Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I don't know how many times I stopped reading this book over the last few years. I would stop reading because the characters were not engaging, it was absolutely disgusting, or because I was just plain bored. But I kept hearing how good the book was so I would pick it back up and try again, thinking maybe I didn't get to the good part. Eventually, some of the characters did become likeable. But it seemed like it took about a hundred pages to even cycle back to the first POV (point of veiw) character, and over two hundred till I knew them enough to care at all. But the story never really soars. Its only grace is its unpredictability, but there wasn't really anything good or memorable. GRRM is an excellent writer in some ways. Though his storytelling is run of the mill, his characters are deep and believable, and his world creation is good. But I had a number of difficulties liking the story. He starts with too many POV's all at once. He could have introduced them better, since they're mostly together in the beginning. It would have worked better if he stuck with one POV for a good three chapters or so, until we got to know the rest of the Stark family, then he could use their POV's without confusion. Also, I found many of the characters too unlikeable to bear reading about them, though they do become more sympathetic as the story goes on. GRRM is excellent with realism, but he decided that realism is obtained by replacing all magic with incest, orgies, porn, and the like. Of course that's more realistic because those things actually exist, but that doesn't make it adult fantasy. I see the adult part, but where it the fantasy? Where's the magic or the sense of wonder? There is some, but not much. And the little magic that exists is beyond cliche -- brief use of dragons and flaming swords. And honestly the few magic elements were the most predictable part of the entire plot. In some ways it's closer to soap opera than fantasy, and it really reads more like a historic fiction set on another world than anything else. I suppose that's why some people like it, it really isn't fantasy but a different genre altogether, or at least another sub-genre. The story really isn't all that great. It's mostly a political intrigue story, but it takes forever to really get anywhere. There was nothing memorable in the entire plot. The characters were the high point, once they got going. They behaved realistically, rarely did the expected, and every action was well motivated. He made good use of primal responses (fear, jealousy, lust, etc.) as motivation. That's just one man's opinion. No story is for everyone, no matter how great it is in the eyes of others. I prefer Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Ursula K Le Guin, David Farland, or maybe Goodkind (though he chafes me a little), or Modesitt, or Sanderson. But GRRM is okay if you can stomach it.