missing an entire chapter | A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)

Wait until he finishes the series before buying | A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) | George R.R. Martin

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	• A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3) George R.R. Martin Bantam, 2003 - 1216 pages average customer review:based on 791 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It. Will. Blow. You. Away.

No, really, it will. This is in my view the best of A Song of Ice and Fire (so far). And in case you for some reason haven't read the first two installments yet, this means a hell of a lot. ASOIAF is very likely the best fantasy series still in the making, and one of the best of all time. Wheel of Time? Ha. WoT hasn't been fit to lick this book's boots since The Fires of Heaven.

I'm going to avoid plot summary in this review, both because there is so much of it, and because I really don't want to reveal anything that could spoil your enjoyment of it when it occurs. But the plot is as fresh as ever, shocking and swift-moving, full of spine-tingling coups and incredible cliff-hangers. The characters are balanced well (which isn't always the case, as most who read epic fantasy can attest), and the dialogue is better than you can believe, for the most part.

There are a few storylines which drag a little on occasion, granted. But those that succeed more than make up for them, and Martin's continuing ability to force his readers to sympathize with anyone (really. ANYONE. Just wait) is astounding.

In the end, all I can really say about this book that will come close to describing what the reading experience was like for me is that on at least three occasions I started shouting out loud, and on one, I felt compelled to go for a run, just to blow off steam. It's that good.

All of this praise comes with a single warning: if you have not read Martin's books before and are considering purchasing them for yourself or someone else, please take into account the fact that they are very dark at parts, and very gritty (that's good gritty, balanced by charm, but still...the march through ASOS is strewn with blood, sex, and the splintered fragments of various taboos). So if, say, Drizzt Do'Urden and His Amazing Platonic Pals are about your speed, in terms of fantasy...take care. This has the capacity to shock young or sensitive readers.

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missing an entire chapter

Great book but beware, an entire chapter is missing. I ordered it new from Amazon and pages 593-624 are missing. In their place is a repeat of pages 561-592. I'm guessing it was a printing issue for this edition isbn 978-0-553-57342-8. The only option would be return, would be nice if you could get a partial refund while keeping a partial book...

Wait until he finishes the series before buying

The first three books where with out a doubt some of the best Fantasy writing I have ever read.
I mean 'Lord of the Rings' good, I will re-read them every couple of years, great!

But George has broken trust, the trust established between an author and reader of Epic Fantasy, I buy your books and you continue to write the story. I bought the books George! Now it has been 5 years, many excuses and broken promises later and still no book 5 is forth coming. I would recommend that we all wait for him to finish the series and then buy the books

I also now have a bigger worry, now with the HBO series coming out, will George give in to the temptation to write with an eye toward HBO picking up the entire series.

Sorry George.
You have broken trust.

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still epic

Book 3 of the series "a song of ice and fire", and things are still kickin. the author has taken a very unique approach to writing this series and he still keeps you on your toes. I grow fond of one characters schemes and start to root for them,and then they get snuffed out!it really is hard to read this series and not get pulled into his world. and id like to point out that this is a realistic fantasy book, in so far as that characters do die in battles and dont pull through mortal wounds or poison. i hate books where someone gets a blank through their heart/brain and a few chapters later you find out some super awesome healer person just happened to be there and took it upon themselves to fix said character right up. not in this series, a few chapters later you might find out someone is pissing on their grave, but they stay in the ground. ive let a few people borrow the first book and they all have liked it, i highly recommend this series.

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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. . .

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