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

Rating:
Summary: For Mature Audiences
Review: The "Fire and Ice" books by George R. R. Martin are written from an adult's perspective; if this were a movie, I would give it an R rating for sex and violence.

The plotting is cleverly done and involving. The geography and societal divisions are fictional, and yet are grounded in similar geographical locations and historical forms of Britain, Europe, and Asia. More importantly, the characters are finely crafted, well-rounded, and complete -- no two-dimensional, black and white definitions here.

While despising the evil actions taken, the character definition allows you to understand motivations and to some extent identify with even the worst individuals. At the same time, even the heroes have flaws, flaws which are intrinsic to the high standards they try to follow.

There are no "Disney deaths" in this series. Also, there is no guarantee that good or admirable characters will win; they are in real danger, from real evil, and it becomes apparent that there is some bad in even the best of us.

Rating:
Summary: Character development takes a backseat to plot
Review: "A Storm of Swords," George R.R. Martin's third volume in his mega-epic "A Song of Ice and Fire," delivers everything fans have come to expect from this ambitious fantasy series: a huge cast of characters, pulse-pounding medieval battle sequences, pages and pages of political scheming and treachery, and the shocking deaths of characters that will leave readers gape-jawed with disbelief.
Unfortunately, the author seems to have given up on character development. Whole chapters exist solely to introduce a new minor character or dwell upon a seemingly insignificant subplot. Case in point: The scheming yet sympathetic dwarf Tyrion Lannister, so expertly developed in the series' previous volumes, seems to all but disappear as other members of the cast take the stage. The characters I have grown to love (Bran Stark, Davos the Onion Knight) are given short shrift this time around, but Martin throws in two more "perspectives" into the mix: Jaime Lannister, who is finally "humanized" to the point where the reader feels sympathy for him, and Samwell Tarly, an obese member of the Night's Watch who finds a backbone in his journeys beyond the Wall. Sadly, Sam's chapters are few and far between.
"A Storm of Swords" will keep its fans flipping pages all through the night. However, I wish the author had more focus on the characters rather the convoluted plot which seems to be going nowhere fast. Ah, well, there's still three more books to go...though at this rate, we'll all be in nursing homes before the series is completed.


Rating:
Summary: A work of literary art
Review: This is the best fantasy series I've come across. A plot that inspires vivid imagery, characters that amaze you with their depth, and a writing style so complex and artful, it pulls the reader effectively into the story. In a word...gripping.

The only downside is the waiting for the last 3 books. Martin apparently finishes one book in the epic every 3-4 years. After reading his first three, I can understand why. Still...more please!

Rating:
Summary: Solid but not stellar
Review: Martin's series "A Song of Ice and Fire" (Books 1 - 3: Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings, and Storm of Swords) is rife with plots and subplots; lavish description; and violent action. He explores the POV of different characters. He also includes numerous clues needed to unravel the various murders and betrayals that occur. These books do require some attention.

He handles plot and motivation better than some other epics I've sampled (Dune, Wheel of Time, Goodkind's novels). The character development is uneven. I'm not convinced by Jaime Lannister's partial transformation between Books 1 and 3, nor by the sheer stupidity exhibited by various members of the Stark family. However, I think other characters, including Arya, the Hound, Tyrion, and Jon Snow, are credible. Also uneven is the extent to which Martin shows the action, rather than telling it - he relies heavily on giving the reader the equivalent of a voiceover, so they know what the characters are thinking.

Though superior to much of the mass-market fantasy available, this series remains light entertainment. My taste in fantasy was strongly influenced by the "classic" fantasists (Eddison, Dunsany, Peake, Walton, Tolkien, Beagle, LeGuin) and by authors with original, high-quality language and style (Tanith Lee, McKillip, and Hodgell). In her essay "From Elfland to Poughkeepsie," LeGuin eloquently illustrates the difference between mass-market pulp and well-written fantasy. The former can be transposed - characters, action, and all - to a completely different setting, by just altering a few words. LeGuin illustrates with a passage from Kurtz's Deryni Rising. One cannot do the same to high-quality fantasy, without essentially rewriting it. LeGuin demonstrates this with (as I recall) a paragraph from Eddison.

The "Song of Ice and Fire" books fall somewhere in between these extremes. If you want a complicated, bloody, medieval political thriller with multi-dimensional characters, you'll probably enjoy this. If you're looking for fantasy literature with resonance and thematic exploration, I'd suggest rereading Gormenghast or The Worm Ouroboros.