lexiomancer 's review for:

A Storm of Swords: Blood and Gold by George R.R. Martin

5.0

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When I picked up A Storm of Swords, I had several people tell me that it was the best of the series. They were not wrong. Granted, there are two volumes left for me to read (and a further two that Martin has yet to release), but I found the third installment of A Song of Ice and Fire to be the most enjoyable thus far. I was consumed by this book. There were plenty of other things I could have or should have been doing with my time, but I chose to read A Storm of Swords instead. I actually could not put it down. When I finished it the other night (which I did at about nine in the evening), I was immediately upset by the knowledge that I could not go out and purchase the next volume. I am hesitant to go into any sort of detail about the book for fear of spoiling something. I will say this much, however. The scope of the series seems to grow with each book as Martin paints a fuller and fuller picture of the world that he has created. There is so much to take in that, at once, it would be overwhelming, but I have found that Martin does an excellent job familiarizing his readers with parts of the world at a time. Westeros and the lands of the Dothraki are familiar to us by the time we are exposed to the wilds Beyond the Wall and the cities of Slaver's Bay. Martin is creating an epic, a staggeringly intricate saga that is as much high fantasy as it is political intrigue and, to a certain extent, history. As I have said in the past and will, no doubt, say again, I applaud Martin for the way he has drawn me and so many others into this world. If there was a doubt in my mind before this volume, it has vanished. I am addicted.