A Storm of Swords
2000
- nyt:mass_market_paperback=2011-06-04
- seven kingdoms (imaginary place)
- fiction
- fantasy fiction
- imaginary wars and battles
- reading level-grade 7
- reading level-grade 9
- reading level-grade 8
- reading level-grade 11
- reading level-grade 10
The story
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. . . Preceded by: [***A Clash of Kings***][1] Followed by: [***A Feast for Crows***][2] ([Source][3]) [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL257939W [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL257948W [3]: https://georgerrmartin.com/grrm_book/a-storm-
What it’s like
Dense, unhurried prose that moves between a dozen viewpoints, each chapter taking its name from the character whose eyes we see through, so the reading experience feels like being passed from hand to hand across a map of cold stone keeps, muddy riverbanks, and salt-wind coastlines. The palette is grey and iron-cold in the north, with candlelit feasting halls and smoky taverns breaking up long stretches of rain, mud, and frost; the sensory world is heavy with horses, wet wool, fur cloaks, and the smell of camp fires and rot. Sword-and-politics vibe, brooding and bleak, with occasional flashes of dark wit. The tone is a long, slow, gathering dread, the sort of book that suits a rainy weekend under a blanket, a long flight, or a stretch of nights when you want to be absorbed for hours. Pacing is patient, with intricate court manoeuvring and sudden, shocking turns; arcs follow ambitious people undone by their own choices, and the emotional register swings between grief, cynicism, and fragile hope. Intensity is high: frequent battle violence, graphic and often lingering gore, executions, torture, and sexual violence and cruelty, with much of it landing hard and without consolation. Not gentle. Written for readers who want sprawling political fantasy with moral grey, a real sense of consequence, and a world that feels lived-in and dangerous.
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