I am continuing my reread of A Song of Ice and Fire in conjunction with the airing of the first season of HBO's Game of Thrones adaptation, and in anticipation of the publishing of A Dance With Dragons.

In the second book of the series, magic begins leaking in around the edges of the narrative, but the prose maintains the gritty realism and character-driven action that make this series great. This time around, I'm enjoying all of the point-of-view characters (including the newly-added POVs of Theon and Davos). I loved Theon's introduction to Asha as well as Tyrion's role leading up to the Battle of the Blackwater. And I'm having fun speculating how they'll cast Melisandre and Asha on HBO next year.

Even if this series is never completed, it's a damn fine creation.