The third in an excellent series. This one suffered from a meandering narrative and a little bit of bloat. There was a lot of criss-crossing the countryside by various characters, and a few too many coincidental meetings for my taste. Also in excess in this book were: travellers' tales and songs on the way to elsewhere; and prophetic utterings.

Where this series excels is in the characters and the imagined social space they occupy. Overall this installment is good, but not as good as the first two. I nevertheless look forward to A Feast for Crows. ( )

"You know nothing, Jon Snow."

The above is a constant refrain from several books in George R R
Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series.

I have not read a fantasy series that so captivated me in literally ages.

GRRM constantly put his characters into situations where the 'honorable' choice is often untenable, impossible or appears to be entirely without honor. And even when the characters struggle to find the honorable choice, half the time (if not more) the taste of honor turns to dust in their mouths and things beyond their control, understanding, or knowledge, make their choices, their lives, their beliefs shatter apart.

Lots of wars, sword play, heartbreak, and an incredible number of twists, make the books entirely unpredictable. You can't even count on a character surviving. And if they do, death might be kinder. Although if they do survive, you can be certain they've changed and grown and become tempered steel.

Highly, highly recommended. ( )

One criterion I use for books which I rate with 5 stars is do I care about the characters? Are they more than just interesting. Are they characters I will remember? This is the third book in the series I have read and I have a number of characters who I am following closely, Jon Snow, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Sansa Stark, Davos Seaworth, Samwell Tarley, Sandor Clegane, Jaime Lannister, Tyrion Lannister, and Daenerys Targaryen. Then there are a large contingent of really foul characters who deserve terrible ends, Cersei Lannister and Gregor Clegane for instance.
The plot lines weave in every direction, but it is high entertainment. It IS an investment in time but worth it. Mr. Martin knows his Middle Ages and all about war and what goes on. This is a Fantasy book but it rings true. The characters behave in believable ways, though not always predictable...and that's a good thing. ( )

The war for control of the Seven Kingdoms rages on, but now mainly consists of the Lannisters in the south against the Starks in the north. Meanwhile in the far North, a huge barbarian army marches on the Wall with the intent of taking back much of the land to the south of it. In the continent to the east, Danerys Targaryen uses her dragons to gather an army for her own assault on Westeros.

So far, this series has just gotten more interesting with each volume, and this is my favorite of the three so far. All of the characters face difficult situations and have to make tough choices. In enjoyed seeing some new environments such as the strange cities in the east that Danerys encounters, and the view of the people north of the wall. The book does exactly what it needs to do; it continues and deepens the ongoing plot lines of the series and made me anxious to read the next book. ( )

This series is highly readable, and anyone who loves fantasy should find plenty to enjoy in this book. But why does it have to be so ridiculously long? Sure there is plenty going on, with as many threads interwoven as a fine tapestry - or at least a good pair of socks. Nevertheless, some of those threads could have been reduced to move the action along a little more quickly.

But my reasons for giving this only 3 stars must also include a feeling that this book is still rather derivative in a fantasy field that all too often takes its cue from Tolkien and/or fantasy role play games. It is yet another medieval setting with knights and priests and kings and tournaments and everything else that fantasy readers expect, but will put off readers new to the genre because it looks like a copy of Tolkien (sans elves, at least). The only novelty is the seasons, which do not turn with the years. But the logic of this kind of breaks when so many other aspects of our world are carried, as if verbatim, into this work. Sometimes Martin mentions something that just begs to put you in mind of our world, and so the otherness of this one does not stick.

Stylistically, all the characters seem to speak with the same voice. And the phrase "half a ..." seems to be one of Martin's favourites because we have "half a heartbeat" or "half a hundred" repeated so many times by so many characters that I wanted to scream each time I read it!

But if you want swords and sorcery in an earthy format and a good complex and engaging plot, you will enjoy these books. ( )

Awesome. Again if you liked the first two books your going to enjoy this one. The only thing that might be bad is that there are so many characters that are killed off that some of your favorites are probably going to get the axe. There is a lot of betrayal in this edition that will keep you shocked and guessing what will happen next. Three books in and no misses yet, everything had been great. ( )

Gets better and better, bleaker and bleaker for our heroes, though one thing these books do really well is mess with your concepts of heroism and villainy. ( )

Martin weaves such a beautifully complicated yarn where the characters become quite messed up that by the end of the tale almost every major character’s story turns to a drastically and almost shockingly different direction in some of the biggest twists of tales written in the genre. And nobody, I repeat, nobody would ever be prepared for the final page of the book. Kudos to George R.R. Martin! (more) ( )

Continuing to slog through this very good but oh-so-long series. Sometimes the suspense is unbearable, and I feel rather mad at Martin for torturing these characters so much. Just want ... a little break, a little happiness for them, a family reunion, not all the constant ROCKS FALL EVERYONE DIES.

But I keep reading. I've been with these people for over 3,000 pages, I don't want to stop halfway. I do want them to get that bit of happiness eventually. I hope. Maybe. Or at least an instantaneous death without any pain involved. ( )

The best so far... stunning, shocking, and at times beautiful. ( )

If you've read the first two installments of this series, then you know what to expect. I don't see how you could possibly be disappointed. If anything, I tend to appreciate Martin's writing even more as the story progresses.

After reading Book II, I took a short break and read several other works before returning for Book III. I found myself becoming impatient to return to A Song of Ice and Fire. The subject matter intrigues me and Martin's style is right up my alley. Though there is never an "ultimate resolution", each chapter results in a kind of cliffhanger that leaves you looking forward to a return of the just completed thread. I can honestly say that none of the threads fails to entertain, some on radically different levels.

Martin can write as many installments as he wishes and I'll read them all. ( )

This is the best Fantasy novel I have ever read. Stunningly beautiful. ( )

The third and biggest book in the series so far manages more shocks, death betrayals and twists than most fantasy series manage in their entireity.... http://icantstopreading.wordpress.com... ( )

See A Game of Thrones. ( )

I don’t think George RR Martin can be made out of flesh and blood like the rest of us normal folk. His DNA must be coded with pure ridiculous awesomeness. I mean, seriously, just as I didn’t think A Song of Ice and Fire could get better, it does.

A Storm of Swords picks off where the first two books in the series leave it. The Seven Kingdoms has been split by the vying factions of various kings: Joffrey on the Iron Throne, Stannis across the narrow sea, Daenerys in exile, Robb in the north, and anybody else that happens to eye the crown. War has broken out, and political treachery and blood lie thick across the continent of Westeros. So much happens in this book that I really can’t provide an adequate plot summary, but as usual, George RR Martin writes with a sort of ruthless realism that makes you understand just how brutal life can be in a medieval setting. There are no prancing ponies here, but tragedy and betrayal and moments that make your eyes pop out of your head and you think: did he really just do that? No way!

It’s a complex tapestry, the Seven Kingdoms. Characters lie and cheat and love and fight, and this book was just peppered with fantastic moments, from Daenerys and the Unsullied to Oberyn Martell’s revenge for his sister. I have to admit that not all the characters interested me to the same degree, and I much preferred those in the south to those in the north, but that didn’t diminish my overall enjoyment. Now I’m off to read A Feast for Crows and impatiently wait for A Dance with Dragons to come out. Good stuff. ( )

3rd in the series A Song of Fire and Ice.

I may have to start believing commercial reviews, most of which I view as self-serving advertisements that have almost no bearing on the book they’re touting. But in this case, again they’re right on--the 3rd in the Song of Fire and Ice series outdoes the other two, and that’s nigh impossible.

The situation basically is the same, except that one of the contenders for the Iron Throne on which Jeffrey, Robert’s putative son, sits, is dead, murdered in a chilling way as we see more of the fantasy element come into the series. The war intensifies in its savagery. Dragons have re-appeared in the world. Living dead, along with wildlings, threaten to overrun the north.

All in a monster book over 1100 pages long.

Martin uses the same structure of multiple narrators in short, fast-paced segments to keep the excitement high. At one point I thought, “This is like some very high-class soap opera!’, and the series does start to have that feel as you whip from one narrator to another, sometimes with no seeming relevance to the story at hand. Familiar characters with whom we have identified disappear, and new ones arise. All are well-drawn, have their own voices, and are believable in their actions, no matter how noble or depraved they may be.

But it is terrific stuff, the best of its kind I have ever read. Highly recommended. ( )

link: http://eska-rina.livejournal.com/4292... ( )

While most book series begin to trail off towards the middle (this being the 3rd of 7 proposed books), A Storm of Swords not only manages to be as good as its predicessors, but is (so far) the best entry in what is developing to be one of the best series in literary fiction. Deserves more than 5 stars. ( )

I feel a little conflicted about this book. It was definitely a good book, but a lot of unexpected and to some extent disappointing things happened. It’s difficult to like this book. It was really hard to see all the pain that Tyrion went through in this book, especially when he seemed to turn pretty cruel at the end. Also, many in the Stark family got jacked in this book, and I don’t like seeing that either. The introduction of Jaime as a point-of-view character was interesting. So far he has been looked at as a pretty cruel type, but that really got changed in this book. Of course, his character changed pretty drastically too. ( )

A great political thriller! ( )

The third book in an epic fantasy series. Huge in scope and intimate in detail. As good as fantasy gets. As good as books get. ( )

I loved it and had great fun. You have to read the series in order though, otherwise it would not make a lot of sense. Great, epic fantasy at its best. ( )

This is the highlight of the series so far (although the first two books are necessary to appreciate it). The most astonishing scene in the series, and significant changes in the balance of power. Pure magic. ( )

This is the book I just finished. I am liking this epic fantasy series. It doesn't have a whole lot silly fantasy elements like magic, elves, fairies, etc. It is pretty serious stuff, someone commented to me that Martin seems to have a sadistic streak, and it's true that many unfortunate things happen to many of the characters. That is part of what makes the series compelling, it surprises you. If you want fluffy fairies and hot chocolate, this book is not for you. There are a huge number of characters to remember, I really can't separate all the lords and Sers. ( )

Incredible writing- and not just relative to typical fantasy crap writing. Each chapter is a cliff hanger. I love this series. ( )