So...I am usually not all that interested in "fantasy" or sci-fi novels, but I stared this series this last month. I am on the fourth book which means I am like 3,000 pages into this series in under a month. I cannot stop reading, and I sort of want to! I am not even going to summarize on my own because the story is vast and intricate. Here is a summary from Wikipedia (dubious information at times, but this is accurate)
The story of A Song of Ice and Fire takes place in a fictional world, primarily upon a continent called Westeros but also on a large landmass to the east, known as Essos.[5] Most of the characters are human but as the series progresses other races are introduced, such as the cold and menacing Others from the far North and fire-breathing dragons from the East, both races thought to be extinct by the people of the story. There are three principal storylines in the series: the chronicling of a dynastic civil war for control of Westeros among several competing families; the rising threat of the Others, who dwell beyond an immense wall of ice that forms Westeros' northern border; and the ambition of Daenerys Targaryen, the exiled daughter of a king who was murdered in another civil war 15 years previously, to return to Westeros and claim her rightful throne. As the series progresses, all three storylines become increasingly interwoven and dependent on each other.
The story is told in chapters that jump back and forth from different characters point of view. It is an interesting way to tell the story because as you get excited about one characters story line the author moves to another. I have found myself skipping ahead to find out about someones situation more than once.
Anyway, I have strep throat right now and am hoping to finish the fourth book as I recover, which may be the only upside of strep throat :)
