst their number, then probably best stick to the standalone novels like Fevre Dream and The Armageddon Rag, or possibly the compilation of shorter works, Dreamsongs.

I hope you'll jump in right away, and soon you'll be at the end of volume four and begging for scraps from GRRM's table like the rest of us.

Oh, and stay away from this forum until you're up to speed. Here be spoilers!

[Rawled Demha]

thanx guys, ill hunt down as many of these titles as i can find. i like the sound of game of thrones, i might just dive in at the deep end.

[Slyde]

I used to be an avid reader, but once I got my first computer (1982) I no longer had time to read books. Then, one day at work, I noticed a co-worker reading A Feast for Crows on her lunch break. I asked her about it and she described the series, loaned me A Game of Thrones, and I've been hooked ever since. These are the first novels I've read in over 25 years, and it has renewed my interest in reading. I bought Fevre Dream, but I'm saving it for when I finish AFFC. GRRM is a fantastic writer !!!

[TK-421]

Praise it, brother! Convert to GRRM and ye shall be saved!!!

[Boaz]

RD and all you others who are new to GRRM please heed Florian's warning! We love you here and want to discuss ASOIAF with you, but there are so many spoilers here that you should avoid us until you have caught up to GRRM's publishing.