Selected Book
A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)
- Mass Market Paperback
- Author: George R.R. Martin
- Publisher: Spectra
- Release Date: March 2003
- ISBN-10: 055357342X
- ISBN-13: 9780553573428
- List Price: $7.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryIs George R.R. Martin for real? Can a fantasy epic actually get better with each new installment? Fans of the genre have glumly come to expect go-nowhere sequels from other authors, so we're entitled to pinch ourselves over Martin's tightly crafted Song of Ice and Fire series. The reports are all true: this series is the real deal, and Martin deserves his crown as the rightful king of the epic. A Game of Thrones got things off to a rock-solid start, A Clash of Kings only exceeded expectations, but it's the Storm of Swords hat trick that cements Martin's rep as the most praiseworthy fantasy author to come along since that other R.R. Like the first two books, A Storm of Swords could coast on the fundamentals: deftly detailed characters, convincing voices and dialogue, a robust back-story, and a satisfyingly unpredictable plot. But it's Martin's consistently bold choices that set the series apart. Every character is fair game for the headman's axe (sometimes literally), and not only do the good guys regularly lose out to the bad guys, you're never exactly sure who you should be cheering for in the first place. Storm is full of admirable intricacies. Events that you thought Martin was setting up solidly for the first two books are exposed as complex feints; the field quickly narrows after the Battle of the Blackwater and once again, anything goes. Robb tries desperately to hold the North together, Jon returns from the wildling lands with a torn heart, Bran continues his quest for the three-eyed crow beyond the Wall, Catelyn struggles to save her fragile family, Arya becomes ever more wolflike in her wanderings, Daenerys comes into her own, and Joffrey's cruel rule from King's Landing continues, making even his fellow Lannisters uneasy. Martin tests all the major characters in A Storm of Swords: some fail the trial, while others--like Martin himself--seem to only get stronger. --Paul Hughes |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Excellent series!
Rating: 
This series was recommended to me by a friend and I fell in love with them. They're not always the happiest of books, but that keeps me guessing as Martin seems willing to part with some general fantasy norms. Definitely a good read.
Great Addition to the Series!!
Rating:
"The horrible monster with red glowing eyes made its way towards the heroes, howling in a manner that was quite evil and horrifying!"
That, friends, is an example of what you will NOT find in a George R. R. Martin book (although you probably have a 50% of finding a similar sentence in most any other contemporary fantasy novel). That's because Martin is a genuine writer, a true storyteller who just so happens to love fantasy. If he were to change genres, I have no doubt that he could be heralded as the next John Irving.
Now, if you're reading this review, chances are you're a fan of the genre. If you're like me, though, you've had your fill of dime store heroes and villains, quasi-desperate quests to regain a lost sword/ring/crystal/deep fryer, etc, and you want something more--like, say, an author who actually operates under the assumption that his readers are reasonably smart! Well, at long last, an author with imagination AND the ability to craft a coherent sentence has arrived to revitalize this ailing genre.
In an age where near-illiterate plagiarizers like R.A. Salvatore laugh all the way to the bank, I am heartened by the number of sterling reviews written for THIS book--a true book, in every sense. You've probably read at least a few of these reviews before coming to mine, so I won't waste your time with an additional rehash of plot points (such as Martin's great use of POV). Suffice to say, Martin has a poet's ear for alliteration and rhythm, which gives his prose a smooth, vibrant feel. He also steadfastly avoids the usual deux ex machina tactics so often employed by today's hackneyed fantasy writers, in which a cackling wizard SUDDENLY descends from the clouds on his carpet/chariot/flying frog and SUDDENLY blast the heroes with lightning/fire/tapioca pudding then, while cackling maniacally, SUDDENLY steals the princess and soars off to await the sequel. Nope, none of that.
Instead, Martin gives you complex characters riddled with hopes and insecurities, pride and shame, grief and exaltation. This comes at a price, though. As other reviewers have stated, this is NOT "beach reading", nor is it for the faint of heart. The villains here actually ACT like villains, meaning they do more than just cackle as they stroke their dark crystal balls (no, don't reread that). If you want a quick read in which you can pretend to be the lone, flawless hero fighting an inexplicably evil force, you best look elsewhere. This is a brutal book, the kind of book that--if you let it--will coax you into investing more than just your time, then shake you to the core.
These books are written with what could be called a "tender mercilessness", a kind of raw wisdom that is both entertaining and enlightening. Take, for example, this quote from the character, Tyrion Lannister, who is a dwarf (no, not the subterranean kind) and often the object of ridicule: "Never forget who you are, for surely the world won't. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armor yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you."
Not saying George R. R. Martin is the first author to have one of his characters speak such a sentiment, but you'd be VERY hard-pressed to find a character in any other novel--fantasy or otherwise--who says it more eloquently than that. Eloquence aside, though, we also see a lot of wisdom in Martin's writing. There's wry wit here, too, like this statement from Varys, another complex character: "There is no creature on earth half so terrifying as a truly just man."
There are many more grand quotes in this book (and the others) but I don't want to spoil anything. I'll wrap this up by adding that, honestly, I'm a very tough audience. I read a lot of contemporary fantasy and poetry and I probably toss aside or loathe 75% of what I read because it's riddled with cliches and/or just plain badly written. Martin's books, on the other hand, kept me reading until dawn more than once.
"A Storm of Swords" is also, in my opinion, one of the most emotionally draining (in a good way) and satisfying novels of the series thus far. Again, I won't spoil anything for you; let's just say that the last few chapters of this book contain some of the most jaw-dropping moments yet in the series.
Sidenote: I've also listened to some of these books on tape during car rides/business trips. Makes the time fly!
Does not disappoint as a follow up to the first 2
Rating:
This is another great book from Martin. If you liked A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, you'll certainly want to read this next, and you won't be able to put it down. One word of warning for people who haven't yet started the series though: There are only 4 books out right now, with another 1-3 expected to complete the story, and these books are not exactly coming quickly. If you're someone who wouldn't want to read part of a story and then pause for several years, you might want to wait to pick these up. Certainly I want Martin to take the time he needs to do it right, but from another perspective, you're basically buying part of a product here, with no finished product available.
The Best of the Best
Rating:
I tore through this series, and while I would obviously recommend all the books, as they are essential to progressing the tale, A Storm of Swords seemed to stand above the others just slightly. I will not get into spoilers, as I would have hated to been spoiled on some of the plot twists that occur (there are quite a few!). I will say that at one point in the book I couldn't get to sleep because my heart was pounding so hard from the dismay and utter disbelief of what turn the plot took. A Storm of Swords is one of those books that you will pick-up to read before bed, look at the clock, and suddenly it is 3am in the morning... which seems like a great time for just one more chapter. If you have made it this far in the series, you owe it to yourself to pick-up this book, and continue on the epic journey through Westeros, the far east, and beyond the Wall.
BREAKS ALL THE RULES
Rating:
I've got two books of my own published and have worked like a dog to achieve that. And here comes George R. R. Martin with this gigantic book and larger series and breaks every rule--and charms me! Totally. I have to say--I'm mad at the literary establishment. The teachers and professors at writing conferences tell us don't do this: And then Martin does, and it works.
But who needs a 1200+ page novel? This cult favorite breaks every rule of the literary fiction/creative writing major/MFA crowd. It's got more characters than an ant hill has ants. A hundred story lines moving forward in a dizzying, incomprehensible maze. Names. Dates. Serial numbers. It's huge. Martin makes no attempt at creating a beginning, middle and end to this multi-volume epic--not to the whole thing or any volume. He just ends the thing--probably when he couldn't lift the manuscript any more--leaving threads untied, tales unfinished. Readers drooling.
My editors and writing coaches would ring their hands at this monster. But they haven't sold like Martin does, and they haven't created a very large jewel like this, either.
I loved it and started the next volume immediately. I'm not even done with that, and I'm asking my daughter, "Wasn't there a sequel on the way?" "Did you say there's a chapter to be downloaded?"
It's addictive and I'm addicted. No one can describe pageantry or create an imaginary world like Martin.
I gave the book 4 stars rather than 5 because of the publisher's cruelty to the reader. Packing this mother around was painful. It could be marketed as a form of exercise or maybe even a weight loss program. It's just too big. Why couldn't they have packaged it into two 600+ page books rather than this gigantic phone book? And why the submicroscopic print in the mass paperback versions? Please, you've got addicts, treat them nicely.
I'm midway through book 4 of the series and expect to wait, panting, for the next volume.
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