A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones: The Story Continues: A Song of Ice and Fire: Volumes 1-4 (A Game of Thrones / A Clash of Kings / A Storm ... Swords: Blood and Gold / A Feast for Crows) [Box set] [Paperback]

OK, this is a review to clarify a few things. There seem to be a number of reviews for different versions of this boxset grouped together on amazon - this review is based on the newly released (12th July 11) paperback boxset, with the BLUE box case.

I say review, but this is more to confirm a few things. The novels are excellent, you can read dozens of reviews for these individual books on amazon.

Firstly, each book DOES contain maps at the front. The appendix at the back of the books contain details of the families and Houses featured in the story. Both are very handy for reference. Secondly, the print is nice and crisp.

A word of warning : this boxset contains an companion book. Pay attention to the first page which states it contains spoilers - a flick through could quickly reveal something you haven't read yet and didn't want to know, for example the death of characters!

When you consider the individual RRP price of these books this really does represent great value for money, and should appeal to many fans new to the series on the back of HBO's Game Of Thrones. This boxset does not contain the latest novel in the series, this was only released in hardback on the same day of this boxset release.

EDIT - I'd just like to explain that before release, this boxset contained 9-10 reviews for various other editions of the Game of Thrones/A Song of Fire and Ice boxsets, both in print and Kindle editions, with conflicting reviews about the quality of the print, missing maps, missing books from the set etc. This is why I wrote this review to clarify these points mentioned. Post-release, Amazon initially separated off those reviews, however they now all seem to be grouped under this page again. So please be aware that some of the reviews you read here might be for old editions of this boxset - if the review date is *before* 12th July 2011 then it likely refers to a previous boxset release. Hope this makes sense!

The Kindle version does include the maps. Just go to the contents page and select Maps. It also includes all the Appendix.

I came to this series via the four-book Kindle package and read all four books back-to-back over a few weeks.

On the Kindle format:
It seems as though the publishers have no concept of proof reading and quality control. One in ten pages contains typos and formatting errors that often cause the reader to pause in a "What... wait?" manner until you work out the error and can read on.

On the books themselves:
The first three books are a great read. Gripping, thrilling, intriguing. The theme, itself, is epic. The character development is detailed and three-dimensional in a way that is often lacking in too many books. The author's ability to garner sympathy for despised characters and induce annoyance with loved characters is to be commended. The world the author has so lovingly described feels real, populated by real characters.

The fourth book, A Feast For Crows, is where this series loses its way. This book is in dire need of a strong editor possessing ferocious ability with a red pen. I found myself skipping over yet another tedious description of the attire of a minor, unimportant character, or yet another description of muddied fields, grey rocks and rotting corpses in the desperate hope of getting to the [plot] point.

Full and considered characters who developed so well over the first three books suddenly become two-dimensional caricatures. The plot, where there is one, is ponderous and the device of turning the end of almost every chapter into a cliffhanger wears decidedly thin. Like much good American TV drama that runs for too many seasons, it turns into a soap opera where you just think, "Oh come on!" I kept reading in the hope that something of substance would happen, only to be mostly disappointed.

I finished the fourth book a few weeks after the release of the fifth book, A Dance With Dragons. Having now read the reviews of the fifth book, it seems that neither the author nor his editors have learned anything from the mistakes of A Feast For Crows. I am disinclined to buy A Dance With Dragons or any further books in this series.

I give the first three books four stars each. They are definitely worth reading if you are able to let go there. I give the fourth book two stars. I give the Kindle bundle 2 stars for all of the errors.

The author, and his editors, could learn from Neal Stephenson's The System of the World books: a weighty trilogy that never loses pace, each book a magnificent piece of tight, well-paced writing in it's own right. Now *that's* how you write a good series!