A Storm of Swords: The bestselling classic epic fantasy series behind the award-winning HBO and Sky TV show and phenomenon GAME OF THRONES: Book 3 (A Song of Ice and Fire)

It seems clear to me that, when Martin originally plotted these books, he probably intended for the key events here to be the mid-sequence climax. It's extraordinarily eventful, with shock building on shock. The Red Wedding, Joffrey's own wedding, Tyrion's final moments with his father, Catelyn's return following the Red Wedding (who in their right mind would get married in Westeros?)... it's all go in Westeros, and makes this one of the most gripping books in the whole arc. Plots seeded years before begin to come to light, and what had seemed to be the set journeys of several characters are overturned entirely. There are dramatic returns, daring escapes, betrayals, maimings, murders, and much more. The Song of Fire and Ice has often been called the fantasy book that finally grabbed women from outwit the genre - a gateway drug for fantasy as a whole. However, it's also clear that it's a gateway drug for men too - a gateway to soap opera! Not that this is a bad thing - for all that this could be Dallas with swords (and a X rating), it's how every bloke would want soap opera to be. it's epic, frightening, and thrilling, and at the same time races to the pulse of characters that we've grown to know very well. I labelled the first book Ned's tale, and the second book Tyrion's. For me, this one is Jaime's story. For the first time we see the world from the Kingslayer's point of view, and it takes little time to see that he's not as black and white as he first appeared. The man who throws children from towers and screws his sister is also a man deeply in love, whose life has been defined by one moment when he both saved a Kingdom, and betrayed his most sacred vows. Maimed and on the run, I watched him evolve, and he's who I think of when I look back on this book.

The third book in this series suprassed A Clash of Kings with flying colours, and even may be slightly better than the amazing first novel, A Game of Thrones. The best thing about it is that each POV feels like it is from a different author, the perspective of the character's so well crafted and individual. So i will review each POV individually. Jaime Lannister One of the two new POV's, it was intriuging to see the workings of Jaime's mind, and learn that underneath all the bloodshed, he's a nice man. The relationship between him and Breinne of Tarth is one of the best in the series. 8/10 Catelyn Stark Her grief for her sons was heart-wrenching, especially since we know their not dead. She is probably one of the most conventional characters in the series, but definitelly more interesting than her son. Robb's dullness made me root for Stannis. All the same, her eyes saw politics in a different light to the other characters, and this was interesting. 7/10 Bran Stark Bran is on an exceedingly selfish journey (he didn't even bother to tell any family members he was alive) to find the three-eyed crow. Bran's few chapters are full to the brim of rainy landscapes, light bantering and Hodor saying "hodor". Mild amuesment aside, it is the weakest of the narratives. 6/10 Arya Stark Arya is one of my favourite characters in A Song of Ice and Fire, a perfect foil to her dumb sister. Her storyline, though, is not as exciting as some of the others, but good all the same, as her, Gendry and Hot Pie make their way across the kingdom. Arya, at ten, is probably more capable than most of the adult characters. 9/10 Tyrion Lannister Although no longer the hand of the king, Tyrion, the witty, clever dwarf of house Lannister, has recovered from his wounds in the Battle of Blackwater Bay, and is cleverer than ever. Tyrion is great, and his storyline here is even better than in A Clash of Kings, espeically towards the end of the book. 10/10 Samwell Tarly The other new POV. Depsite being alot like him in terms of courage, i find Sam's personality quite annoying, and that drags down his chapters. The event's he witnesses, though, are very exciting, and while Jon is in the wildling camp, Sam shows us what is going on in the Watch. 8/10 Davos Seaworth Davos is probably the most bone-deep honest and true character in A Song of Ice and Fire since Ned died, and is the only one who sees Milisandre's evil for what it really is. Although nothing much happens, his influence is water to Milisandre's fire and he is a great addition to the series. 8/10 Sansa Stark Despite annoying me in the first and second books, here it seems that Sansa has, at least partially, grown up. Her marriage to a certain somebody (SPOILERS) brings out a cruel side to her that we thought was gone when Ned was executed, and her sadness is, although nothing compared to Catelyn's, touching. 9/10 Jon Snow In the first two books i saw Jon's chapters as chores to read, but here, everything in the north breaks loose, and while the Others attack Castle Black, Jon infiltrates the wildings, and starts a relationship with one, which tears Jon between the sides, and makes the infiltration harder than it first was. 9/10 Daenerys Targaryen Best for last. In A Clash of Kings, her storyline really dragged, and it was a letdown after hers in the first book had been prehaps the best. It really picks up here, as she becomes a very real threat, and actually does some conquering, like Aegon before her. Very exciting, showing the Mother of Dragons is back on form. 10/10

In my opinion 'A Storm of Swords' is an improvement on it's predecessor, 'A Clash of Kings', which was a bit arid, with lots of scene-setting, genealogy and heraldry to contend with. This one still feels like a very long book with many extended passages where nothing much happens, thankfully interspersed regularly with some thrilling action that keeps you enthralled. The author's choice to start every new chapter with a different lead character from the chapter before and therefore a different story line, means that the narrative leaps around a lot. He has so many lead characters all with their own story, that it can be many chapters before you pick up the thread of any one story line again. This can be frustrating, as it can be a while before you remember what is supposed to be happening. Somehow that does happen, usually within a few paragraphs. I'm not sure how else the author could have structured the book, though, without cutting out some of the characters or reducing the number of plot lines - surely the story would have been poorer for that! Having said that, the narrative associated with some characters really seems to drag on and maybe could have been edited somewhat? I groaned inwardly whenever I saw 'Bran' as a chapter heading. 'Arya' and 'Sansa' chapters are better, but not by much! On the other hand, life is never dull around 'Tyrion' or 'Jaime', nor of course 'Daenarys', all superb creations. Again, with this book, the list of supporting characters is VAST, and the more you read the longer it becomes. I found it more than a little difficult to place everyone. Just as an example, who the hell was Beric Dondarrion, and should I care? There's no way to find out without referring back to the last book and hunting for him. I've come to the conclusion that it would take 3 or 4 readings to get it all down. I fully expect this epic series to be the subject of a university course in years to come! I decided not to even attempt to remember all the houses and characters and where they come from and just relax and go with it. On balance, because of some of the boring fluff and other frustrations which mar the story a bit I'm going to give this 4 rather than 5 stars, but I do think this is a great book. The author has taken on the task of describing a World War in fantasy form. It is epic, fascinating, and ultimately rewarding.

Originally published in two separate parts, we have arrived at the mammoth third installment of the Song Of Ice and Fire. We are joined by two new narrators Jon's friend Samwell Tarly, and Jaime Lannister. This just after I praised the fact in my last post that not having Jaime as a narrator made him a more elusive character! Having Jaime on board does work though as he is one of the more fascinating characters and the events of Storm Of Swords serve to create a much different man from the one we've previously seen. Although there are certain sections in Storm of Swords that disappoint, Arya persistently lurches from disaster to disaster with no real purpose and I still can't warm to Daenarys...Storm of Swords is packed with amazing and unexpected moments. Though there are points along the way where chapters merely serve as exposition or to move characters from one event to the next, some of the major episodes and incidents in this novel and there are many, are breathtaking. There are several battles and several weddings, each more unbelievable, in the best of senses, than the last, several shock deaths, many plot twists you do NOT see coming, and a closing epilogue which leaves you open-mouthed. My personal response was "Wait....? Let me read that again....oh my god I DID read it right....WHAT? AWESOME!" It closes on a truly special twist following a twist, an ultimate cliffhanger. There are also some really satisfying moments for favourite characters, Tyrion particularly, and certain characters really do get the comeuppance the reader has been desperate to see in the first two books, and the two shadowy conspirators Varys and Baelish outdo themselves with their intrigues. Having read A Game Of Thrones and A Clash Of Kings you begin to presume. You presume you know where Martin is going with certain characters and certain plots, both in this book and the books to come and you are certain you know who the 'good' and 'bad' characters are. The joy of this book is that Martin laughs in your face and proves you presumptuous, suddenly everything you thought you knew shifts, and leaves you reeling in shock. I sincerely hope that the HBO series starting on Monday here succeeds long enough in order to bring this third book to the screen as some of its moments are almost made to be seen on screen. If this book were a theatre performance, there are moments where you would start applauding for the sheer talent of the writing, both in concept and execution. Although I was uncertain of it at the beginning, there are so many wonderful things in Storm of Swords from massive events to one line sentences, so many genius moments that I must give this book a 10/10

I'm a fast reader so bought the two in one thinking it might last me a while. Unfortunately that meant I barely slept for a week because I couldn't put it down. It's so exciting... I hardly wanted to talk to anyone, I just wanted to gobble this book up. The book has started splitting from the tv series in these books whereas the first is almost identical. It's good to see some changes and other characters. The most impressive thing is that the author can write books of such staggering size whilst keeping the stories so riveting and the characters so interesting. I've read other books in similar format, where one persons story is so much more exciting you want to skip other people's chapters to get back to it - but that's not the case here. There also isn't an overwhelming number of people - the next book 4 is the first point this storey starts sagging. If you love book one, then get this and you will not be disappointed. You'll then perhaps need to gather yourself for book 4, and I can't comment on book 5 as I'm slogging my way through book 4 at the mo :). I think I can only compare this series to Robert Jordan Wheel of Time series because of the size and fantasy - but as enjoyable as Robert Jordan is - this series is much more impressively written.

Love this book please let me know if you have any more of there series ill be intrested to see what you have is there a website or shop you have so i can have a look kind regs Andrew

The third book in the series brings several lines in the saga to a climax and makes this book the most exciting and enjoyable of the series so far. The writing is rich and well constructed with many twists and unexpected turns in the action and lives of the main characters. The kingdoms are still at war with many claimants to the throne and the north is stirring and moving to the wall.I haven't seen much of the TV adaptation but the book gives a better understanding of the complex nature of the plots and the background. Some people find the listing of families and many other things a bit too much and I partially agree but you they have been well throughout and sometimes off insights and humour which enrich the understanding of the main themes. I shall travel on to book 4 with great expectations. Robin Guy

The story continues, develops, takes on some unexpected twists and turns. I found myself sympathising with characters I had previously loathed, whilst still despising them; while I could predict some of the action, there were moments when I was taken completely by surprise. Martin writes believable characters in the midst of some totally weird situations; characters behave in really complex ways, just like real people do and I like the way Martin captures the way people don't always do the things you think they will do. I also like the way, because it is written from different perspectives, you get a variety of view points and you get a glimpse into how miscommunication, misinterpretation and confusions come about. I couldn't put it down until I got to that point where you know that if you read for too much longer, you will finish the book but you don't want to finish the book - oh the agony of that dilemma! I now have to decide how long I can put off buying the next one.