Scan barcode
A review by batrock
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
5.0
It's not often that the first thought I have upon finishing a book is "whoa, I never saw that coming", but that was precisely my reaction to the conclusion of A Storm of Swords. This book works better than A Clash of Kings because Martin has so much goddamned momentum. With the addition of a new character POV and some parallel plot lines, he's able to keep parts of the story running for chapters at a time rather than abandoning them altogether for hundreds of pages. The Arya/Catelyn back and forth chapters are amongst his finest and the level of thrills present is admirable.
Of course, all of this comes at a price: nothing nice or good really happens in this book, except maybe to Daenerys. Even that's asking a bit much. Yes, more than anything else, Martin's work is dependent on an intense streak of sadism. But this is a damned easy read and, again, I must note that it's nowhere near as sexually perverted as he could have gotten away with. I salute this piece of work and look forward to A Feast For Crows even though it covers basically none of the characters given POVs in this book. Damnit, Martin.
Of course, all of this comes at a price: nothing nice or good really happens in this book, except maybe to Daenerys. Even that's asking a bit much. Yes, more than anything else, Martin's work is dependent on an intense streak of sadism. But this is a damned easy read and, again, I must note that it's nowhere near as sexually perverted as he could have gotten away with. I salute this piece of work and look forward to A Feast For Crows even though it covers basically none of the characters given POVs in this book. Damnit, Martin.