Storm of Swords (Song of Ice & Fire 3) [Paperback]

G R R Martin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 2001 | Series: Song of Ice & Fire 3

Split into two books for the paperback, the third volume in George R.R. Martin's superb and highly acclaimed epic fantasy A Song of Ice and Fire continues the richest, most exotic and mesmerising saga since The Lord of the Rings. The Seven Kingdoms are divided by revolt and blood feud, and winter approaches like an angry beast. Beyond the Northern borders, wildlings leave their villages to gather in the ice and stone wasteland of the Frostfangs. From there, the renegade Brother Mance Rayder will lead them South towards the Wall. Robb Stark wears his new-forged crown in the Kingdom of the North, but his defences are ranged against attack from the South, the land of House Stark's enemies the Lannisters. His sisters are trapped there, dead or likely yet to die, at the whim of the Lannister boy-king Joffrey or his depraved mother Cersei, regent of the Iron Throne. And Daenerys Stormborn will return to the land of her birth to avenge the murder of her father, the last Dragon King on the Iron Throne.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Colossal, staggering... all the intoxicating complexity of the Wars of the Roses or Imperial Rome... one of the greats of fantasy literature.' SFX 'The sheer-mind-boggling scope of this epic has sent other fantasy writers away shaking their heads... Its ambition: to construct the Twelve Caesars of fantasy fiction, with characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias.' Guardian

About the Author

George R.R. Martin is the author of Fevre Dream, the ultimate science fiction horror novel, several collections of short stories and numerous scripts for television drama. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Voyager (August 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007119550
• ISBN-13: 978-0007119554
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #429,349 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars I'm fed up with this soap opera, July 14, 2011

By 

jannert "jannert" (Hamilton Scotland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm of Swords (Song of Ice & Fire 3) (Paperback)

I have just finished this fourth book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, and will be reading no further. I am bored out of my skull, with what started out as a fabulously-engrossing story in Game of Thrones, but has now deteriorated into an endless series of 'cliffhanger' chapter endings and an endless parade of characters, created apparently only to be killed off or passed around, ad infinitum. I no longer give a rip who becomes 'king' or IF anybody ever becomes king, who survives, who doesn't, or who-marries-whom. This is going on too long. Ho-bloody-hum.

Is there any resolution to this saga in sight? Well, no, apparently not yet. I understand this author has written, what, 5 books, 6 books, and STILL his 'story' isn't anywhere near being finished? I do think Mr Martin is having us on here. As long as people keep buying these books, he'll keep on churning them out. Why kill the Golden Goose?

What a waste of such a strong writing talent!

A GOOD story -- any kind of story, short OR long, including fantasy sagas -- must have focus. It needs a beginning, a middle, AND an end. The ending need not be happy, but all loose threads need to be tied together in some satisfactory and believable way at the conclusion. And there really DOES need to be a conclusion.

Mr Martin should take a gander at Joe Abercrombie's First Law fantasy trilogy, to see how a multi-viewpoint, lengthy and complicated 'gritty' story SHOULD be constructed. That story was one of the most original and engrossing tales I've ever read, with a very satisfactory conclusion indeed. This one ...well, sadly, it's not. Unfortunately, this 'saga' has turned into a soap opera.

Soap operas are different from stories. No matter how original the setting (remember Dark Shadows?), soaps just diddle on and on and on from day to day, until somebody finally pulls the plug on them. Exciting events come and go, original characters have their moments of drama, leave the show, new characters appear, hang around, have THEIR dramas, then THEY leave, etc, etc. Characters continually swap partners till nobody can remember who started with whom, family members fall out with each other, make up, fall out again ...etc, etc... Sound familiar?

There are obviously folks out there who enjoy this kind of never-ending saga, but I'm not one of them. If somebody comes to me and says 'Hey -- did you know George RR Martin actually FINISHED his Song of Ice and Fire saga?', I might pick it up again and read on. But until that day dawns, I'm through. Sorry.