A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Volume 3), by George R. R. Martin

Bibliography George R. R. Martin

Novels:
  • Dying of the Light, 1977
  • Windhaven, 1981
  • Fevre Dream, 1982
  • The Armageddon Rag, 1983
  • Dead Man's Hand, 1990
  • Shadow Twin, 2005
  • Hunter's Run, Eos, 2008
A Song of Ice and Fire:
  • A Game of Thrones, 1996
  • A Clash of Kings, 1999
  • A Storm of Swords, 2000
  • A Feast for Crows, 2005
  • A Dance with Dragons, forthcoming
  • The Winds of Winter, forthcoming
  • A Dream of Spring, forthcoming
Short Story Collections:
  • A Song for Lya and Other Stories, 1976
  • Songs of Stars and Shadows,1977
  • Sandkings, 1981
  • Songs the Dead Men Sing, 1983
  • Nightflyers, 1985
  • Tuf Voyaging, 1986
  • Portraits of His Children, 1987
  • Quartet, 2001
  • GRRM: a retrospective, 2003 (also published as Dreamsongs)
  • Starlady / Fast- Friend, 2008
In addition, George R. R. Martin has written a large number of teleplays and other works. See his website or Wikipedia for more bibliographic information.

In the third installment in this magnificent series, A Storm of Swords, A Storm of Swords, by R. R. Martin violence, treachery and plotting are as much the rule as loyalty, devotion and respect . George R. R. Martin continues to tell the brutal history of the hard, conflict-ridden world he has created. And he continues to tell it the hard way - leading characters die betrayed, at the same time as those who have been bitterly despised oftentimes gradually earn grudging respect from readers. This is a tale mostly without black and white – the characters feel real and they are all shades of grey. To me, this is perhaps the feature that more than anything makes this whole series a masterpiece and separates it from a large number of other epic fantasy novels.

Also, in George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire there is realism on another level: every character is fair game for an arrow, a sword or the headman's axe - the good guys lose out to the bad guys regularly.

The monstrous Joffrey has now been named king of the Seven Kingdoms by the strength of the House of Lannister. However, his seat is not secure. Members of his own family as well as the House Stark, now lead by Robb, are still trying to gain the throne. As well, the deposed Targayen line is gathering a fearsome army in order to reclaim their former power and glory. So the Seven Kingdoms are still in turmoil and the battle for power is by no means over.

The main characters in this book are Sansa Stark, who is held hostage by the Lannisters; Tyrion, the intelligent and sardonic dwarf; Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer; the tomboy princess Arya Stark; the ruthless but also somewhat mystical knight Sandor Clegane – referred to as the Hound; Daenerys Targaryen; Robb Stark and his mother Catelyn; and Jon Snow, the Stark bastard now engaged in the Night’s Watch.

A Storm of Swords is an amazing novel, and adds even more depth and life to A Song of Ice and Fire. The book is full of greed, ambition, plotting, treachery, and violence, but also of love, tenderness, attraction, loyalty and reason. The book is at times almost agonizing to read, but at the same time completely spell-binding. It has spectacular characters, great dialogue with razor-sharp wit, intense plot development and plot twists, and plenty of jaw-dropping action sequences. A Storm of Swords is a must read for all fans of fantasy!

Links to George R. R. Martin's books: amazon US, amazon UK, and amazon CAN.

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4), by George R. R. Martin

This is the fourth installment in A Song of Ice and Fire. It A Feast for Crows, by George R. R. Martin continues where the previous book ended. Here the story continues in all the pre-existing plot lines, and a large number of new characters are introduced.

So, A Feast for Crows begins with Brienne of Tarth looking for Lady Catelyn's daughters, at the same time as Queen Cersei (finally) is losing her mind – and does so in a number of very interesting, perhaps even truly great scenes - and Arya Stark is in training. The Tyrell clan emerges as a serious contender for power in this book. And the book is full of murders and changes in power, at the same time as the plotting and treachery reaches new heights. There is love, action, greed, lust, violence in this book, and to some extent the book is more “realpolitik-oriented” in its approach to the various plays for power than the previous books.

However, many of the familiar characters, perhaps the most interesting ones, are basically absent in this book. That goes for Jon Snow, the bastard member of the Stark family; Daenerys Targaryen – the ambitious seeker of the throne; as well as the intriguing Tyrion Lannister. Mostly they are present in this volume by means of rumors about what they are doing or expectations other players in this vast game for power hold. They are expected to return in the next book, but in the meantime they are sorely missed here.

It is, of course, a great book, as George R. R. Martin is a wonderful writer. But in my opinion it is not as good as I had expected, nor as good as the first three volumes in the series. To me, A Feast for Crows is to a large extent a breathing pause, an interlude. As a fan of the series, I am happy to have read it and recommend others to do the same, but mostly for the sake of the continuity of the saga told in the previous three volumes and to be continued in the volumes to come.

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