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

by George R.R. Martin

4.54 · Rating Details · 477,931 Ratings · 18,631 Reviews

Here is the third volume in George R.R. Martin's magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. Together, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as al ...more

Mass Market Paperback, 1177 pages

Published March 4th 2003 by Bantam (first published August 8th 2000)

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Community Reviews

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Dec 04, 2013 Nataliya rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: Fans of GRRM and epic unpredictable fantasy

Recommended to Nataliya by: Vera

Shelves: hugo-nebula, locus-winner

This book made me want to throw it against the wall in anger and disbelief. It made me root for the death of a child (and then despise myself), love a hated character, cry angry tears, and bite my nails because of all the suspense.

**Pictograhically, all of the above was happening to me.**

I did not throw the book across the room. Instead, I put it aside and stared at the wall for a few minutes in grief and disbelief. If you read this, you know which part I am talking about *SOBBING* Then I pick
This book made me want to throw it against the wall in anger and disbelief. It made me root for the death of a child (and then despise myself), love a hated character, cry angry tears, and bite my nails because of all the suspense.

**Pictograhically, all of the above was happening to me.**

I did not throw the book across the room. Instead, I put it aside and stared at the wall for a few minutes in grief and disbelief. If you read this, you know which part I am talking about *SOBBING* Then I picked it up again, because at that point I was so hooked that nothing could have stopped me. (I also MAY HAVE cut my neurobiology class to finish it. I know, I'm bad, very very bad.)

Ah, you guys... Look at you, all innocent, before this book rips into you...

A Storm of Swords is, in my opinion, an undisputed high point of the series so far. It expanded the story in delightful, wonderful ways. It gave it a truly epic feel. It delivered the cruel punch in the gut with the (view spoiler)(excuse me as I go and cry myself to sleep) and reinforced the axiom that nobody is safe in the world GRRM created. (*)

* It was heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, and unexpected. But it was necessary, even if just to remind how cruel and brutal this world is, and how little choices can have huge consequences.

I loved this book because of the amount of promise it brought to the series. It brought our characters to the brink of greatness, put them in the positions that were surely going to change the course of this entire story.

Examples: Jon and Dany. It was amazing to see how these two very young characters grew and developed due to all the battles, losses, and betrayals that they suffered. Both of them at the end of this story carry such potential for the future of this series. (view spoiler)

Ah, our favorite despicable Lannisters... Look at you BEFORE all the hell broke loose for you. Does it make you feel any sympathy for the Starks now? No? I thought so.

The character complexity parallels the story complexity - both are done masterfully. The characters feel alive and real. They are interesting and fascinating, and fluctuate between likable and despicable in a not too predictable fashion (*). The previously unseen connections between characters and events are mind-blowing. And seeing the select few skillfully manipulating so many others is unsettling.
* Let me use Jaime and Tyrion as my examples here:

Jaime became one of my favorites: understanding where he's coming from and seeing him humbled by his experience changed him from a monster to a deeply flawed but ultimately sympathetic man. (What he did to Bran was terrible - but child's play in comparison of all the other mindf***ery GRRM gives us in this book. What he does with his sister - gross, but they are competent and consenting adults, and it's not my place to judge them).
Tyrion, on the other hand... What he did to Shae reminded me that darkness can live inside everyone, even our favorite Imp. (view spoiler)

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Don't get me wrong. I gush about it, but this book is far from perfect. Just like its sequels (and predecessors) it suffers from overload of descriptions and repetitions, gratuitous bodily functions and banquets. Some storylines already begin to drag (Arya, for instance). But most of the faults were easily overshadowed by the great characterization, masterful story, and wonderfully built suspense. This is what I felt was unfortunately missing from the books that followed, and what I hope they return to eventually.

5 stars from my (many moons ago) yet-not-jaded self that happily gobbled up this delicious brain candy. ...more

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Sep 29, 2014 mark monday rated it it was amazing

Shelves: alpha-team, fantastickal, rain-man-reviews

it's time again for... A Game of Heroes and Zeroes!
spoilers ahead
__________

HEROES

he's the Revenant Robin Hood, leader of a band of merry men whose purpose is to steal from the wicked, give to the needy, ransom the royalty, hang the bad guys, and maybe get laid some. Lord Beric comes equipped with a nifty super-power (courtesy of the Lord of Light, 'natch)... he gets to come back from the dead! unfortunately, his various hideous wounds get to come back with him. but so what... all those scars ( ...more

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Feb 29, 2016 Kat Stark rated it it was amazing

First Book: A Game of Thrones
Second Book: A Clash of Kings

I finally finished! After months of reading, despite that, this was amazeballs!

See, I have this thing called bibliolangphobia (which is a word I just made up) that means I have a fear of long books. Books that are well over 1,000 pages. Yes, I shiver. I get paranoid. I make sure I’m in a well lit room and that my reading glasses are glued to my face. It’s a serious condition. I rarely overcome my fears, but with the A Song of Ice and Fi ...more

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Nov 07, 2011 Jessi rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-favs, six-stars-your-a-superstar, a-song-of-ice-and-fire, yeah-i-d-hit-that-boycrushes, wolves-jessi-s-wolf-shelf, dont-make-any-friggen-plans

First an update on the Direwolf situation

I still do not have one...sadface.

This series !!! What can I say I am loving it! I don't know if I was just sick of everything else or just needed the escape but I am soooooo enjoying.

The great thing is that I am on the third book and its not like I can't say which book I like better, which was weaker they are one long story that come in three(so far for me) packages.

Its not like Indiana Jones. Where we say" man I love Indiana Jones but... that second o ...more

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Aug 27, 2016 Mohammed Arabey rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

وسط إنشغال الملوك بلعبة العروش، تعم الفوضي في البلاد
يحاط الشعب بين سيوف الخارجين عن القانون وأعدائهم
بين غيوم عواصف شتاء قادم، وعاصفة السيوف

عاصفة السيوف أو كما ترجمته 'صليل الصوارم' الأنشودة الثالثة من أغنية الجليد والنار

جزء أضخم مما سبق، ملحمي ،ملئ بالتطورات والمفاجآت الدموية..والشاعرية

ليثبت جورج آر آر مارتين أن سلسلته تحوي بجانب الدراما والحرب، الرعب والفانتازي والسحر..شيئا من الرومانسية
فبهذا الجزء بجانب أغاني السيوف وصليل الصوارم ,هناك أغنيات مليئة بالمشاعر ، لا أستطيع أن اجزم بأنها كلها رومان ...more

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Jun 15, 2014 karen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: live-through-this

HAPPY SEASON 4 FINALE EVE, NERDIES!!! (view spoiler)

success! i have managed to read this book without getting spoiled ahead of time!! so - ha! to you nerds talking loudly in my sci-fi section about the plot!! i ran to the history wall and hummed loudly until they left. ha! to that jerk at BEA telling his colleagues every. single. thing. that happened in the third book while he stood behind me in that justin cronin line!! i made greg ...more

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May 21, 2016 Candace rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, dangerous-hero-themed-books-read, shocking-twists, listened-to-audio-version, dark-themes, pregnant-heroines, paranormal, revenge-stories

Each one of these humongous books has managed to completely captivate me. I have loved listening to the characters evolve with this series as their fantastical world changes around them. Nothing is off-limits and nobody is sacred. As anxious as it makes me, the fact that I never know what to expect next is a big plus for me. When you read as much as I do, it is rare to be surprised, but Mr. Martin manages to keep me guessing.

While the second book had multiple kings rising to power and fighting f Each one of these humongous books has managed to completely captivate me. I have loved listening to the characters evolve with this series as their fantastical world changes around them. Nothing is off-limits and nobody is sacred. As anxious as it makes me, the fact that I never know what to expect next is a big plus for me. When you read as much as I do, it is rare to be surprised, but Mr. Martin manages to keep me guessing.

While the second book had multiple kings rising to power and fighting for their piece of the Iron Throne, this book took the story in an entirely different direction. What goes up must come down. In this epic saga full of scheming and betrayals, the power players are constantly changing. 'A Storm of Swords' completely changes the landscape of this story yet again.

Aside from the fall of kings, the way the characters are presented had me rethinking my previous judgments. As each character's thoughts and actions were explored, it became clear that there is no "good" or "bad" person. Even despicable characters had redeeming qualities and/or motivations that were understandable, if not admirable. Similarly, the less than pure intentions and actions of some of my favorite characters were brought to light. Everyone is flawed and vulnerable in some way.

The only exception to this was Joffrey. I couldn't find a single redeeming quality in that evil brat. Maybe it was there and my hatred for him just wouldn't allow me to see it. Nonetheless, he remained true to his role of "ultimate villain".

As with the first two books in the series, be prepared for plenty of blood and gore. Characters will die, sometimes gruesomely. Don't get too attached. This definitely isn't a series for the faint of heart.

Now that I've finished the third book, I can begin to spot some of the inconsistencies between the books and the HBO series. There are some omissions that have been made, but nothing that I thought was critical to this story so far. I've also noticed that a few things are presented out of sequence. Again, this didn't take away from the enjoyment for me, but it was noticeable if you're reading and watching subsequently.

Overall, I am still loving this story. It is still confusing at times, with an extremely complex storyline. However, I feel like I'm getting a better grasp on things. It's on to the next one for me.

...more

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Apr 26, 2016 Matt rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, classic-novels

This year (2011) has been rough for those of us who count ourselves Minnesota Twins fans. A few weeks ago, however, I watched Francisco Liriano nearly pitch a perfect game. Earlier in the season, Liriano pitched a no-hitter, which was a bright spot in an otherwise unremitting series of losses, injuries, and disappointment. But this was different. This meant more. This was a perfect game (and you can’t get better than perfect).

The announcers, with no regard for karma, started talking about the p ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 Bookworm Sean rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, george-r-r-martin

When I first read A Game of Thrones I hated Jaime Lannister. Now, I think he’s awesome. If someone would have told me then, that by book three I would consider him one of my favourite characters, I’d have likely pushed them out of the moon door. It’s quite surprising that George R.R Martin actually changed him around like this. Well, I say change around. What I actually mean is showed the reader what he actually is. Never before, with any novel, have I had my feelings of pure hatred completely ...more

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Aug 18, 2011 Cassy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction-scifi-fantasy-paranormal, physical-own, region-elsewhere, 2011

Martin outdid himself. And honestly, he didn’t have to try so hard. I was already going to give him five stars for this scene alone: (view spoiler)

Have you ever seen a car accident? Not the aftermath that messes up traffic, but the actual event itself? Having driven in both Atlanta and Houston’s rush hour, I’ve seen a handful. It’s horrible horrible horrible. There is that signature sound when thous ...more

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Apr 27, 2013 Jacob McCabe rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

THAT ENDING. OH MY FREAKING GOD.

AND SANSA. WITH THE LITTLEFINGER THING.

AND DANAERYS. WITH...EVERYTHING.

AND TYRION. WITH THE SHAE THING. AND HIS FATHER.

AND JON. WITH THE WALL. AND THE WILDLINGS. AND THE OTHERS. AND YGRITTE.

AND BRAN. WITH...just kidding, no one cares about Bran.

AND CATELYN. WITH HER PROBLEMS, AS THEY ARE A-PLENTY.

OH MY FREAKING GOD.

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May 11, 2015 Dan Schwent rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, 2013, kitten-squisher

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Three kings contend for the throne and King Joffrey's wedding day grows near. Can he hold the throne with Robb Stark and Stannis Baratheon nipping at his heels?

Yeah, that's a woefully inadequate summary but it's not laden with spoilers, either.

Here we are, the third installment of Weddings, Beddings, and Beheadings, and my favorite one so far. In fact, I was thinking about downgrading them to 4's just so I could show how great I thought this one was. Martin outdid himself this time.

First of all, ...more

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Aug 16, 2015 Etnik rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, favorite-authors, fantasy, 2015, mystery

PERFECTION
description

Full review to come!

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May 22, 2013 K. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: this-shelf-is-divine, hit-me-in-the-heart, american-lit, own, fantasy-sci-fi-dys, my-everests, major-head-fck, society-culture-and-politics, 21st-cent

Dear George R. R. Martin,

natalie portman gif photo: Natalie KO 2dgqlo6jpg.gif

No, wait! I didn't mean it!

description

YES I DIIIIID!!

Sincerely,

K.

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Jun 14, 2012 Madeline rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

PREVIOUSLY, ON A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: A ton of dudes came up out of the woodwork to fight over a stupid crown, lots of people died, lots of people killed lots of people, there was consensual sex and a lot more rape, some hookers and mercenaries, and life continued to be utterly terrible for anyone with the last name Stark. Also there are fucking dragons and ice-zombie-monsters, don't forget about those! It only gets more fun from here, boys and girls.

So with that in mind, lets check in with ou ...more

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May 16, 2013 Jason Koivu rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

Gut reaction review:

WTF!!!

Post blown-gasket review:

A Storm of Swords should be called A Storm of Suitors for all the matchmaking going on through out. I'm not complaining, mind you. It's all handled with a touch (or sometimes a bludgeoning) of intrigue to keep it interesting.

Ah yes, the soap opera continues, and much of it this tome around is about who weds who in hopes of attaining which castle or what lands. The court intrigue of lords and ladies is good and all, but I doubt it would've kept
Gut reaction review:

WTF!!!

Post blown-gasket review:

A Storm of Swords should be called A Storm of Suitors for all the matchmaking going on through out. I'm not complaining, mind you. It's all handled with a touch (or sometimes a bludgeoning) of intrigue to keep it interesting.

Ah yes, the soap opera continues, and much of it this tome around is about who weds who in hopes of attaining which castle or what lands. The court intrigue of lords and ladies is good and all, but I doubt it would've kept me reading on if Martin hadn't added a little murder here and a bloody siege there. The magic-and-monsters aspect of this fantasy comes in a little heavier than it has in past books, too. I prefer my fantasy more grounded in reality, so this had me edging towards a hint of queasiness at times, but all told, it was nothing I couldn't stomach.

Actually, one area where fantasy is strongest was one of my favorite parts. I absolutely rejoiced at finally seeing some real, meaty north of the Wall action! And Jon Snow (who knows nothing, btw) remains one of my favorite characters from the very start.

One quibbling complaint: Martin dropped the ball once or twice in this book like I've never seen him do before. Characters need to be believable within the scope of the world they inhabit. If they are not, say if they act contrary to their own nature as previously displayed, we the reader stop following them, at least not with the same gusto. Such is the case involving (view spoiler) It's forced and just plain sloppy.

However, all that pales in comparison to one absolutely shocking moment (see original review...never mind, I'll just reprint it here: WTF!!!) that took me completely by surprise. I'm not saying it was a Martin-mistep, but I'm just coming around from my stunned stupor. In and of itself it would mean nothing to someone who hadn't read the first two books, but being fully ensconced in the soap opera as I am, it had great meaning....I'm really trying my hardest not to revert to spoiler masks here...so let me just say - it was like having the rug pulled out from under me, but then feeling some satisfaction upon learning that the same thing happened to my asshole neighbor - and I'll leave it at that. ...more

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Jordan Johnson I really liked your review because it oppened my eyes to the sheer comedic aspect of the book. I never interpreted it as a soap opera but A Storm Of S ...more
Apr 29, 2015 08:28PM

Jason Koivu Jordan wrote: "I really liked your review because it oppened my eyes to the sheer comedic aspect of the book. I never interpreted it as a soap opera b ...more
Apr 29, 2015 10:11PM

Dec 11, 2011 Ken-ichi rated it liked it

Shelves: escape, fantasy

Ok, so I'm 3 books into this series. 2972 pages. Let's take stock of the Starks:
(view spoiler) Ok, so I'm 3 books into this series. 2972 pages. Let's take stock of the Starks:
(view spoiler)[
* Eddard was a lord. Now he is dead.

* Catelyn was a lordly lady with a loving, honorable husband and 5 beautiful children. Now she's a widow, her kids are all dead (or so she thinks), and she, also, is dead. Bonus: she's a zombie.

* Sansa was an annoying, helpless, spoiled preteen. Now everyone she's ever loved is dead, but she remains annoying and helpless despite it all.

* Arya was an endearing highborn tomboy. Now's she's a murderous urchin, but still endearing.

* Jon was a bastard. Now he's a lord. But he's still a bastard.

* Rob was a nondescript dude. He's still that, except now he's dead.

* Bran was a little boy with two eyes who liked to climb. Now he's a slightly older little boy with three eyes who hangs out with frog-eaters, mind melds with animals, and is looking to get lessons from another three-eyed mind melder who might be undead.

* Rickon was a side note. He remains so.

I keep wondering whether these books are sexist or not, which usually boils down to the question of whether or not female characters have agency. I don't know if that's a reasonable test of gender bias, but that's where my mind goes. It's certainly true that most of the female characters rarely make decisions that influence the narrative, but I think that's equally true of the males. Some exceptions I can think of include Arya escaping Harrenhall, Catelyn freeing Jaime, Danaerys freeing slaves. Cersei, despite being one of the most overtly willful women in the story and the most vocal about gender bias in her society, seems to have little real power. She wanted to spare Eddard, he ended up dead. She wanted to save her kids, Joff ended up dead. She wants to marry her brother but her dad keeps wedding her off for political reasons.

Another possible way to approach the issue might be to ask whether the books sanction male chauvinism. I don't think you can read these books and believe that men are intrinsically superior to women, because there are plenty of idiotic men and plenty of capable women. As I wrote in a previous review, I do think these books objectify women much more than they do men, which at the very least is distinctly gynophilic (a new word I just looked up!), and probably allows some hetero men and lesbians to indulge in fantasy that many women might find demeaning. That said, though, speaking as a heterosexual guy, I find most of the sex in these books to be more ham-fisted than arousing. However, I doubt Martin did that intentionally. I guess "ham-fisted" could qualify as arousing if you have some kind of ham fetish. Let's just stop talking about this.
(hide spoiler)]

Anyway, these are all comments on the series. This particular book was no better or worse than the previous ones, which is another way of saying it still kept me up reading until 2am most nights. I wish Martin would work in a few more comic relief characters like Dolorous Ed, though. Jaime and Brienne were good for a few laughs. More of that, please.

I'm finding one of the most amusing parts of this series to be moments when I have to stop and wonder whether or not a sentence implies a fatality. Like, "..and then a boulder fell on him." Did he say how big the boulder was? Where, exactly did it hit him, and who, exactly, is "him" referring to? Fun times. Also, am I the only one who looks ahead at chapter titles to see if a character really died? I know, cheating. ...more

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Sep 15, 2016 Melanie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: magic, dark, read-in-2016, fantasy, buddy-reads, audible, dragons

1.) A Game of Thrones
2.) A Clash of Kings

#readASOIAF Read-Along - Hosted by Riley from Riley Marie, Elizabeth from Liz Loves Literature, and Kayla from BOOKadoodles.

This book is heart-wrenching, and not just because this book contains the Red Wedding, but because this book leaves you with a sense of hopelessness. Many of these characters with good hearts and souls have such terrible things happen to them, while liars and killers prosper. Sometimes having a heavy pocketbook is more important t ...more

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Apr 26, 2016 Roya rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: quite-good, buddy-read

Second read on 19/03/2016 - 26/04/2016

I haven't been reading as much as I would like to these days. Aside from this series, which is more of a commitment than anything else, I rarely reach for other books. Perhaps it's because I'm reading nonfiction, but I rarely feel enthusiastic about reading. So far the reading year hasn't been amazing. And I don't think it has to do with the books, but my inability to enjoy them as I used to. Nevertheless, I've noticed that all the books I've re-read recen ...more

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Jan 17, 2016 Angela rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-star-favorites, read-it-and-weep, badass-females

THAT ENDING.... The middle. .. The beginning.... THAT ENDING. WHAT WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

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Aug 08, 2011 Nastassja rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. ***SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT***

What can I say that hasn't been said before? This series just keeps getting better and better. The third instalment had more twists and turns than I could count, taking me from utter elation to despair and back again, sometimes within a few pages. Things get pretty bleak but also incredibly awesome, everyone suffers horribly, but in the end some really pivotal events occur that I really, really did not ...more

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Dec 29, 2015 Ryan rated it really liked it

So I know Empire is the best film in the trilogy because I've seen it a hundred times, but it's a different thing to choose the best book in a series. Unfortunately, I've only read George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire books twice (and actually only the first three novels at this point). So who can say how A Storm of Swords will be remembered?

The focus of the series becomes a bit fragmented, reflecting the fact that the War of the Five Kings has not only devastated the smallfolk but has a ...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Graham Herrli rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2012, sci-fi-fantasy, tragic

Several aspects of this book make me want to give it only one star, several push me to rate it closer to the opposite end of the spectrum. I give it just over three stars.

On the one-star end:

The writing style grates. Opening to a random page, I find "green as the summer grass" and "caught between the hammer and the anvil." Opening to any other page would provide similar cliches. The book could be shortened without removing substance: long lists of knights names and heraldry may mean something to Several aspects of this book make me want to give it only one star, several push me to rate it closer to the opposite end of the spectrum. I give it just over three stars.

On the one-star end:

The writing style grates. Opening to a random page, I find "green as the summer grass" and "caught between the hammer and the anvil." Opening to any other page would provide similar cliches. The book could be shortened without removing substance: long lists of knights names and heraldry may mean something to the author, but to the casual reader with no interest in memorizing the hierarchy of a fictional chivalric system, such lists only delay reading as I skim past them. I suppose I should at least be pleased that Martin appears finally to have learned the word "crenel" so that I no longer need to suffer through his repeated mentions of "the gap between the merlons"....

Yet the writing style is nothing compared to the utter lack of subtlety and tact. What bothers me most about this book is Martin's repeated description of random murders and rapes, included for what I can only assume must be their presumed shock-and-awe value. Although I can appreciate Martin's ability to evoke such emotional responses as righteous anger, pity, and revulsion, I cannot help but think that the overall view of humanity he projects is far too negative. Epic works need sorrow, but they need joy as well, and A Song of Ice and Fire is far too long not to have some lasting joys. Any book of any worth carries with it a message; Martin's seems just to be "valar morghulis," Ancient Valyrian for "all men must die" and hardly a message worth sending.

On the four- or possibly five-star end:

Martin does a wonderful job of characterization by switching to a third-person limited focus upon a new character with each chapter. Just when a character seems most demonized, Martin zooms in upon that character to explain his history and motivation. The inherent flaw to this technique is that to humanize one character's actions yet another character must be demonized. In the end, some characters such as Gregor Clegane and the Mad King Aerys must be left demonized without the reader ever getting a glance at a human side to them.

Martin also creates several intriguing religions and passingly hints and a few philosophical quandaries. For example, he passingly touches upon the idea that fire is warmth and light, yet it destroys to create these, thus provoking questions about the goodness or evilness of its nature.

Despite its flaws, the book makes me want to keep reading the series. I hope to see the characters, religions, and budding quandaries developed in greater depth in the next book. I hope, perhaps, that one of the characters may even come to the realization that although "all men must die," it is equally true that all men must live. The fire may burn out, but first it burns. ...more

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Akina I agree with the comment about the lack of joy found in this book. I think the book is good but to be truly great it needs some relief from all the to ...more
Sep 09, 2012 06:34AM

Jonty Their stories are important. You could say that about Daenarys too. Oh she's not a threat now so lets just not introduce her until her dragons are ful ...more
Oct 12, 2013 07:05AM

Rabia Shahid i 100% pagree with you about LONG discriptions of heraldry and cloaks and what not... i m skimming these like u did..
May 27, 2015 09:36AM

Oct 09, 2011 Jim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

A Storm of Swords, by author George R.R. Martin, is the third installment in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series, and has become a must-read series for fantasy enthusiasts at this point.

The Battle of the Blackwater is finished, but the Seven Kingdoms are hardly at peace. This story continues with the aftermath of the slaughter outside the walls of King's Landing and the ongoing campaigns of the kings to lay claim to Westeros. Tywin Lannister has arrived at King's Landing to take control of the A Storm of Swords, by author George R.R. Martin, is the third installment in the 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series, and has become a must-read series for fantasy enthusiasts at this point.

The Battle of the Blackwater is finished, but the Seven Kingdoms are hardly at peace. This story continues with the aftermath of the slaughter outside the walls of King's Landing and the ongoing campaigns of the kings to lay claim to Westeros. Tywin Lannister has arrived at King's Landing to take control of the kingdoms through his grandson, King Joffrey Baratheon. Robb Stark continues his campaign to unite the west and rid his mother's homeland of the Lannisters, but must now contest with the Ironmen taking control of his kingdom in the north. Stannis Baratheon sits defeated back in his home of Dragonstone, but plots his next move with the help of the Red Priestess, Melissandre. Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen, mother of the last dragons, plots, maneuvers and rampages her way through the Free Cities in the name of justice. All while Jon Snow contends with infiltrating the massive, reckless barbarian horde as an agent for the Night's Watch.

Without question this is the best of the series so far. Sure, Martin obsesses with his usual descriptions of every single character's clothing and armor down to the last ridiculous detail. He also maintains his peculiar fondness for having to explain countless extravagant meals with his famous 'birds launching out of pies' dish. But he makes up for it with a realism and grit rarely found in the fantasy genre. Plus, this book has everything men love to read about: blood, guts and decapitations galore, giant knights whacking helpless stable boys' heads in half, hot priestess babes with red eyes, teenage lesbian sex, an angry noseless midget, and some fat kid who slays zombies. What could be better than that? Martin has some amazing plot twists that you just don't see coming and he's fearless with torturing, maiming and killing off vital characters. The character development is getting deeper and better, the action is kick-ass Braveheart style, and the magic and mysticism continue to get more entwined to create a mysterious and wondrous world. This is the best book I've read in some time.

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Jun 22, 2012 mrsj rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This book is brutal.
This book is cruel .
This book holds no punches .
If you are looking for a fairy tale story where the prince meets the princess and they live happily ever after? NOT HAPPENING IN THIS BOOK.

The twists, the betrayals, the change of events will shocked you (view spoiler), stunned you, rocked your world, crushed you down and leaving you asking for more!

An enchanting tale that Mr George R.R Martin had given us.

The talks on rape are tamer t ...more

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Jun 23, 2014 Kelly (and the Book Boar) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2014

Okay, not really. There's still a shit-ton more pages after this.

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Feb 17, 2015 Franco Santos rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Tormenta de Espadas es un libro que me atrapó desde la primera página. Es increíble. Muy intenso, desgarrador y es imposible soltarlo. Sus 1200 carillas se pasan rapidísimo, y cuando lo terminás sentís un vacío inmenso.

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El enano se ha levantado de entre los muertos. Y mira, está aún más feo que antes, corre y cuéntaselo a tus amigas.

En muchas partes me dejó literalmente boquiabierto. Martin con este libro llegó a su punto cumbre, al momento álgido de la historia, por ahora. Tantas muertes, tanto ...more

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May 23, 2011 Ben Babcock rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, fantasy, 2011-read, hugo-nominee, nebula-nominee

N.B.: As with my review of A Clash of Kings, I will avoid spoilers for this book but not for previous books.

We had a good thing going back in the beginning of A Game of Thrones. Robert Baratheon was King of Westeros, and while he wasn't a great guy, at least the kingdom was stable. Then he died and it all went to hell. Now we have more kings than castles. Joffrey and Stannis both lay claim to the Iron Throne, and Robb Stark has managed to get himself declared the King in the North and anger both ...more

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Mar 30, 2015 Laz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone, really

Shelves: books-i-own, fantasy, adventure, high-fantasy, all-time-favorites, epic-fantasy

BLOODY HELL THIS WAS PERFECT.

This book had me in the beginning like:

Then everyone started dying and it was a mix of:

This

And this

And then I read the last 4 chapters and I was like:

What I loved about this book was the fact that it never, not even for a second, made you think of the tv series. I felt like reading and experiencing all these effing events for the first time even though I've watched all of the seasons of the tv series.

This book had an edge that the first book had but the second l ...more

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Oct 06, 2014 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, epic-fantasy

Okay, first a word on my feelings about epic fantasy. In general, I like it. There are epic fantasies that I dearly love. There are multivolume books that I keep around just in case I want to re-read them or in some cases re-re-re-re-re-read them. There are others that started out well and then faded, or even crashed and burned. I loved the first six volumes of Jordan's Wheel of Time. I still think it could have been one of the great epics of all time, but (in my opinion) it failed badly and whi Okay, first a word on my feelings about epic fantasy. In general, I like it. There are epic fantasies that I dearly love. There are multivolume books that I keep around just in case I want to re-read them or in some cases re-re-re-re-re-read them. There are others that started out well and then faded, or even crashed and burned. I loved the first six volumes of Jordan's Wheel of Time. I still think it could have been one of the great epics of all time, but (in my opinion) it failed badly and while Brandon Sanderson is finishing it, for me it will never recover.

So now, we come to A Song of Ice and Fire. The "series" opened up credibly and drew me (as well as many, many others) into it's story. I followed it through the second volume and for me the blush was already coming off the rose. Now we hit volume three A Storm of Swords. I held out hope for this book that things would begin to come together...and a couple of things did (thus 2 stars instead of1). On the whole however I'm greatly underwhelmed and with the number of books I have waiting to be read...no not great.

I suppose that the story isn't helped (for me) in that I really don't like more than a couple of the main characters (Jon and maybe Arya). I get to watch them go through various forms of H**l as the entire cast of characters plots, plans and schemes to kill one another and end up on top of the entire stinking heap. As the threat(s) sweep down from the north mostly I couldn't care less if it ate the whole disreputable, worthless, lying, murderous, incestuous lot of them. This fantasy world is run by the same sort of people who keep getting in charge and on top here.

Maybe the dragons will come back and help eat them?????

I kept walking away from this and putting off coming back to it. When I put off picking a novel,back up...it's generally time to move on. I skimmed and skipped my way through it to get done and probably won't go on with the series. I know many love this series...if you do, enjoy, I'm happy for you. As for me, the books go into my "sell or trade at the used book store" bag.

Barely escapes 1 star. ...more

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The #readASOIAF R...: A Storm of Swords: Chapter 41--Chapter 60	4	18	Sep 02, 2016 09:40PM
The #readASOIAF R...: A Storm of Swords: Chapter 61--End of Book	3	24	Aug 18, 2016 10:18PM
The #readASOIAF R...: A Storm of Swords: Prologue--Chapter 20	6	34	Aug 14, 2016 02:37AM
YA Buddy Readers'...: A Storm of Swords By George R.R. Martin - Restarting August 1st 2016	31	36	Aug 12, 2016 01:03AM
Read A Song Of Ic...: * A Storm of Swords * 75. Arya XIII *Discuss only this chapter and anything prior	6	14	Aug 06, 2016 12:50PM
Read A Song Of Ic...: * A Storm of Swords * 76. Samwell IV *Discuss only this chapter and anything prior	7	12	Aug 06, 2016 08:40AM
Read A Song Of Ic...: * A Storm of Swords * 72. Daenerys VI *Discuss only this chapter and anything prior	4	10	Aug 06, 2016 06:00AM

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About George R.R. Martin

George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.

Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies, dramatic readings included. Later he became a comic book fan and collector in high school, and began to write fiction for comic fanzines (amateur fan magazines). Martin's first professional sale was made in 1970 at age 21: "The Hero," sold to Galaxy, published in February, 1971 issue. Other sales followed.

In 1970 Martin received a B.S. in Journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, graduating summa cum laude. He went on to complete a M.S. in Journalism in 1971, also from Northwestern.

As a conscientious objector, Martin did alternative service 1972-1974 with VISTA, attached to Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. He also directed chess tournaments for the Continental Chess Association from 1973-1976, and was a Journalism instructor at Clarke College, Dubuque, Iowa, from 1976-1978. He wrote part-time throughout the 1970s while working as a VISTA Volunteer, chess director, and teacher.

In 1975 he married Gale Burnick. They divorced in 1979, with no children. Martin became a full-time writer in 1979. He was writer-in-residence at Clarke College from 1978-79.

Moving on to Hollywood, Martin signed on as a story editor for Twilight Zone at CBS Television in 1986. In 1987 Martin became an Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast at CBS. In 1988 he became a Producer for Beauty and the Beast, then in 1989 moved up to Co-Supervising Producer. He was Executive Producer for Doorways, a pilot which he wrote for Columbia Pictures Television, which was filmed during 1992-93.

Martin's present home is Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (he was South-Central Regional Director 1977-1979, and Vice President 1996-1998), and of Writers' Guild of America, West.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/george... ...more

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Other Books in the Series

A Song of Ice and Fire (7 books)

Books by George R.R. Martin

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)

A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2)

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4)

A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire #3, Part 2 of 2)

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