"Publishers Weekly" gave favorable reviews to the first three "A Song of Ice and Fire" novels at their points of release, saying that "A Game of Thrones" had "superbly developed characters, accomplished prose and sheer bloody-mindedness", that "A Clash of Kings" was "notable particularly for the lived-in quality of [their fictional world and] for the comparatively modest role of magic", and that "A Storm of Swords" was one "of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy".