Rating: 
Summary: Great Book!
Review: A Storm of Swords is the third book in this series. Each book has been well written with twists and surprises which keep on coming. This book continues that tradition. First, the war continues. The Lannister Family is winning but is paying a high price. The cost of losing, however, is much worse. The King of the North, Robb, has a new set of problems, and each solution looks worse then the problem. In the South, Stannis' lot seems worse. After being thown back at his seige of Kingslanding, many of his supporters have deserted him. He doesn't seem to have the power to win, but he is unable to concede what he believes is rightfully his. Overseas, the last Queen of the old dynasty has her own problems, which are significant. And, past the Wall, to the far north, wicked magic has risen and the problem there bode ill for the rest of kingdom. This is just the beginning! This book, a history of the kingdom, plays no favorites. The good, and bad, of each party is shown. Some people have more honor then others, but each person also has his or her flaws and defects. In the last book, Stannis' witch told the Onion Knight that a man is good or bad, not both - but this entire book argues against that statement. There are no perfect people in this book. Everyone is flawed, everyone is human. Moreover, because this book is a history of the kingdom, and not the story of a single person, we never know what will happen next. And I am not going to tell you now. I will say that there is more death and destruction, and some of my favorite remaining charactors have been killed. Who do we cheer for now? That, fortunately, is not a problem. The writer, Mr. Martin, provides new heroes and villians, and the reader is never forgetten. If you like fantasy, you will love this book. If you already love fantasy, this book, no doubt, will be one of your new favorites. I look forward to the next addition, and you will too.
Rating:
Summary: Best book ever read
Review: Who would've thought that I'd be doing any reading in college anyway. This book almost made me fail two exams. 5 days it lasted before I put the cover back on and placed it back next to its brothers. I got through 5 books of Jordan's before I realized he couldn't write. The new Brooks was a waste. I made my parents go and meet GRRM for me because I was in school and couldn't. His personality stunned even them. I'm telling you, these books, "Storm" most of all, will make you feel like you're in the greatest drama never to be seen on TV. Too bad we need to wait a while for the next episode. Thanks. -DK
Rating:
Summary: A tour de force and a story to boot
Review: Over the last few years, I have grown tired of fantasy books that put out cookie-cutter characters in cookie-cutter worlds. Pulling one's hair when angry does not a character make. Mr. Martin, however, is so adept at creating characters that, not only is it impossible to predict their next act, but you never know whose side to be on. Character decidedly evil in the previous novel(s) suddenly are sympathetic, heroes suddenly no-more. Unlike so many fantasy authors, character's motivations are not couched in ideas of good and evil. Rather, each character acts based upon what is perceived (by them) as USEFUL or NOT USEFUL. Martin is excellent at moving these characters around like chess pieces, each move increasing the tension and the opportunity for conflict...each move providing for the opportunity to fight or flee...each move leaving you with equal parts hope and fear. This superb character development (unlike most other books whose characters are stagnant) occurs within a mysterious world that Martin takes the time to explore in this book. The geography is expanded in this book substantially, although the maps could be better - they are hard to use to find places. However, he is starting in the books to bring out the more fantastic parts in most other fantasies (i.e. creatures and magic). Many authors, fantasy or otherwise, often finding themselves creating a world that is so specific that it lacks an overall believability. Other create characters so one-dimensional that they lack credibility. Mr. Martin's books, this one in particular, succumbs to neither of these issues, creating a unique, interesting and ENTIRELY UNPREDICTABLE world.
Rating:
Summary: Epic saga of struggle for power is a hit . . .
Review: A word to the wise . . . the entire Song of Ice and Fire series of books is probably only for those who enjoy long, long epic sagas. This is a giant novel, but in this case, bigger is better. The story of the Starks and the Seven Kingdoms continues as the main characters continue their struggles for freedom in various parts of the land, even as greater threats from afar beckon. The book is extremely dense with nearly five hundred different characters (or so it seemed) and ten "point-of-view" characters, but it's exactly that detail which makes the book gripping and compelling. There are close to five or six plotlines going on simultaneously at all times, which makes reading the book a lot of fun and challenging at the same time. The book is filled with court intrigue, treachery, intense plotting, and smart and witty dialogue. I can't wait for the fourth book already . . . this is a terrific series.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Fantasy I've Ever Read...
Review: There has never been a set of books like the one George R. R. Martin is in the process of creating with A Song of Ice and Fire. With Storm of Swords, Martin has definitely sealed his spot as a legend of fantasy. What I love most about his books is that there are no clear heroes or villains. This is a major step forward from the cookie-cut characters we've read over and over again in other fantasy epics. With Martin, you're never quite sure who to hate, and when you think you've got a pretty good idea, he turns everything upside down on you (take Jaime in this book, for example). This, along with the way he has slowly seeped magic into the tale, is what makes his fantasy tangible and engrossing.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing, Shocking and worth every page!
Review: Just when you thought Martin was becoming Jordan-ish he pulls out his Pen Sword (after all the pen is mightier than the sword, right?) and brings us this great book. Everything you think can't happen, does. Every plot line is followed and expanded. The Dragon Queen is still a separate part in the book, but you can sense the gap closing. The several Kings of the Seven Kingdoms not only go to war, but also do an awful lot of killing. As I read this, I realized all the people I thought 'couldn't die', could. This isn't some fairy tale book where good guys always win and bad guys where black. This book is a combat book for fantasy readers. I couldn't put this book down! I can't wait for the next book. This book not only goes forward with the story it closes more than a few before you get to the final page. It's a real winner and a shock all the way through! BRAVO!
Rating:
Summary: Martin does it again!
Review: This book, like it's predecessors, was absolutely amazing! I expect the best from this series, and book 3 did not dissappoint. Martin writes the most interesting characters in fantasy. He even has me feeling for the bad guys. Book 3 lets the reader get inside Jaime Lannister's head a bit, and you actually see some nobility in his character that the first two books don't show. I don't want to give away any of the story, but some VERY important things happen in book 3 that nobody could have seen coming. If you're a fan of the series, do not hesitate, buy this book now! If you haven't read the series, check out book 1, a Game of Thrones. It's going to be nearly impossible to wait for book 4!
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: This is a great epic fantasy. I've read plenty of books in the last year that had me turning pages and staying up late to see what happens next, but this is the only one I can remember in the last several years that had me pausing to savor what I had just read before moving on. (The last one I remember like that was Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Wolfe.) Martin has a huge case of characters, all of whom are compelling, which means he has the option (which he takes) to eliminate some of the central characters along the way. Buckle up, it's a bumpy ride. There are some serious surprises -- in the good sense -- not in the "where the heck did that come from" sense, more like -- "wow, I didn't think he'd really do that." The trouble with most books in this genre is that even though they're fun to read, there's a predictable pattern to them, and you know which characters are subject to mortal peril, and which ones will always survive somehow. Not in this series. I'm also fascinated by the way that Martin is rehabilitating one of the most reprehensible villains from the first two books, and turning him into a sympathetic character. By no means attempt this book if you have not read the first two in the series. They do not stand alone, and you will have no idea what is going on. But this is a great series. A must read for fans of the genre.
Rating:
Summary: A deliciously rich stew
Review: I think its important to keep in mind that Mr. Martin has said that his inspiration for the world of "Song of Ice and Fire" was the War of the Roses. This is the conflict between the royal houses of York and Lancaster (Stark and Lannister, anyone?) that inspired Shakespeare to create some of his most memorable heroes, villains and clowns. Similarly, Martin seems to be gaining inspiration as he goes.The sweep of event and the swirling colors of character combine to create a tapestry of believable history that comes along too rarely in fiction. Just as in the real world, the choices made by individuals have ramifications that grow and metamorphize into forces that affect whole nations and lead to both fortune and ruination among the various houses contending for the Iron Throne. It's fascinating to become immersed in a world where individuals actually have the ability to make a difference (the election in Florida, anyone?) The fantasy elements in this tale never strain credibility; they are as weird and frightening to the principals as to the reader. And Mr. Martin never goes over the top - perhaps, if we all wish hard enough, dragons could be brought back, even as the charming but not harmless infants they are here. Ultimately, I believe this is a work about civilization and the world that humans create for themselves. What gods do we discover and how do they help us survive? Who are our leaders and why do they want to lead or how do they manage to survive? How do we cope with the seemingly aimless whims of fortune and luck? The best advice I can give is to re-read the first two books (as several have already recommended) or read them for the first time. But importantly, jump right in and come to know and care for the creatures that make up House Stark and House Lannister. They are fascinating people, not really characters, and they are surrounded by a living world inhabited by folks no less real than they are. And importantly, each of them has the ability and the cussedness to affect that world in ways that can be exhilarating or horrifying. This is a rich stew, indeed. Shakespeare made a career out of the same source material, why not someone as skilled and sensitive as Mr. Martin? And the gnawing need for the next installment is only what we here in the states felt when Mr. Dickens was serializing his stuff so many years ago. This is grand reading of a kind that we haven't seen in many years.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: This book and series is absolutelty the best I've come across in years! Outdoing even Jordan and WoT! Mr. Martin does such a great job of developing his characters that you actually starting rooting for them to win and others to lose, and you're left feeling sorrow for the tragic circumstances that befall them. There were several instances in this book where I was actually taken aback by the turn of events. If this series continues to be this good, I'm going to be sorry to see it end (unlike WoT which needs to end and soon).
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