I think this was my 3rd time reading this, and it is a fantastic opener to the world of Westeros, where black and white do not seem to exist, where everyone has their own agenda, and where no character is safe from bad shit happening to them.

I haven't read any other fantasy where intrigue and politics are used so skillfully. It is not without its faults, as the perspective changes are often grating, and you are forced to slog through slower sections, when all you want to know about how your favorite character is faring instead.

This time round it struck me how mature a read this is, with all the raping and pillaging and such that is going on. Also not a book series if you mind character deaths. Me, I am all looking forward to continuing to re-read this series, in anticipation for the sequel that I have been waiting for for six years now.