[Book Review] “A Storm of Swords” is a mammoth epic of Pyrrhic victories, Book 3 of a Song of Ice and Fire

February 28, 2015 marcus goh ., books, game of thrones 0

A Storm of Swords - A Song of Ice and Fire Book 3
A Storm of Swords - A Song of Ice and Fire Book 3
The front cover of "A Storm of Swords" by George R R Martin (Book 3 of "A Song of Ice and Fire")
The front cover of “A Storm of Swords” by George R R Martin (Book 3 of “A Song of Ice and Fire”)

Should you buy this book? Yes, it’s worth it! 

Should you borrow this book? Yes but extend your loan period, you won’t be able to finish it before your borrowing period expires.

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“A Storm of Swords” by George R R Martin is the third book in “A Song of Ice and Fire” series (which has five books to its name now, and possibly three more to go). It no longer has a focus, rather, it covers the continued “War of the Five Kings” as it heads into an unexpectedly bloody conclusion, while also showing us the continued adventures of Daenerys and Jon Snow in their far flung lands.

The back of "A Storm of Swords" by George R R Martin (Book 3 of "A Song of Ice and Fire")
The back of “A Storm of Swords” by George R R Martin (Book 3 of “A Song of Ice and Fire”)

Wow. This book took forever to finish. It’s not something you can finish in a sitting or two – you need a dedicated, continuous, nearly ritualistic reading plan if you want to finish this book in time to remember how it started. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had to flip to an earlier chapter to refresh my memory on what happened, or just to double check if someone had died. It’s a massive undertaking, but a worthwhile one.

Also it’s a really fun epic to read. It plays out almost like a Hong Kong drama at times, with betrayals and surprising alliances popping out of nowhere, long-forgotten grudges and decades of unrequited love resurfacing, and the materialisation of plots and schemes that have took place right under your nose.

The spine of "A Storm of Swords" by George R R Martin (Book 3 of "A Song of Ice and Fire")
The spine of “A Storm of Swords” by George R R Martin (Book 3 of “A Song of Ice and Fire”)

Highlights

Sprawling epic for the ages

If there’s one adjective you can use for the plot, it’s the word “sprawling.” It literally covers almost every possible region (that you would care about), taking you in between locations and events all over Westeros. It helps build this sense of verisimilitude, that the world carries on even if we’re not currently reading about that part of the continent. This helps create the impression of a living, breathing, real-life universe full of grit and consequence, cementing the style and world view of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”

Theme of victory

One strong theme is the idea of the true meaning of victory. The characters start off willing to sacrifice anything to gain victory, but they slowly realise the cost of winning may very well outshadow the joy of the prize. Jamie wonders out loud if his House has truly won, because it seems that way to the rest of the Houses but not to his family. These hollow victories put the characters through the wringer, as they ponder what would really make them happy.

Evolution of the importance of R’hllor

While the religion of R’hllor first comes across as a pushy charismatic evangelistic presumptuous church, when Melisandre and Stannis come into play against another faction later, it becomes clear that R’hllor might actually be the key to saving Westeros. The dislikeable and dogmatic faith might be their saviour after all, and it’s this blend of the upright and unrelatable which makes the revelation of R’hllor’s importance so surprising.

Jamie & Brienne’s friendship

Unlikely pairs of characters are tossed together all over this book, but the most striking duo would be Jamie and Brienne. Despite being at odds, constantly mocking each other, and coming from totally different backgrounds and factions, they form a strange friendship. It’s a friendship that’s deep and true, but you can’t help this nagging feeling that their care and concern for each other will lead both into tragic consequences.

The deaths just keep coming

Even after the major climaxes in the book, the body count racks up continuously. These great shockers help to build character and reveal the intense emotions of our heroes (or anti-heroes, for that matter), so they aren’t just there for the shock factor. Still, I nearly spat my food out seeing how some major characters were murdered in cold blood before the book ended.

Twist ending

And then there’s a true twist ending! Something becomes undone, and poses potentially huge problems for all our heroes in the next few books. I like the twist ending though, because of the characters involved in it, and kudos! Just when I thought I couldn’t be surprised anymore, this book leaves me wanting to read the next.

Other books besides "A Storm of Swords" by George R R Martin (Book 3 of "A Song of Ice and Fire")
Other books besides “A Storm of Swords” by George R R Martin (Book 3 of “A Song of Ice and Fire”)

Letdowns

Sprawling mess of stories

The downside to the word “sprawling” is that the transitions between stories don’t always mesh, especially if you’ve spent too long not reading about a particular plotline. It feels barely manageable at times, keeping track of everything that’s happening, and the switch between stories doesn’t always come with an organic recap of previous events.

This lack of focus hurts the novel, especially since the previous book had such a clear, focused story (to the point of excluding certain characters) that it stands out in most people’s minds as the strongest of the five books.

Too long

It would have been better if it were split into two books – like the television series did. It’s just too much to hold all together in your head for long periods of time, and have it be a satisfactory conclusion when you’re not too sure what happened early on. It’s also hard to have good payoffs if the setups came too long ago.

Jon Snow and the wildlings plot is boring

It could have been summarised. I wanted to read about the Others, not the wildlings, and it just annoys me that after that whole infiltration plot by the wights, nothing has happened since. It’s just whining between the Watch and the wildlings. Where are the Others? Where is the great battle of giants and ice demons?

Tyrion spends too much time wringing his hands

Tyrion seems like a different character in this book. Instead of being proactive and cunning, he’s just whining about his fate most of the time, confined to a castle and being emancipated. This isn’t the Tyrion we saw in the previous book! This is some whiny dwarf.

The back of "A Storm of Swords" by George R R Martin (Book 3 of "A Song of Ice and Fire")
The back of “A Storm of Swords” by George R R Martin (Book 3 of “A Song of Ice and Fire”)

“A Storm of Swords” is a great third instalment in the series, and continues to stun with its revelations and devious plot twists. Yet it feels too big, too ambitious, and to truly appreciate the scope of the novel, you have to be just as ambitious in reading it as well. But it’s definitely worth your time, because you’re not going to be putting it down anything soon (once you’re at least a quarter of the way into the book).

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