This was a great book. Martin did a really good job making me love and/or hate the characters. The story is fantastic and I can't wait to continue this series.I only had 2 issues that kept me from giving this 5 stars. First, there are a ton of characters. Keeping track of who's who in the earlier parts of the story was very confusing. This wasn't helped by occasionally calling someone by their first name and other times by their last name. Second, I don't think the storyline concerning the Night Watch really fit in. I was so engrossed with the other stories that I grumbled every time I was pulled back up to the Wall. I'm sure this will play a larger role in the books to come, so I can live with it for now.