Yes. And it was good. I like the world he's created, and the whole multiple viewpoints gimmick, even if some of the female ones are awful. The female characters in general are kinda terrible.
spoiler (click to show/hide)
At least Daernys finds redemption at the end.
GRRM is ballsy with his willingness to kill off characters, but I've heard this comes back to bite him later on. Guess I'll see. I can definitely understand why people are ready to end themselves if the next book never comes out, as I imagine he ends each installment much like he ended the first.
I'm really looking forward to the show. Just the few clips I've seen definitely influenced my reading, as I imagine Eddard Stark as Sean Bean the entire time -- which was great.