A Storm of Swords by George R R Martin

A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3)

by George R.R. Martin

THE BOOK BEHIND THE THIRD SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES, AN ORIGINAL SERIES NOW ON HBO.

Rarely has there been a tale as gripping, or one as likely to seize the minds and hearts of a generation, as George R. R. Martin's epic high fantasy series. In A Game of Thrones, an ancient kingdom was torn by the ambitions of ruthless men and women; in A Clash of Kings, war, sorcery, and madness swept over the kingdom like a voracious beast of prey. Now, as the brutal struggle for power nears its tumultuous climax, the battered and divided kingdom faces its most terrifying invasion—one that is being spearheaded from beyond the grave. . . .

A STORM OF SWORDS

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. Filled with the stench of death and decay from the destructive dynastic war, Daenerys is gathering allies and strength for an assault on King's Landing, hoping to win back the crown she believes is rightfully hers. But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings bent on overwhelming the Seven Kingdoms arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. And as the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest in the quest for victory until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . . . Brilliantly conceived and grand in scope, A Storm of Swords is the incredible tale of a world of harsh beauty and powerful magic, torn by treachery, ravaged by brutality, and consumed by greed and ambition. It portrays a war-torn landscape in which nobles and commoners, heroes and villains, the freeborn and the enslaved, all struggle to survive and to find their destinies...along with the dazzling bounty and wondrous enchantment that was once their birthright in the Seven Kingdoms.

Reviewed by inlibrisveritas on

4 of 5 stars

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So after the events of Clash of Kings, where it became the beginning of the aptly named “clash of kings” and an all out war for the throne…many of our main characters are still trying to find some solid ground to stand on. Solid ground which honestly doesn’t exist, unless you’re Daenerys…in which case all you have to do is command things to go your way and they basically do. We learn that weddings are events full fantastic food (seriously, what’s up with all the food?!), baudy bedding traditions, and things bad for ones health. In fact I’m trying to think if there was a wedding in this book that didn’t turn out to be awful for at least one person…and I think their are like 5(ish) weddings or something similar in this one. There is even more intrigue and outright deceit, some new friendships, new romances…and new magic!

We are also treated to two new points of view, Jaime Lannister and Samwell Tarly..I actually appreciated getting to know Jaime despite the internal groaning when I saw the first chapter. I figured Jaime for a brilliant soldier, but a rather weak minded individual that just does what he’s told. But once I finished the book i can honestly say I like him, he’s got gross tastes in women (namely the only woman he has eyes for), but he’s actually rather smart and has a lot more to his story than I thought he had to offer. We get his account of what happened the day everyone named him Kingslayer and we get more on his relationship with Cersei, for better or for worse. We get to see more of Melisandre, who has gone from slightly scary to sort of weirdly pathetic. I mean she’s still terrifying in what she’s capable of, but I don’t have a mind for prophecy so anytime she conveniently changed her tone about something I just sort of snorted. Arya continues to be a badass, and if at all possible has become more so. Jon Snow is coming into his own at the Wall and beyond, and I’m super excited to find out just how his story progress because it has HUGE potential. Catelyn is still irritating as hell and still among my most hated characters. Joffery is at his most Joffery-est…which basically left me seething or wishing someone would strangle him with his own crown. Sansa’s chapters were also a pleasant surprise, as she slowly becomes more of a player in the game and less of a pawn. That being said, by the end of the book she’s still very much terrified of everything and everyone like she is at the beginning, she’s just a bit more aware of what’s going on and how to react. Tyrion is another favorite that remains where he is. These books would be a rather serious if not for his witty quips and insults, and over all cynical nature about the world and his family.

And last but not least Dany…my lovely Kahleesi, the Mother of Dragons, the unburnt, the….why the hell does she have so many titles? Dany’s chapters are some of my favorite parts of these books. She’s in her teens and she’s already striking fear into the hearts of men (mostly men anyway) over the Narrow Sea. There were some new developments that I didn’t expect, and some that hint that her story might slow down for a bit in the future.

At this point my list of people I want dead has gotten longer, even with a few crossed out. I feel like Arya when she whisper each name before she goes to sleep. The fact remains that even a book this huge can still be a ton of fun read. It might take me a while, and there might be a few chapters I could careless about but I still appreciated all of it. The warring points of view lend a full view of events as they happen, you also get to see ‘bad’ characters as good people and vice versa. I look forward to getting into A Feast of Crows!

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 25 April, 2015: Finished reading
  • 25 April, 2015: Reviewed