 "well written but a never ending saga, prepare for disappointment" | 2010-02-28 |
| - Reviewed By John Craine from Westwood, MA |
I've got to get this off my chest. George R.R. Martin is a very good writer and an excellent plotsman BUT....this series takes FOREVER. And, just when you think that you've found some momentum (after 2000 pages!!!) you find out that the series isn't finished.
Martin's plot develop is excellent and this series contains many sub-plots that could stand on their own. The problem is that there is never any resolution to any of the plot lines. It reminds me of the old TV series Twin Peaks that died under the weight of it's continually changing and evolving plot twists. It became so convoluted that viewers simply stopped caring and you got the sense the writers were just screwing with the audience with no true sense of purpose or direction.
From the outset it's clear that one of Martin's obsessions is medieval heraldry. He devotes an inordinate number of words to vivid heraldic descriptions. Normally this wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that there are a HUGE number of characters and each earns a lengthy description. It's a bit self indulgent but at least he's consistent with it so that it becomes an accepted part of the landscape.
The huge cast presents major challenges for the author as he tries to craft plot lines for them all. This series contains many well drawn and memorable characters that could stand alone in their own stories. But just when you begin to identify with a protagonist or antagonist he kills him/her off. It's baffling to me why an author might devote 500 to 1000 pages developing a character and them simply off them. At first, it comes as a major and unexpected plot twist. After the fifth time it's as if he's thumbing his nose at his audience.
Here's where I think Martin has dropped the ball. Tolkien understood that you can create an entire otherworld but that it takes individual stand-alone stories to build that world brick-by-brick. Martin has created the world first and tried to tell a thousand stories that are all interconnected in some way (we are often left to guess how).
In the final analysis, I enjoyed these books a lot. Ultimately, though, without resolution, there is no sense of satisfaction and the reader's commitment flags under the weight of this never ending saga. |
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 "Swift plot action" | 2010-01-26 |
| - Reviewed By R. N. Webb |
| Just when you think you might have one or two things figured out, Martin surprises with a murder or romance that will blow your mind. He is merciless. I love it! |
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| "The finest work of epic fantasy since Tolkien" | 2010-01-25 |
| - Reviewed By Werthead from Colchester, Essex United Kingdom |
The Battle of the Blackwater has radically shifted the balance of power in the War of the Five Kings. The Lannisters and Tyrells are now allied together, granting the boy-king Joffrey a vast army against which it appears that Robb Stark, the King in the North, and his allies cannot stand. In the distant lands beyond the Wall, Jon Snow has infiltrated the wildlings to learn more about their plans and objectives, but finds his loyalties torn when he learns that even the free folk have their own codes of honour. And, far beyond the eastern seas, Daenerys Targaryen attempts to hire an army of warriors to her cause from the stinking cities of Slaver's Bay, and decides to bring justice and freedom to these lands, despite it delaying her return home to Westeros.
A Storm of Swords is both the third volume of A Song of Ice and Fire and, individually, the finest work of epic fantasy published since at least The Silmarillion in 1977. George R.R. Martin's writing skills in the first book were good, better in the second and hit impressive new heights here in the third, with growing layers of description and writing giving the Seven Kingdoms more colour and more depth with each passing volume. The characterisation remains strong, and in A Storm of Swords Martin delivers one of his masterstrokes by upgrading the hitherto villainous and reprehensible Jaime Lannister to full POV status. By taking us into the head of one of the 'bad guys' and showing us what makes him tick without descending into cliche (Jaime is still a dangerous and somewhat unpleasant character), Martin achieves some very fine character description and growth.
Elsewhere, Swords gives us some of the most out-and-out memorable moments in fantasy fiction in a long time. The duel between the Red Viper and the Mountain That Rides, several confrontations between Tyrion and his father, two certain weddings, the epic battle of the Wall, Bran and his companions' journey northwards and much more all resonate very strongly indeed. There is also some very nice subtlety, such as Meera's 'story' which is clearly not just a story, and Daenerys' realisation that having royal blood isn't enough, she must also earn her crown through experience and wisdom nicely subverts some of the more dubious cliches of fantasy fiction centering on noble families ruling through 'divine right' alone.
There is one slight cause for concern: Martin's writing definitely becomes more descriptive with each passing novel, contributing to their growing sizes and page-counts. Arguably not much more happens, in terms of sheer important incidents, in Storm than in Thrones, but the book is over a third longer. Whilst the pacing and writing quality remains superb in this volume, this growth in size and depth does evoke troubling memories of what happened to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series around its sixth volume. Also, whilst it's not a problem for Storm, the decision to hold back some story developments from the end of Storm (where they chronologically belong, such as the ironborn kingsmoot and so on) for the then-planned five-year-gap (and later inserted into Feast instead) does contribute to some of the writing issues in the two subsequent novels, and their resultingly epic writing times. On the plus side, this does result in Storm having a very strong and somewhat final ending. It's certainly not a full resolution of all the stories in progress, but those stories are 'plateaued' or put on hold in a manner that does not demand immediate resolution (probably why the wait for Feast was not as onerous for many fans as the one for Dance is at the moment). For those put off from reading A Song of Ice and Fire so far due to its incomplete status, the fact that you can read the first three books alone and reach a natural pausing point rather than a cliffhanger may be useful information.
A Storm of Swords (*****) is an excellent fantasy novel, rich in memorable characters, classic moments, fierce battles, quieter moments of reflection and some almost stomach-churning moments of genuine shock and betrayal. It remains unmatched among modern epic fantasy novels (although some have come close to unseating it) for combining a sheer epic scope and a real sense of humanity at the same time. |
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| "Not a fantasy fan" | 2010-01-12 |
| - Reviewed By DieHard |
| I personally don't like fantasy books. I've tried reading them but I don't think I've ever finished one, including LOTR. Historical fiction is my preference. Bernard Cornwell's great Saxon series is one example. I asked a co-worker who reads fantasy almost exclusively to try the Saxon series. He enjoyed it and told me I would like the Song of Fire and Ice series. Well, he was wrong. I LOVE it! For some of you the lack of wizards and dragons etc is a disappointment but for me, Dani's storyline with the dragons is the weakest part of the series. But Martin has created a fantastic world and I can't seem to wait to read what happens next. A hint: it's probably not what you think will happen. Well I gotta go. Several "good" characters just got whacked at an otherwise festive occasion. Gotta see what happens next. |
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| "The crowning acheivement of the series (so far)" | 2009-12-07 |
| - Reviewed By Bret from USA |
| What can be said that hasn't been said already? Even so, I feel like throwing my two cents into the pot: this is the best of the series so far (out of the four books available as of this writing). I absolutely loved it, as well as the rest of the series, but this is the crowning achievement in my opinion. The finale to this epic novel was amazing. |
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 "Half excellent" | 2009-12-02 |
| - Reviewed By Dave from Minneapolis |
My ratings for this series continue to slide (5 stars for book 1, 4 stars for book 2, and 3 stars here), and I think if this was the first book, I'd be less inclined to continue with the series. That said, the second half of it is fantastic, and brought me back into the fold to immediately start reading book 4.
There is no denying Martin's brilliance - not many authors can create an entire world, with a complete history, and still find ways to make all the characters realistic and human. The main characters continue to develop, if possible, further into gray. They will draw your ire and pity in alternating chapters.
That said, it's simply too much. Too many backstories. Too many houses with too many generations of history. It fantastically impressive that Martin can do it, but that doesn't make it good reading. He may have devoted years of his life to creating this, but I personally don't want to devote my life to reading it and learning it, just to get the real reason this character is double-crossing that. It would've been just as impressive, and better reading, pared back by about 50% in this volume.
I also noticed the editing in this one had numerous typographical mistakes ("windows and orphans" was one example, another was Arya pulling the same knife out of the woodwork twice in subsequent paragraphs, and the italicized internal monologues are just tiring.). Perhaps the editors got lulled as well.
However, just as I thought I was done, WHAM! The plot twists were back! The double crosses, the deaths of main characters, the battles turning - all the thrillers that keep readers on the edge of their seat were back! The second half of the book moves most of the plot lines along significantly and rapidly. It was enough to keep me up reading until the wee hours night after night until I finished.
I know there are some devotees who feel the complexities and histories must be appreciated - and I did for the first two books. However, averaging 1,000 pages a pop, you start to get into real time investment issues. I also have the perspective of someone who is reading these books consecutively - I can't imagine waiting years for the next installment and trying to get all ramped up again.
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