This brilliant series starts with A Game of Thrones. What can I say about this series other then read it! It's well-regarded as the best fantasy series.Song of Ice and Fire Comments
Martin writes with flair, deftly weaving multiple storylines in a gritty, even brutal, world that consists entirely of grey characters instead of the classic black and white. It's a vast chess game spanning continents, and the pieces are lords, bastards, knights, wizards, ladies, and children. What really stands out in this series is Martin's penchant for axing the major characters. That's right. No character is safe from the author's noose. Despite the demise of major characters, the plot lines continue stronger than ever. Tired of protagonists walking through fire without a scratch, falling hundreds of feet without a bruise, and defeating superhuman creatures with the same amount of effort that one puts into scratching an arm? Then this series is your fix. The sheer unpredictability of the series renders a delectable experience. Dare you to predict the winners and losers? If you haven't read the series yet, read it! Chances are, you're going to be calling in sick the next day. It's that good.
Feel free to rate Song of Ice and Fire on the Community Book Review section of the site.
I had reserved my comment till I read all the other series in Top 25... and now I am shocked to see the comments here. Yes Martin has squandered a bit with the last two but that is by his own standards. He is still ahead of others by miles. What do you haters want, a Twilight like plot where one girl is the center of all powers as well as boys' attractions and the whole world centered on her 
Maybe like Jordan, etc where the whole world final hinges on one person?
I like fantasy but that doesn't give a writer Right to Serve me the story of cockroaches. No other writer has as much depth, as much scope, as much complexity (in human emotions including romance) and as much logic in his/her writing as Martin... Yes not even Tolkein... So all other haters please pick Twilight cause that is the only thing you self centered people will understand and enjoy(I don't know how)...
Thanks for your review, kundan. I totally agree with you that Martin is way ahead of other authors in this series AND he is a great writer. One of my biggest problems reading in any genre is if the writer lacks writing skills: grammar, etc. If I start a book and the author writes at a grade school level, I won't waste my precious reading time 
I also do not understand readers' complaints of violence, sex, etc. in this series? Really? It's a fantasy series! The reader has been warned via product description or other readers' reviews beforehand.
Do you have any recommendations for other books even close to the calibur of Martin? I'm in the middle of the 5th book and I have been rationing it out to myself---I don't want it to end!
Thanks.
Kundan, sound like you wrote that in anger - so perhaps not you at your best, but I do agree with most of what you said. It's clear that GRRM can write very well, his characterization has depth and intricacy - so those comments that start with a broad brush stroke of 'his books are rubbish...' are simply idiotic, and to be ignored. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the 1st three. I'm a discerning reader for whom most fantasy is too poorly written for me to enjoy - so GRRM felt like Xmas come early.
However, I feel his plotting has become seriously flawed, and he's pursuing his own obsession with character exploration (the biggest frustration from his scripting) at the expense of story - to such a degree that I disliked the 4the book, and having read the reviews of the fifth (similarly poor, but £12 cost) - I've decided to stop there. To me he has literally 'lost the plot'.
P.S. I moved onto the the Malazan series, and am enjoying it - not quite as good as GRRM at his best, but far more consistent, and the fact that it is a complete series of 10 well-reviewed books is a HUGE selling point to me after the GRRM disappointment.
P.P.S @snadi - there is one author within fantasy that I rate above all others - deeper and darker characterization that GRRM - but perhaps a difficult read for many, so hence rarely appears high on these 'populist' lists - check out the first two Chronicles of Thomas Covenant. (He also loses plot from the 7th book on - but that's two complete chronicles, and 4 books better than you know who...) ;-)
I really couldn't get into this series at all. I read about 1/4 of the first book and then I just couldn't take it anymore. I want fantasy novels with adventure and excitement; this played out more like an R-rated episode of Days of Our Lives. I know some people find endless political manouvering exciting, but I got nearly 300 pages into this waiting for something, anything to happen besides pointless talking before just giving up.
P.S. Yes I get annoyed at people who review books they haven't finished reading yet too, so I admit its entirely possible that it starts out slow before getting interesting, but the way that it was going I wasn't holding out a great deal of hope. I'm just glad I borrowed someone else's copy and didn't waste any money on this.
I finished the fifth book today, which is the last to be published. So I'd like to put your mind at ease and say that it doesn't just start out slow. "NOTHING IS HAPPENING" really would've been a fitting topic for a review of this book series.
After I completed the third book I thought I had to continue reading, if for no other reason than to justify the fact that I wasted time on the others. Alas, it continued being just as boring. Which if nothing else, is accomplished by the fact that he continues to kill every likeable character in the story. To top it off his language is poor and mostly used to make disgusting descriptions of sexual relations between sibblings and dwarves.
I noticed that the author to this recommendation compared him to Patrick Rothfuss and Steven Erikson. Which is about as far a stretch as comparing his books with Tolkien's.
Just ignore the #1 tip and go straight for Rothfuss and Erikson.
I can't believe this even made the list. And the fact that it's in the first place is a shame of its own. Shows how sprinkling some sex into story line and killing of people for no better reason than because can make people go "wow." This trash has no deeper meaning or any literary innovation whatsoever. What's next, Wizard's First? Give me a break. If I offended anyone, I meant to, so that that...
I feel that if 'Georgie porgie' could have maintained the quality of the first three books that the notion of placing him as No. 1 would have merit. I'd disagree, but understand. However the fact is that for myself and most readers his series degenerates into an awful mess thereafter - I could not believe how poor book 4 was - is this the same author!?
A series comprising an initial three excellent books followed by two poor ones cannot possibly make a claim to being number one... sorry guys, poor choice.
i vote for Joe Abercrombie to be number one, seriously, this guy is a genius. Just read the Heroes, he is the figurehead for the next generation of fantasy. GRRM was his flawed and brilliant mentor... in a way... since a game of thrones was one of his biggest inspirations.
On the otherhand, everybody knows in terms of relevance to the fantasy genre LOTR comes top, maybe not in terms of enjoyment now a days, but beacuse 95% of fantasy books wouldn't exist without it.
And of anotherhand, george r r martin is still alive and kicking. The main difficulty of AFFC and ADWD was the splitting of the story in two. Now everything is back together we might find that in the Winds of Winter we might have a glorious convergence of all the story lies. Lets be honest, the guy is still an incredible writer, his last two books just lacked direction. Westeros is a charged bomb with all the story lines poised to converge.
The reasons for which people don't like this series are hilarious.. They killed off your favorite character?? boohoo! I find it much more interesting when you have no clue who will die. People die all the time... this is not some children's books. I also think that George did a great job because most other series are so generic and follow the good vs. evil plot and that is it. I bet most of you are just upset that your favorite series didn't make number one. Pathetic...
thank you tyrion...you have said it best...stop crying ya'll, jesus....
so it feels like many different stories together, no shit, thats what LIFE is....its not intriguing that neds daughter is apprenticing with one of the known worlds ELITE assassin monastery's, or that cersei dug her own grave(finally) by allowing the sept to reintro its military arm
jamies sudden development of a conscious as he realizes his own fam are treacherous lying bastards....doran martell reveals that his daughter, all along was bethrothed to the Dragon(only viserys was a lil bitch), the realization that those main characters(the starks) are STILL the ones set to be in control despite everything --jon snow lord commander, sansa set to inherit EVERYTHING north and east of kings landing, arya becoming an elite assassin oh and BY THE WAY the realization that its probably ONLY THE DRAGONS that are going to save everyone from the others...wow...you people have little imagination and no vision....anyone crying these bs reasons doesnt deserve this series
and did i even mention that BRAN AND RICKON are still alive...jesus christ you people all want everything so neat and tidy...these are the same people that wont watch dexter because its just so weird, but oh, desperate housewives is on this weekend, lets watch it along with real housewives...you all make me sick
No, I don't like the series because A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons were terrible, and GRRM doesn't have any desire to finish the series any time soon.
I am actually not very impressed with game of thrones, but I'm looking forward to clash of kings. Ed did a good job as well as Tyrion to keep me interested. Cersei and her brother, and of course the rest of the Lannister (life is cruel, as they are). The others were really insulse, insipid. I'm with those who say LOTR comes first. LOTR is the patriarch of epic fantasy.
Honestly, I did no like the series at all. The story is shallow, and there is no big picture to it. There are no real intrigues, and after the author killed most of the characters that i thought where important in the beginning, I found that i didn't care if all the other characters live or die. There are so many of them, that the book seems disjointed, like many separate stories jammed together.
It is like a boring description of events. It doesn't pull you in and make you live the story. The big reason why this story is popular is because of all the swearing and sex that is going on. Otherwise it is not worth reading.
see above comment.....jeeez
I really really liked George R R Martin's first 2-3 books.. then he obviously lost interest in the series.. probably because he has enough money to sit around doing nothing but eating cheetos and watching NFL now.
He went from one of the top on my personal list to the worst author ever whom I despise entirely.
MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN #1
I agree Warleader
A Song of Ice and Fire is fine, but I still stick to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Anyway, I am so fond of Cersei - she is awesome, and I loved her romance with her brother/lover.
you are such a fag if you like a chick who is involved in incest with her brother and is basically the evilest piece of sh!t in the book
First let me start out with saying that i am a still a novice in the world of fantasy literature.
I have read comparable little (though i have acquired comparable much and am in the process of devouring these epic tales,one after the other).
Still since a lot of people read this webpage who have just as little knowledge of fantasy literature as myself read these pages as well i thought i would it not be to presumptuous to write some words here.
I have had the pleasure to have read all of Martins books. Compared to the other fantasy books i read so far (lord of the rings, legend of Drizzt etc etc) i must say that the world of Martins stand out as whole original and intensely rewarding in both its originality and its scoop and depth. I love its dark humour,its morally ambiguous characters and its wicked plot twist.
Hence if do think everone should read this series. Is it better the lord of the rings,in some aspects yes on others no. I am not really one for lists so i will not try to compare the two (its like comparing the goldman variations by Bach to s/m concerts by Metallica...both genius but incomparable). I would have to give far warning though,Martin does slacks of (especially a feast for crows lacked in quality). Hence i am to inexperianced to give my final verdict on this sage yet. Since i am currently reading Malazan book of the fallen i must admit that i am less sure of giving divine acolytes to the song of fire and ice series.
Hence my question,should the series be continued by a writer who has more passion and creativity to expand the world of Westeros (i would recommend a partnership together with Martins) or should we stop pestering Martins and acknowledge only he deserves to finish his epic tale.
I wonder what author will be hired to finish the series. It sure won't be George.
George should let the TV series conclude the story: he's an old man, too old to write thousands of pages on something he obviously has stopped caring about.
I guess a Song with ice and fire is no. 1 on the strength of the first three, which together are, imo, the best fantasy ever written but the next two..... Ugh. It must be upsetting for Martin to read reviews of his work. It's cringeworthy for the community who care about Martin but mostly its upsetting to hear the once amazing Song of ice and fire squander its potential and go completely out of tune.
HELLO!!! what about HARRY POTTER! that series is by far the best Fantasy books of ALL time!!!!! 
You're joking, right?