A Storm of Swords book review

With HBO’s series of A Game of Thrones proving to be a world-wide success, which even managed to compete with TV giant Breaking Bad, attention has now one again turned to George R R Martin’s internationally best-selling series, from which the show was based on, A Song of Ice and Fire.

Largely regarded as the king of fantasy epics, A Song of Fire and Ice was first released in 1996. The series currently consists of five volumes, starting with A Game of Thrones. The TV series has so far covered up to the half-way point of the third volume, A Storm of Swords, causing most fans to turn eagerly to the book itself for spoilers.

Jaws were left hanging after the notorious Red Wedding scene aired on TV, which saw most of the loved cast brutally butchered just when all seemed to be looking up. The second half of A Storm of Swords works hard to keep those jaws securely glued to the floor.

In the war torn land of Westeros only four of the five contenders for power remain alive, with another seemingly defeated and the game for the Iron Throne continues as even more alliances are forged and forgotten. The dreaded Joffrey still remains as the young and unsteady ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. Winter is coming bringing with it the blue eyed, un-dead Others. A host of Wildlings, human, mammoth and giant alike are attacking The Wall. Meanwhile, the exiled queen Daenerys Targaryen, rider of the last three dragons, is making her way across a blood soaked slave country.  All are set to collide.

If the previous books hadn't already, the prologue sets the theme for the chapters to come. Each page, if not most lines, hold death, betrayal, tension and tragedy; and as always, if you think it is going to end well, “you haven’t been paying attention”.

The book follows the usual format with each chapter being dedicated to a different main characters’ view point. True to style, Martin ensures each is as heartbreaking, intense and shocking as the last. Despite the wait between each books being published, it’s easy to slip back into the fast pace of things as we find ourselves reunited with a few familiar faces. As expected though, many have met a gruesome end and some new characters are introduced which both refreshes and jars the flow of things.

Martin is so superb in his writing that it’s easy to forget that as a reader, you too are part of the game of thrones. You believe wholeheartedly that you’re as informed as Vary’s with his little birds, when in reality you’re being played, deceived and misled, just like every character.

Martin travels further into the lands where Jon Snow and Daenery’s stage their struggles, which adds an interesting new depth to a story we thought we were getting to grips with. New possibilities and expectations are presented and it will be interesting to see how Martin will tie up all of many the sub plots (Other than just killing the character off, obviously).

There are some qualms, often there is so much happening it becomes hard to take it all in and let the devastation take full effect, each twist is magnificent but doesn't always receive its deserved recognition as it is overshadowed in the next chapter. Also, some characters such as Davos are hard to get through, compared to the likes of Arya Stark, they seem almost mundane and readers can often find themselves skimming through to the next chapter.

Overall though, A Storm of Swords is a masterpiece woven from tragedy, skilled writing and intensity that leaves readers satisfied till the end. Marten is unprecedented and will surely be remembered as the master of fantasy within a generation, his work is so ambitious and detailed it’s easy to become engrossed.