GRRM has definitely become my favorite fiction writer. I cannot wait to read the entire 'Song of Ice and fire series'. CoK lives up to its first book and in some terms even more. More new characters are introduced, more are killed GRRM style. The thing that amazes me is the way I can remember every character's story. But I guess that's what good writers do. If you already finished GoT, there is no reason to wait or doubt this series. Go for it, highly recommend it.

Roy Dotrice performance is accurate every time and very engaging. The narrator is one of the reasons I keep coming back to this series.

This was a tough one for me, in spite of the valiant efforts of Roy Dotrice. After the excitement and intensity of the first book, I figured there was enough momentum to propel the entire series - but this one took a very different direction. Game of Thrones was a very unpredictable, genre-bending fantasy/noire that threw in every curveball it could, then Martin decided it would be fun to watch everybody in Westeros slow wayyyy down and play a game of Settlers of Catan. You would think 7+ major parties vying for the throne would be exciting to watch. . . but I assure you no. Let's see - Tyrion traded 6 armor and 2 sheep for wildfire. Theon rolled the dice, then traded 3 iron for 1 rusty crown. This really is how the book plays out - except that it adds about 100 new characters, only 3 of which maybe matter. It's also hard to analyze just 1 book in the series, as I understand that we're building toward something - maybe in the bigger picture of the series it's not as big a deal... but slogging through these 1,000+ pages (37 hours) felt like pushing a safe across a sandbar, so my answer as to whether I will continue the series will have to be "Eventually."

fantastic

Couldnt stop listening to it. Found myself doing alot of odd jobs around the house. Just so I could listen to the story.

Not quite as interesting as book 1 but I still could not put it down. Looking forward to book 3.

A perfectly pitched gravelly piano of tones. Like Tom Waits meets Santa Claus meets Richard Burton

I'm tiring a bit of the material. RR Martin is on a high level but sometimes too one note. Spread these books out for maximum enjoyment!

This is definitely an epic story, lots of action, lots of characters, plenty of surprises. Sometimes I find myself wishing for a bit of lightness as it is a very dark story. I also would prefer the author had left out some of the R-rated parts so I could recommend it to my teenage son. But here I am downloading the next book in the series just to find out what happens. I guess that ultimately is the mark of a good book, it makes you want to read more. Kind of like potato chips - not particularly good for you or even satisfying but still fun.

martin-- no, no Dotrice --yes. he is good

re-reading books 2-3 of Millineum Trilogy-- just saw movie

Not as far as writer---he has no clue how to finish series

It is difficult to choose just one character of this series as a favorite. I like Arya's youthful courage, Bran's developing awareness of his abilities, and Jon Snow's heroism. Oh, Daenerys is a great, strong, female courage. Oh, and Tyrion!!! Great combination of morality and pragmatism. So, there you go, can't just choose one.

Hmmm.... All Mr. Dotrice's male characterizations are fabulous. I am going to say Tyrion is my favorite followed by Jon Snow and Varys.

You may want to listen to this all in one sitting but it would be difficult and I would recommend against it.

I wonder if the children will ever achieve adulthood in this series.

I had experienced some ups and downs throughout this read, i sticked by patiently, and was highly rewarded for it.
The prize offered includes, great fiction, an enchanting tale very well built, intrigues, thrills, action, complex characters and thought provoking ideas.

but i have to agree, that good editing would have done the series (and this book in particular), much good.

I do not have the time to read the print version. The audio version is a great way to make my commute seem shorter!

The book has so many characters, and Dotrice uses his voice to differentiate and that helps with tracking the different characters and stories.

Yes, but I don't have that many hours available at one time!

This is a great story told by a great story teller!