Reviews

Returning to George R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords: Part One was a mixed experience for me. It’s been a while since I last tried to make my way through the series, but I felt a desire to revisit the world of Westeros and see if I could rediscover the magic that captivated me in "A Game of Thrones." And that first book still holds up brilliantly. It's a masterpiece of fantasy storytelling.

However, my experience with A Clash of Kings left a shadow over my enthusiasm. On both attempts, I found myself bogged down in the dense political maneuvering that seemed to overshadow the fantastical elements I had come to love. The tension and intrigue of the first book gave way to a seemingly endless game of political chess, and for me, that was where the series began to lose its spark.

A Storm of Swords: Part One is an improvement, but it continues in the vein of its predecessor. The political maneuverings remain front and center, with power struggles and courtly intrigues taking precedence over the more magical elements of the world. I found myself yearning for the fantasy I was promised at the start—a world where direwolves, White Walkers, and dragons loom large. Instead, these elements feel more like occasional flourishes rather than the driving force of the narrative.

Part of me wonders if the lingering disappointment of A Clash of Kings is affecting my perception of this book. Or perhaps it's simply that the series, after that stunning opening, isn't quite what I wanted it to be. I had hoped for an epic fantasy adventure, but what I've found is more akin to a gritty political drama with some dragons thrown in for good measure. And honestly, that’s just not what I was hoping for.

For those who enjoy the intricate political plots and the morally grey characters that Martin so expertly crafts, A Storm of Swords: Part One will likely be a rewarding read. For me, though, it feels like the series lost its way somewhere after that first, brilliant installment. And I'm left unsure if it’s worth pushing forward when the magic of that initial experience seems to have faded.

sminismoni's review against another edition

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3.0

Slow to start but got better towards the end. Without concurrently watching the TV show, I suspect my investment in what happens to the characters would be much less. One of the few cases where the TV version might be better than the book.

francescomartini's review against another edition

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5.0

-Sono nato. Sono vissuto. Sono colpevole di essere un nano, lo confesso. E non ha avuto alcuna importanza quante volte il mio buon padre mi abbia perdonato, io ho perseverato nella mia infamia di esistere.-
Senza ombra di dubbio e con un grande distacco rispetto agli altri il più bel volume della saga. So far, s'intende.
NB: la recensione si riferisce al volume di "Tempesta di spade", quindi a tutti e tre i libri con cui è uscito in Italia.

E' il libro che ha consacrato definitivamente la mia passione per questa saga (e il libro che ha rovinato i miei appelli d'esame di Gennaio). Attenzione: provoca dipendenza e nuoce gravemente alla vita sociale.
Da un punto di vista stilistico, i romanzi di Martin si possono dire, io credo, tutti egualmente validi. In particolare non c'è libro che non valga la pena di esser letto già soltanto per i dialoghi. Ad ogni modo, un elogio particolare va a mio avviso alla sezione in cui è contenuto l'estratto con cui aperto la recensione, e chi ha letto il libro sa sicuramente a cosa mi riferisco.
Tuttavia, ciò che distingue questo libro dagli altri (senza che alcuno di essi sia, sotto questo punto di vista, pessimo) è la costruzione. Martin in questo caso la orchestra alla perfezione, e ogni intreccio è sviluppato perfettamente rispetto agli altri, risultando meravigliosamente tangente, secante o parallelo, ma mai sconnesso.

Insomma, decisamente valeva la pena di impegnare così tanto tempo nel costruire il background per poter apprezzare al meglio questo volume. Un po' meno vale la pena, in generale, di affezionarsi ai personaggi.

lauraeydmann82's review against another edition

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5.0

Awesome next instalment of this series… if you haven’t read any of the other books in this series, don’t start here! If you have, you’ll be pleased to know that in my opinion, the series goes from strength to strength.

If you’ve not read these books, and you like fantasy, you should. They are up there with the best – I would rank J.R. R. Tolkien, Robin Hobb and George R. R. Martin as my 3 favourite fantasy writers by far. If you’ve seen the TV series you know that the story doesn’t pull any punches, and I would say there is more sex, swearing and violence in the books than the TV series.

The characters are complex and well developed, and over the course of the books there is plenty of time to keep them this way. Main characters die, and when you first pick up the books you will probably be a little overwhelmed by the amount of characters, but just let it all wash over you, you’ll remember the important ones, and Martin is very good at introducing characters and helping you remember/discover who they are. The story lines and plots are intricate and intertwined, and have kept me interested throughout, and the technique of having each chapter told by a certain character is a fantastic way of helping tell a story spread across a whole kingdom, and several years.

Spoiler

So, now for a little bit of spoilers… Jaime and Brienne are released by Catelyn to trade for her daughters, Robb marries a Westerling, destroying his betrothal to the Freys, and Arya meets the ‘Brotherhood without Banners’. King Joffrey decides to break his betrothal to Sansa and marry Lady Margaery Tyrell instead. Sansa instead has to marry Tyrion. Jon Snow goes beyond the Wall with the Night’s Watch and hatches a plan to spy on the Wildlings by pretending to become one of them. Daenerys is working her way through Slaver Bay freeing the slaves and building an army.

We learn more about Jaime in this book, he is less of an arrogant prince and becomes more likeable as we learn more about his choices, and he becomes more humble. His relationship with Brienne is something I particularly enjoyed throughout this book. As always Tyrion seems to be the only character with any sense, compassion and intelligence, but still ends up being ridiculed and hated by his sister and father. Arya is becoming more of a warrior and less of a ‘lady’, which I like, Martin writes some good female characters!

So, if you’re working your way through the series, this doesn’t disappoint, if you’ve not read any of these yet, start at the beginning, and enjoy!

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