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Summary: A manifestation of the best characters, history, etc.
Review: Martin's style of writing and descriptivness make you feel as if you're in the book beside the characters. He makes you love the caharacters and care for them, or hate them bitterly. Definetly one of the best. Words can not form the anticipation of the fourth installment, A Feast for crows.
Being merely 13 years of age it was hard to keep up with the wide quantity and style of characters... surely my elders faced the same difficulty.. but it adds to the effectiveness. This story is based on a history so rich and people so different it almost seems that Westeros (the main land in the A song of Ice and Fire series) is an actual peice of land on Earth.
I'd have to say I like the characters Sansa, Arya, Sandor and Brienne... mostly because they're having conflicts with themselves and the outcome is so inevitable and fruitful you'll cheer for them or even cry. Some aren't so positive about Sansa and ponder if she'll ever become wise but I like her because I pity her yet am like her... she is interesting and probably Martin's formation of the "average, fairy-tale blinded little girl" but his addition of a charater of such being was a wise choice. Then there's Arya, the rebel who shows a side of compassion.. she in that way is like me as well.. I'd say I'm composed of the parts of Sansa and Arya who are so different yet alike... And then there's Brienne of Tarth who's ending may be what she least expects.. And my all-time favourite male Sandor Clegane AKA the hound. Nobody understands him and underneath his cover he wants the same as every decent person; to be loved.
I highly recommend this book to any fantasy-lover like myself... the tragedies and commotions are the perfect ingredients that conjur up a romance/adventure/action book that sits atop the high shelf of the greatest fantasy books....
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Summary: Great Book
Review: The Book A Storm of Swords from A Song of Ice and Fire series is a masterpiece. It pulls all of the human charateristics good and bad to form complex characters and an exciting story that rivals the Tolien Trilogy. In my mind it is one of the best books anyone could buy or read.
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Summary: Great Stories, but annoying style
Review: I really love the stories and Martin's prose is smooth and evocative. However, he jumps from one character's story to another each chapter, so the book never developes a flow or rhythm. I wish he would have structured the book such that he told each character's story more completely rather than jumping around chapter to chapter. I find the style very disruptive.
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Summary: This series was recommended to me by a complete stranger
Review: who saw me reading a fantasy book in a restaurant. That's how excited people are about George R.R. Martin, and now I know what they're all talking about. I haven't felt this enthusiastic about an author since I discovered Tim Powers. As good as the first two books were, Martin really hits his stride with Storm of Swords; the depth of plotting, the small details of life in that era, and the richness of the characters, all combine to draw you in, and you'll be amazed at how quickly 800 pages fly past. My favorite character twist so far has to be Jaime Lannister, who turns out to be much more nuanced than the first two books would indicate; I can't wait to see what Martin has in store for him. I cannot recommend this series strongly enough.
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Summary: No letdown nor letup
Review: An amazing read! I had some misgivings, based on other reviews (and word of mouth) that the book would be nothing but protagonist carnage. However, it was far more than that. It was a gripping, epic read (nearly 1000pp). It was, again, over the top with sex -- it sometimes seems that GRRM uses it as filler--, violence and intrigue. It only occassionally dipped in to the "not again" syndrome (ie, how many times can someone almost, but not quite meet somebody else that they were searching for). And-- going back to the protagonist killing machine that is reputed to be GRRM-- there are some "shocking" deaths that, upon reflection, really aren't that shocking. If anything, GRRM seems reticient to kill off "antagonists" and ever willing to dole out the "splash" of magic to put the word "fantasy" in this "war of the roses" inspired, expanded & delivered upon delight. It's book 3 in a reported-to-be 6 book series. It's grim. It's dark. It's interim and self-standing. As such, is it better than Jordan, or Tolkien, as some have claimed? That's really the wrong question. The right question is: why can't more authors fill the fantasy field with the same high quality that the above, and GRRM, do ? Followed closely by: when is book 4 due ? Bottom line: An excellent-- nay, legendary-- addition to a classic series. Buy it. Read it. Enjoy it.
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Summary: Coming to Grips with Reality
Review: Monumental power struggles with numerous players, all with their own agendas. The people who populate the pages of Martin's books are as varied as the stones in a stream bed. Some arrogant and mean spirited, they spit, curse, ... and murder their way towards their goals, while some just try to survive after their worlds crumble. These are books where the "good" characters often make bad decisions and the "bad" characters are occasional allies. It keeps you guessing what will happen next and who will live to tell about it. It is brilliant and complex - without being tangled. Bravo - George - for being a masterful storyteller who knows how to use both unexpected strengths and weaknesses to make a character "human" and most of all, for not sacrificing reality to bend to the romantics need for fluff and last minute miracles. Thank you for every character who vomits at the stench of death or ... himself as the cold draws closer. It makes the horror more palpable and the suspense of what will happen next, pure torture.
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Summary: Byzantine Betrayals in high narrative style
Review: This series just keeps getting better & better with every installment....Martin I think has mastered the genre that Tolkien birthed, i.e. the fantasy series set in a Medieval techonological/societal period, and set in a world that has its own geography, history, wars, etc. etc. etc.. Martin's world, specifically the 7 Kingdoms, is the most highly developed (after Tolkien's middle earth--martin has yet to write out entire languages) one yet. Martin is also quite talented at using another Tolkien plot device: vacillating between several different characters and subplots, with out letting said subplots detract from the big picture. Dont want to give away the plot, but its definately worth the time youll need to invest in this 900-page behomoth.
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Summary: Genius 101
Review: There is only one way to describe the book "A Storm of Swords," ingenious. With its intriguing plot and its repertoire of characters, I found it impossible to put the book down. I loved the deceit and murder which courses through the book. My favorite part would have to have been when Robb was dining with the "late lord" and the Rains of Castamere began to play. It was probably the highest point a piece of literature has ever reached. Probably the best part of the Song of Fire and Ice series is the characters. Each one has a feeling of realism about them. Individually, they are impossible to forget. Every little action they do defines there character even more. Even the heroes have character flaws. Lord Eddard Stark doesn't take initiative fast enough. Lady Stark is to controlling of her son, Lord Robb Stark. Lord Robert is a glutton and a drunkard, who can not even see his wife's betrayal. You can see George Martin's genius by the character of Jamie Lannister. In the first and second book, he is evil incarnate and the reader hates and reviles him with all there soul. But in the third book, you begin to understand and even respect him.
I would go so far as to compare George Martin to such fantasy greats as R.A. Salvatore, David B. Coe, and David Drake. I would highly recommend this book and I hope many people will read it.
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Summary: This book was amazingly good.
Review: This book was brilliant from start to finish, especially the finish. As with the last two books, when it got down to about the final 100 pages, there was no stopping. I had to read until the end. If you are not reading this series, get parts 1 and 2 and this book and start now. You will not be disappointed.
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Summary: Why the bad points of the book are acually good.
Review: Being one of the people who loved this book, I tried reading all the negative reviews to see what the people who didn't like it had to say. Their major problems seemed to be the length of the books, the constant killing of the , the different angles of one's personality, and the overall down to earth -meaning violence, sex, betrayal, death- style of the book.
As to its length, the man has a lot to say, he deals with many many characters, and they have a long way to go before they accomplish their goals. Daenerys for example, has a whole continent and a whole ocean to cross before she actually gets to the fighting part, so be patient. From what I've read some people didn't even understand that there are MORE books on the way, and thought that was the end. Nope.
As to the killing of the characters, I was depressed too. I never expected any of it because I've never seen it happen in any of the other books I've read. But the fact that it's new doesn't make it bad. In real life these things happen. Who said the good guy has 17623173721638217 lives? He does not. He's made of flesh and bones, and he dies just like the bad guy, and easier as a greek saying says (the bad dog never dies). That's what makes it more exciting. Eventually good will prevail(I hope), so if the good guys are dead, who will make it so? That's the problem and what makes you want to read on and on. Maybe some bad guys will turn good? Who knows.
And so I come to the multiple aspects of the characters. In all the other books I've read there are bad guys and good guys. They fight, and the good guy wins. Fine. Simple. But what if you get to know the characters better and discover the good nature of the bad guys? Doesn't that exist in everyone? We all have our reasons for doing what we do and some consider us good or bad. That's the complexity of human personality. Don't blame the man for being realistic and analyzing his characters in depth. It's far better than one-sided personalities. People aren't like that. Why should you want them to be so?
And finally I come to the violence and sex part. I must admit that I found myself being disgusted and sad some times during the book. I agree with the opinion some might have that these things happen in real world, and we read fantasy books in order to get away from that. But I guess we could just divide the fantasy books into and . It's an ADULT book, no one said otherwise. It's a matter of taste. If you like soft fantasy where everything turns out ok and no violence exists in the world, try The King of Elfland's Daughter or something like that (don't misunderstand me, I liked that book too).
As far as I'm concerned, I loved the perplexity of the book. The intrigues, the conspiracies, even the violence, because that's what makes you want to see the guys responsible for it being punished.
I apologise for the length of the review and I hope I've been helpful.
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