Martin is a great pen and you never know what he has in store for his charachters which makes him unpredictable which is a great quality to have as a writer in a genre which is often dominated by certain formulas.
I find his series however bit too graphic when it comes to cruelty and it's hard to feel empathy with some of the main charachters (they aren't "likable" enough or at all and one tends not to care too much about charachters that you don't invest in emotionally). I think maybe readers who like complex epic fantasy stories and are not looking for the good vrs. evul type of storyline that is served with a satisfying ending ,will like Martin's style.
