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A review by bookph1le
A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
4.0
That ending! It left me as giddy with a mixture of glee and revulsion as it did the first time I read it, all those years ago. I can hardly wait to see how they handle it in season four on HBO. Some spoilers ahead.
My one criticism of this book is that it's so very repetitive and bloated with pointless detail at times. I ate this long, long book over a pretty short amount of time, yet I had to drag myself through some passages. I can tell Martin is fascinated by heraldry, but I can see no real reason to tell the reader, in great detail, about every last minor player's device. We got the thing about the dog's head the first time, and if we don't know about the maesters' chains by now, we're not paying attention and never will.
Other than that, this book is such a feat with flat out brilliant characterization. Martin juggles his vast cast and intricate plot lines with a skill any soap opera writer would envy. And that's exactly what this series is, one long, gloriously, deliciously macabre fantasy soap opera.
My favorite highlights from this book are the fracturing of the Lannisters, just when they seem to be emerging triumphant, and the saga of the Starks, who are proving to be harder to kill off than anyone expected. Plus, the revelation about what really happened to Jon Arryn is devastating, considering what his death set into motion. It proves just who is the scariest person in all of Westeros. Martin, I applaud your mastery.
This book ties up many threads and sets the stage for the new territory into which the saga is venturing. I can't wait to read the next book and am so glad I decided to reread the first three first.
My one criticism of this book is that it's so very repetitive and bloated with pointless detail at times. I ate this long, long book over a pretty short amount of time, yet I had to drag myself through some passages. I can tell Martin is fascinated by heraldry, but I can see no real reason to tell the reader, in great detail, about every last minor player's device. We got the thing about the dog's head the first time, and if we don't know about the maesters' chains by now, we're not paying attention and never will.
Other than that, this book is such a feat with flat out brilliant characterization. Martin juggles his vast cast and intricate plot lines with a skill any soap opera writer would envy. And that's exactly what this series is, one long, gloriously, deliciously macabre fantasy soap opera.
My favorite highlights from this book are the fracturing of the Lannisters, just when they seem to be emerging triumphant, and the saga of the Starks, who are proving to be harder to kill off than anyone expected. Plus, the revelation about what really happened to Jon Arryn is devastating, considering what his death set into motion. It proves just who is the scariest person in all of Westeros. Martin, I applaud your mastery.
This book ties up many threads and sets the stage for the new territory into which the saga is venturing. I can't wait to read the next book and am so glad I decided to reread the first three first.