Whoo! I love George R R Martin. Well, too much sex, really, but otherwise it's a great series. Except I always skip the bits with Dany, as I can't stand her. Most of the other characters are great, but I get in arguments with people because I refuse to like the Lannisters because they're evil. Even the midget. And I think Sasha got what was coming to her. Martin's one of the best there is right now... have you read Tad William's Otherland? If not, you should.
Yes, he's the best I've come across in awhile, not everyone can write books that make me stay up too late.
I like Jon, Bran and Arya alot. I do have sympathy for the Imp and even Jaime, as Martin wrote some decent qualities in them along with their evil ones. Don't know how they'll come out of it though. Bran's the closest to being "pure." Getting kind of tired of Dany lately, though.
I'll try Otherland,am always looking for new authors to feed my reading habit.