Over the course of two years, I finished A Song of Ice and Fire the five book series by George R. R. Martin, finishing the fifth book A Dance with Dragons during Thanksgiving break. I loved every minute of the series. 

A Game of Thrones:

The story opens in Westeros, a land where summers and winters can last years and the dead are walking again beyond the Wall, a structure built to keep them out some thousand years before. You meet a few of the key players in the game and are taken on the start of their journeys.

A Clash of Kings:

The war of the five kings begins as the wannabe kings try to gain control of the seven kingdoms. Up North and to the East, the characters try to find their place in the world.  

A Storm of Swords:

While one of the kings does not make it through A Clash, the remaining four kings still try to win the Iron Throne. These books focus on the making and breaking of alliances and the consequences that come from war.   

A Feast for Crows:

After the events of the third book, the fourth book covers the events near the capital city, the south and the islands to the west. You meet new characters who are going to change the game so to speak in the coming books.     

A Dance with Dragons:

This book takes place at the same time as A Feast including the characters in the North and to the East. I enjoyed learning about the various cultures in the East and currently am on the edge of my seat for the next book.

What I love about these books is how they break the typical fantasy cliches and turn tropes on their heads. Typically, there are the good guys and then the bad guys and there is no middle ground between the two of them. In A Song of Ice and Fire, most if not all the characters are morally grey and even the “good guys” have to make choices that could be considered morally grey.

As you are reading, you even learn to like the characters who are horrible people not because they are good people, but because they are interesting. All of the point of view characters have unique and interesting chapters and the non point of view characters are also fascinating to read about.

I recommend this series to fantasy lovers, people who love character driven stories and anyone who needs a good series to read over the break.