Buying Options

Kindle Price:	$9.99
Sold by:	Random House LLC Price set by seller.

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add Audible narration to your purchase for just $12.99

Deliver to your Kindle or other device

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Enter a promotion code or Gift Card

Share <Embed>

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

Follow the Author

George R. R. Martin

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

by George R. R. Martin (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

10,221 ratings

Book 3 of 5: A Song of Ice and Fire

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$19.39

$14.42

$3.22

Paperback

"Please retry"

$14.69

$9.89

$2.35

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$7.80

$2.49

$0.01

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$57.64

$3.58

THE BOOK BEHIND THE THIRD SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES, AN ORIGINAL SERIES NOW ON HBO.

Here is the third volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

A STORM OF SWORDS

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. . . .

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . . .

Print length

1216 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Bantam
Publication date

March 4, 2003
File size

5817 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Next 3 for you in this series See full series

Total Price: $29.97

By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use

George R. R. Martin
13,749
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
11,746
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
26,033
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $8.99
George R. R. Martin
12,379
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
16,812
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
646
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $11.99

Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next. Sometimes the best way to baffle them is to make moves that have no purpose, or even seem to work against you.
Highlighted by 7,257 Kindle readers
When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone.
Highlighted by 3,215 Kindle readers
The gods give each of us our little gifts and talents, and it is meant for us to use them, my aunt always says. Any act can be a prayer, if done as well as we are able.
Highlighted by 2,838 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A riveting continuation of a series whose brilliance continues to dazzle.”—Patriot News

“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers.”—Robert Jordan

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Amazon.com Review

Is George R.R. Martin for real? Can a fantasy epic actually get better with each new installment? Fans of the genre have glumly come to expect go-nowhere sequels from other authors, so we're entitled to pinch ourselves over Martin's tightly crafted Song of Ice and Fire series. The reports are all true: this series is the real deal, and Martin deserves his crown as the rightful king of the epic. A Game of Thrones got things off to a rock-solid start, A Clash of Kings only exceeded expectations, but it's the Storm of Swords hat trick that cements Martin's rep as the most praiseworthy fantasy author to come along since that other R.R.

Like the first two books, A Storm of Swords could coast on the fundamentals: deftly detailed characters, convincing voices and dialogue, a robust back-story, and a satisfyingly unpredictable plot. But it's Martin's consistently bold choices that set the series apart. Every character is fair game for the headman's axe (sometimes literally), and not only do the good guys regularly lose out to the bad guys, you're never exactly sure who you should be cheering for in the first place.

Storm is full of admirable intricacies. Events that you thought Martin was setting up solidly for the first two books are exposed as complex feints; the field quickly narrows after the Battle of the Blackwater and once again, anything goes. Robb tries desperately to hold the North together, Jon returns from the wildling lands with a torn heart, Bran continues his quest for the three-eyed crow beyond the Wall, Catelyn struggles to save her fragile family, Arya becomes ever more wolflike in her wanderings, Daenerys comes into her own, and Joffrey's cruel rule from King's Landing continues, making even his fellow Lannisters uneasy. Martin tests all the major characters in A Storm of Swords: some fail the trial, while others--like Martin himself--seem to only get stronger. --Paul Hughes

--This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The "beloved fantasy saga," regular old ordinary fiction, continues. Bonnie Smothers
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

The third volume of the high fantasy saga that began with A Game of Thrones and continued in A Clash of Kings is one of the more rewarding examples of gigantism in contemporary fantasy. As Martin's richly imagined world slides closer to its 10-year winter, both the weather and the warfare worsen. In the north, King Joffrey of House Lannister sits uneasily on the Iron Throne. With the aid of a peasant wench, Jaime Lannister, the Kingslayer, escapes from jail in Riverrun. Jaime goes to the other youthful ruler, Robb Stark, to secure the release of Joffrey's prisoners, Robb's sisters Arya and Sansa Stark. Meanwhile, in the south, Queen Daenarys tries to assert her claim to the various thrones with an army of eunuchs, but discovers that she must choose between conquering more and ruling well what she has already taken. The complexity of characters such as Daenarys, Arya and the Kingslayer will keep readers turning even the vast number of pages contained in this volume, for the author, like Tolkien or Jordan, makes us care about their fates. Those two fantasy greats are also evoked by Martin's ability to convey such sensual experiences as the heat of wildfire, the chill of ice, the smell of the sea and the sheer gargantuan indigestibility of the medieval banquet at its most excessive. Perhaps this saga doesn't go as far beyond the previous bounds of high fantasy as some claim, but for most readers it certainly goes far enough to command their attention. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Rarely has there been a tale as gripping, or one as likely to seize the minds and hearts of a generation, as George R. R. Martin's epic high fantasy series. In A Game of Thrones, an ancient kingdom was torn by the ambitions of ruthless men and women; in A Clash of Kings, war, sorcery, and madness swept over the kingdom like a voracious beast of prey. Now, as the brutal struggle for power nears its tumultuous climax, the battered and divided kingdom faces its most terrifying invasion--one that is being spearheaded from beyond the grave....
A Storm Of Swords
Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. Filled with the stench of death and decay from the destructive dynastic war, Daenerys is gathering allies and strength for an assault on King's Landing, hoping to win back the crown she believes is rightfully hers. But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings bent on overwhelming the Seven Kingdoms arrives from the outermost lineof civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. And as the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest in the quest for victory until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords....Brilliantly conceived and grand in scope, A Storm of Swords is the incredible tale of a world of harsh beauty and powerful magic, torn by treachery, ravaged by brutality, and consumed by greed and ambition. It portrays a war-torn landscape in which nobles and commoners, heroes and villains, the freeborn and the enslaved, all struggle to survive and to find their destinies...along with the dazzling bounty and wondrous enchantment that was once their birthright in the Seven Kingdoms. --This text refers to the hardcover edition.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Prologue

The day was grey and bitter cold, and the dogs would not take the scent.

The big black bitch had taken one sniff at the bear tracks, backed off, and skulked back to the pack with her tail between her legs. The dogs huddled together miserably on the riverbank as the wind snapped at them. Chett felt it too, biting through his layers of black wool and boiled leather. It was too bloody cold for man or beast, but here they were. His mouth twisted, and he could almost feel the boils that covered his cheeks and neck growing red and angry. I should be safe back at the Wall, tending the bloody ravens and making fires for old Maester Aemon. It was the bastard Jon Snow who had taken that from him, him and his fat friend Sam Tarly. It was their fault he was here, freezing his bloody balls off with a pack of hounds deep in the haunted forest.

"Seven hells.” He gave the leashes a hard yank to get the dogs' attention. "Track, you bastards. That's a bear print. You want some meat or no? Find!" But the hounds only huddled closer, whining. Chett snapped his short lash above their heads, and the black bitch snarled at him. "Dog meat would taste as good as bear," he wamed her, his breath frosting with every word.

Lark the Sisterman stood with his arms crossed over his chest ana m~ hands tucked up into his armpits. He wore black wool gloves, but he was always complaining how his fingers were frozen. "It's too bloody cold to hunt,'' he said. "Bugger this bear, he's not worth freezing over."

We can’t go back emptyhand, Lark," rumbled Small Paul through the brown whiskers that covered most of his face. "The Lord Commander wouldn’t like that.” There was ice under the big man’s squashed pug nose, where his snot had frozen. A huge hand in a thick fur glove clenched tight around the shaft of a spear.

"Bugger that Old Bear too," said the Sistemman, a thin man with sharp features and nervous eyes. "Mormont will be dead before daybreak, remember? Who cares what he likes?"

Small Paul blinked his black little eyes. Maybe he had forgotten, Chett thought; he was stupid enough to forget most anything. "Why do we have to kill the Old Bear? Why don't we just go off and let him be?"

"You think he'll let us be?" said Lark. "He'll hunt us down. You want to be hunted, you great muttonhead?"

"No," said Small Paul. "I don't want that. I don't."

"So you'll kill him?" said Lark.

"Yes." The huge man stamped the butt of his spear on the frozen riverbank. "I will. He shouldn't hunt us."

The Sisterman took his hands from his ammpits and tumed to Chett. "We need to kill all the officers, I say."

Chett was sick of hearing it. "We been over this. The Old Bear dies, and Blane from the Shadow Tower. Grubbs and Aethan as well, their ill luck for drawing the watch, Dywen and Bannen for their tracking, and Ser Piggy for the ravens. That's all. We kill them quiet, while they sleep. One scream and we're wormfood, every one of us." His boils were red with rage. "Just do your bit and see that your cousins do theirs. And Paul, try and remember, it's third watch, not second."

"Third watch," the big man said, through hair and frozen snot. "Me and Softfoot. I remember, Chett."

The moon would be black tonight, and they had jiggered the watches so as to have eight of their own standing sentry, with two more guarding the horses. It wasn't going to get much riper than that. Besides, the wildlings could be upon them any day now. Chett meant to be well away from here before that happened. He meant to live.

Three hundred sworn brothers of the Night's Watch had ridden north, two hundred from Castle Black and another hundred from the Shadow Tower. It was the biggest ranging in living memory, near a third of the Watch's strength. They meant to find Ben Stark, Ser Waymar Royce, and the other ran~.ers who'd gone missing, and discover why the wildlings were leaving their villages. Well, they were no closer to Stark and Royce than when they'd left the Wall, but they'd leamed where all the wildlings had gone - up into the icy heights of the godsforsaken Frostfangs. They could squat up there till the end of time and it wouldn't prick Chett's boils none.

But no. They were coming down. Down the Milkwater.

Chett raised his eyes and there it was. The river's stony banks were bearded by ice, lt’s pale milky waters flowing endlessly down out of the Frostfangs And now Mance Rayder and his wildlings were flowing down the same way. Thoren Smallwood had retumed in a lather three days past. While he was telling the Old Bear what his scouts had seen, his man Kedge Whiteye told the rest of them. "They're still well up the [oothills, but they're coming," Kedge said, warming his hands over the fire. "Harma the Dogshead has the van, the poxy bitch. Goady crept up Dn her camp and saw her plain by the fire. That fool Tumberjon wanted to pick her off with an arrow, but Smallwood had better sense."

Chett spat. "How many were there, could you tell?"

"Many and more. Twenty, thirty thousand, we didn't stay to count. Hamma had five hundred in the van, every one ahorse.~'

The men around the fire exchanged uneasy looks. It was a rare thing to find even a dozen mounted wildlings, and five hundred . . .

"Smallwood sent Bannen and me wide around the van to catch a peek at the main body," Kedge went on. "There was no end of them. They're moving slow as a frozen river, four, five miles a day, but they don't look like they mean to go back to their villages neither. More'n half were women and children, and they were driving their animals before them, goats, sheep, even aurochs dragging sledges. They'd loaded up with bales of fur and sides of meat, cages of chickens, butter chums and spinning wheels, every damn thing they own. The mules and garrons was so heavy laden you'd think their backs would break. The women as well."

"And they follow the Milkwater?" Lark the Sisterman asked.

"I said so, didn't I?"

The Milkwater would take them past the Fist of the First Men, the ancient ringfort where the Night's Watch had made its camp. Any man with a thimble of sense could see that it was time to pull up stakes and fall back on the Wall. The Old Bear had strengthened the Fist with spikes and pits and caltrops, but against such a host all that was pointless. If they stayed here, they would be engulfed and overwhelmed.

And Thoren Smallwood wanted to attack. Sweet Donnel Hill was squire to Ser Mallador Locke, and the night before last Smallwood had come to Locke's tent. Ser Mallador had been of the same mind as old Ser Ottyn Wythers, urging a retreat on the Wall, but Smallwood wanted to convince him otherwise. "This King-beyond-the-Wall will never look for us so far north," Sweet Donnel reported him saying. "And this great host of his is a shambling horde, full of useless mouths who won't know what end of a sword to hold. One blow will take all the fight out of them and send them howling back to their hovels for another fifty years."

Three hundred against thirty thousand. Chett called that rank madness, and what was madder still was that Ser Mallador had been persuaded' and the two of them together were on the point of persuading the Old Bear. "If we wait too long, this chance may be lost, never to come again," Smallwood was saying to anyone who would listen. Against that, Ser Ottyn Wythers said, "We are the shield that guards the realms of men. You do not throw away your shield for no good purpose," but to that Thoren Smallwood said, "In a swordfight, a man's surest defense is the swift stroke that slays his foe, not cringing behind a shield."

Neither Smallwood nor Wythers had the command, though. Lord Mormont did, and Mommont was waiting for his other scouts, for Jarman Buckwell and the men who'd climbed the Giant's Stair, and for Qhorin Halfhand and Jon Snow, who'd gone to probe the Skirling Pass. Buckwell and the Halfhand were late in retuming, though. Dead, most like. Chett pictured Jon Snow lying blue and frozen on some bleak mountaintop with a wildling spear up his bastard's arse. The thought made him smile. I hope they killed his bloody wolf as well.

"There's no bear here," he decided abruptly. "Just an old print, that's all. Back to the Fist." The dogs almost yanked him off his feet, as eager to get back as he was. Maybe they thought they were going to get fed. Chett had to laugh. He hadn't fed them for three days now, to turn them mean and hungry. Tonight, before slipping off into the dark, he'd tum them loose among the horse lines, after Sweet Donnel Hill and Clubfoot Karl cut the tethers. They'll have snarling hounds and panicked horses all over the Fist, running through fires, jumping the ringwall, and trampling down tents. With all the confusion, it might be hours before anyone noticed that fourteen brothers were missing.

Lark had wanted to bring in twice that number, but what could you expect from some stupid fishbreath Sisterman? Whisper a word in the wrong ear and before you knew it you'd be short a head. No, fourteen was a good number, enough to do what needed doing but not so many that they couldn't keep the secret. Chett had recruited most of them himself. Small Paul was one of his; the strongest man on the Wall, even if he was slower than a dead snail. He'd once broken a wildling's back with a hug. They had Dirk as well, named for his favorite weapon, and the little grey man the brothers called Softfoot, who'd taped a hundred women in his youth, and liked to boast how none had never seen nor heard him until he shoved it up inside them.

The plan was Chett's. He was the clever one; he'd been steward to old M... --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Here is the third volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

A Storm of Swords

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world....

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . .

From the Trade Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile

Revenge for old insults and a quest for absolute power, with all the associated battles, have no bounds as the intrigues around the Iron Throne and the Seven Kingdoms continue. The boy king, Joffrey, lives up to his reputation as a budding cruel tyrant, behind whom his grandfather and mother continue to believe they exercise the real power in the kingdom. Roy Dotice reprises his characterization of a long list of important and recognizable characters from earlier books in the series. This proves to be a valuable aid in keeping family relationships clear and maintaining the threads of the plot. Dotrice has the manner of a gruff, old knight, a tone that is well suited to this epic tale. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

George R.R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally since then. He spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer-producer, working on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid ‘90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris, and two cats named Augustus and Caligula, who think they run the place.

From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A riveting continuation of a series whose brilliance continues to dazzle.”—Patriot News

“I always expect the best from George R. R. Martin, and he always delivers.”—Robert Jordan

From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FBFN1U
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bantam (March 4, 2003)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 4, 2003
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 5817 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 1216 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0008115427
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #21,462 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #143 in Contemporary Fantasy Fiction
- #330 in Fantasy Adventure Fiction
- #418 in War & Military Action Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
10,221 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

George R. R. Martin

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

George R.R. Martin is the globally bestselling author of many fine novels, including A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons, which together make up the series A Song of Ice and Fire, on which HBO based the world’s most-watched television series, Game of Thrones. Other works set in or about Westeros include The World of Ice and Fire, and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. His science fiction novella Nightflyers has also been adapted as a television series; and he is the creator of the shared-world Wild Cards universe, working with the finest writers in the genre. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Customer reviews

5 star		84%
4 star		11%
3 star		2%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Ploon

For the classical and fantasy reader alike - complex, gripping, exciting, multifaceted... sublime.

Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2016

Verified Purchase

If you despise fantasy fiction, READ THIS ANYWAY.

GRRM delivers a RARE series - a sophisticatedly written series - it is both mature and complex at every level, and manages to do so without tedium, but quite the opposite. I've found myself hardly able to bear moving to each successive chapter to follow a separate storyline or character due to the gripping story in the one I was reading. But as I switched gears to the next "nugget" in this grandly woven tale, I found myself equally enthralled by THAT storyline.

As far as the cast of characters - it is vast. And character development is sophisticated. You have a vast range of personalities, motivations, biases, vices, scheming, hurts, etc. You watch upon a stage where the marionette has directed their interplay so intricately it is a believable plotline that echoes real life as action and schemes between characters collide. And as time moves forward in the story you experience those characters exult in victory, seethe with hatred, quail in defeat, rage in frustrated schemes, and hope against hope. Not only that - but they grow with their experiences. Their motivations can at times be complex scheming or simple earthy passion (whether that be angry violence or lust or daydreaming). The stage is set with a great cast as well - both men and women each with their subtleties and unique persona. Not every woman is a damsel, just as not every man is a hero - which is fantastic.

As far as the politicking - it is multilayered. You have Lords and Kings vying for position, status, power, peace, justice, or vengeance. This through marriages, treaty, war, subterfuge, assassination, etc. You have the character level politicking where personal vices come into play whether that be noble or ignoble - rooted in either their sense of duty, selfishness, naiveté, or other. Its just so varied and rarely formulaic or repeatable.

I can't necessarily say there are plot twists in the traditional sense of the word (where one can almost feel the author shout 'got ya! - didn't see THAT coming eh?' to the dumbfounded reader). The machinations of each character in this vast stage - competing and colliding with one another's - and that ends up speaking for itself. The reader may cheer or curse depending on a particular turn of events, but that has more to do with the efforts of one party or another succeeding against all others. It's a dose of near-reality. Plans win and fail - and there isn't an overarching "blessed" subset of characters. It is extremely refreshing and entirely spellbinding.

As far as action, magic, and monsters. There is very little compared to what one would expect in the scifi fantasy paperback novels. There are clashes and contests. There are strange creatures and powers, yes. But this isn't your summer 80s Schwarzenegger/Stallone action flick. This is a sophisticated story that has such content in its proper place and not gratuitously. There is fighting but it's not center piece as a simpleton's hack and slash hero-save-princess-defeat-demonprince novel. Nor is this series meager on action. There is plenty - yes there's fighting, but there's also violence, there's action-y physical feats, there's sex. Sometimes it can be raw brutality, exposing the crueler and despicable side found in humanity (torture, rape, etc). GRRM doesn't have wizards bouncing around making things blow up like "Tim the Enchanter" nor do we have some wondrous creature at every turn. The reader will find that yes - magic and monsters do come on stage, but it's not the centerpiece, obviously.

The good vs evil hero's saga akin to Tolkien is great. One will find store shelves littered with lesser versions of that, and in much simpler format. GRRM is on an entirely different track - where multilayered politicking vies against the striving of characters good and bad. Wars, fights, loves, plots, etc - all go into a great tumbler. The protagonists (assumedly so because of their nobler aspirations) don't necessarily win. Plenty of characters whom the reader may come to empathize with may be frustrated (even killed). It's part of the reason why the series is so exciting to read - you are never assured of how things will turn out.

As for myself - I am an eclectic reader. I've enjoyed writings from Hawthorne, Nordic sagas, Homer's Iliad, Shakespeare, Cervantez (Don Quixote), Jane Austin, Dickens, Tolkien, Chaucer, Vonnegut, Alexander Dumas, Michael Moorcock, Victor Hugo, to LRHubbard, etc.

If you've enjoyed any of the authors as such listed above, TRY this series. I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. It is very well written.

32 people found this helpful

Helpful

Travis Bughi

Yep, good

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2020

Verified Purchase

Another winner. I anticipated nothing less. The first half of this book started a little slow, but the second half was like a drug and I just could not put it down. Thankfully I was camping in the mountains so I had all day to read, and I literally did read ALL day, for all 3 days I was there.

Many, many, many deaths in this one (even for the series). It could have almost been called a Dance of Death as apposed to a Storm of Swords. Some were pretty bad, but thankfully, some of those deaths were finally people who really needed a knife shoved in their throat. For all the good who perished, at least the bad got it just as well. Seemed a lot like real war to me. No matter who wins the war, the accumulation of deaths makes everyone a loser.

This series is at the point now where I'm just not sure it can continue to improve. You all know what I'm talking about. The need to improve and beat the prior the work tends to lead to a level of complexity and increasing liberty with the need to suspend reality in later work. I am hopeful that GRRM won't fall into this category, and the next novel will lend its greatness not an attempt to eclipse the others, but instead lead off in a new direction of awesome. We shall see, but just to make sure I'm well rested, I'm going to read a different work first.

My brain feels half fried from that giant shake of information I just inhaled through my eyes.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Sally Pink Reviews

Engrossing!

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2016

Verified Purchase

Martin pens a novel full of adventure, betrayal, and greed with “Storm of Swords,” book 3 in the “Song of Ice and Fire,” series. The novel is over 900 pages – not for the faint at heart – and a bit daunting. It’s taken me months to finish, and while it’s been long for me, it’s been an adventure.

Martin uses several point of view characters to tell the “Storm of Swords.” There’s Tyrion, smart and clever, yet a dwarf who is the butt of his nephew’s cruel jabs. There’s Robb, the King of the North, who must win the Frey’s favor or lose all he has gained. Jon, on the Wall, must find out information on the Wildlings and the Others, using all of his cunning to survive. Jamie must not only use his sword, but his wits to make it back to King’s Landing. Arya escapes the city only to find herself a captive and pawn to various outlaws who would use her as a hostage for their benefit. Stannis must prove himself a king, so he travels to the Wall, hoping to save it. Then there’s Daenrys, who learns how to use her swords to conquer, but she must learn to rule before returning to Westros.

Every story involves violence, sword play, and cunning. As the realm loses its tenuous grip on the various kingdoms, secrets are revealed, proving a precursor to the upcoming battle between ice (the others) and fire (the dragons).

The characters are honest, real, and interesting. There’s good and bad and even some in between – like the “Hound,” Sandor Clegane. Everyone has a distinct motivation to do what they do, even if unknown to the reader. I’m always wondering what is driving a character.

A “Storm of Swords” grows the story, looks deeper into the players, and takes the reader on an adventure of a lifetime!

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Donnah

Best one yet…

Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2022

Verified Purchase

…in the 5 book series. It has so many unexpected twists and turns and I have been on the edge of my seat for what is going to happen next throughout the entire book. Things have occurred that I was completely not expecting and I am one of those people who can read a book or watch a movie and often predict what is going to happen. Not so with this book at all! I think it surpasses book 1. If you like phenomenal character development and a complex story plot, this is the series for you! Even if you don’t normally like this genre of fiction, give it a try becasue it does not disappoint. I have also watched the season 1 tv show and it is the closest to the book movie/series that I have ever seen. Outstanding choice of actors to play the parts and amazing cinematography and screenwriting. Read the books first though!..so much better.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Greyskull

Rewarding, but it makes you work for it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

In my opinion 'A Storm of Swords' is an improvement on it's predecessor, 'A Clash of Kings', which was a bit arid, with lots of scene-setting, genealogy and heraldry to contend with. This one still feels like a very long book with many extended passages where nothing much happens, thankfully interspersed regularly with some thrilling action that keeps you enthralled. The author's choice to start every new chapter with a different lead character from the chapter before and therefore a different story line, means that the narrative leaps around a lot. He has so many lead characters all with their own story, that it can be many chapters before you pick up the thread of any one story line again. This can be frustrating, as it can be a while before you remember what is supposed to be happening. Somehow that does happen, usually within a few paragraphs. I'm not sure how else the author could have structured the book, though, without cutting out some of the characters or reducing the number of plot lines - surely the story would have been poorer for that! Having said that, the narrative associated with some characters really seems to drag on and maybe could have been edited somewhat? I groaned inwardly whenever I saw 'Bran' as a chapter heading. 'Arya' and 'Sansa' chapters are better, but not by much! On the other hand, life is never dull around 'Tyrion' or 'Jaime', nor of course 'Daenarys', all superb creations. Again, with this book, the list of supporting characters is VAST, and the more you read the longer it becomes. I found it more than a little difficult to place everyone. Just as an example, who the hell was Beric Dondarrion, and should I care? There's no way to find out without referring back to the last book and hunting for him. I've come to the conclusion that it would take 3 or 4 readings to get it all down. I fully expect this epic series to be the subject of a university course in years to come! I decided not to even attempt to remember all the houses and characters and where they come from and just relax and go with it.
On balance, because of some of the boring fluff and other frustrations which mar the story a bit I'm going to give this 4 rather than 5 stars, but I do think this is a great book. The author has taken on the task of describing a World War in fantasy form. It is epic, fascinating, and ultimately rewarding.

7 people found this helpful

J. Davey

The best so far

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 5, 2017

Verified Purchase

This series has been one of the most riveting I have read in some time; Martin is a master craftsman of works and characters, and thus far I think this is the best book if for no other reason than because the stakes have been massively raised and things are finally starting to happen, as opposed to the last two books which were very much scene-setting. I can't wait for the next in the series to download so I can get right back into the thick of the drama!

2 people found this helpful

Richard Wright

The Kingslayer's tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2012

Verified Purchase

It seems clear to me that, when Martin originally plotted these books, he probably intended for the key events here to be the mid-sequence climax. It's extraordinarily eventful, with shock building on shock. The Red Wedding, Joffrey's own wedding, Tyrion's final moments with his father, Catelyn's return following the Red Wedding (who in their right mind would get married in Westeros?)... it's all go in Westeros, and makes this one of the most gripping books in the whole arc. Plots seeded years before begin to come to light, and what had seemed to be the set journeys of several characters are overturned entirely. There are dramatic returns, daring escapes, betrayals, maimings, murders, and much more. The Song of Fire and Ice has often been called the fantasy book that finally grabbed women from outwit the genre - a gateway drug for fantasy as a whole. However, it's also clear that it's a gateway drug for men too - a gateway to soap opera! Not that this is a bad thing - for all that this could be Dallas with swords (and a X rating), it's how every bloke would want soap opera to be. it's epic, frightening, and thrilling, and at the same time races to the pulse of characters that we've grown to know very well. I labelled the first book Ned's tale, and the second book Tyrion's. For me, this one is Jaime's story. For the first time we see the world from the Kingslayer's point of view, and it takes little time to see that he's not as black and white as he first appeared. The man who throws children from towers and screws his sister is also a man deeply in love, whose life has been defined by one moment when he both saved a Kingdom, and betrayed his most sacred vows. Maimed and on the run, I watched him evolve, and he's who I think of when I look back on this book.

Nerf_Herder_69

A Storm of Swords

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 6, 2014

Verified Purchase

These books are taking over my life, I have never found a series of books so addictive. When I'm not reading them, I'm anticipating my next journey into Westeros.

The Song of Fire and Ice series is fantasy for adults. Plenty of sex and violence, sure, but with a rich world and interesting, relatable characters, who are never really "good" or "bad", but are simply trying to survive their brutal existence as best they can. George RR Martin really brings the world to life with his descriptive prose (he seems to have a particular interest in describing clothing in detail, but you soon get used to that). He's also not afraid to kill off characters, even major ones, at any point in the story by any means. This adds a real sense of danger.

As with most fantasy, there are dragons and giants and the like, but mostly the story revolves around the power struggle of the knights and lords in the seven kingdoms of Westeros. The chapters are each told from a different character's perspective, which is really refreshing.

My only slight complaint would be that occasionally too many characters are introduced in quick succession. This can be overwhelming, and you find yourself not remembering the important ones later on.

On to a Feast for Crows, then...

Suzi3

Winter is here

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

The story continues, develops, takes on some unexpected twists and turns. I found myself sympathising with characters I had previously loathed, whilst still despising them; while I could predict some of the action, there were moments when I was taken completely by surprise.

Martin writes believable characters in the midst of some totally weird situations; characters behave in really complex ways, just like real people do and I like the way Martin captures the way people don't always do the things you think they will do. I also like the way, because it is written from different perspectives, you get a variety of view points and you get a glimpse into how miscommunication, misinterpretation and confusions come about.

I couldn't put it down until I got to that point where you know that if you read for too much longer, you will finish the book but you don't want to finish the book - oh the agony of that dilemma! I now have to decide how long I can put off buying the next one.

See all reviews

George R. R. Martin
11,746
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
13,749
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
16,812
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
26,033
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $8.99
George R. R. Martin
12,379
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $9.99
George R. R. Martin
8,369
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99

Buying Options

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Follow the Author

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

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

Amazon.com Review

From Booklist

From Publishers Weekly

From the Back Cover

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

From AudioFile

About the Author

Review

Product details

About the author

George R. R. Martin

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Customers who bought this item also bought