Book Review: A Storm Of Swords (A Song Of Ice & Fire Book 3) by George R. R. Martin

“I crossed a thousand leagues to come to you, and lost the best part of me along the way. Don't tell me to leave.”

― George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords

The third book in George R. R. Martin's epic series A Song of Ice and Fire, A Storm of Swords, is one of seven planned books. The United Kingdom released it initially on August 8, 2000, while the United States published it in November of that same year. A novella called Path of the Dragon, which compiles some of the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel into a single volume, was published before it.  A Storm of Swords was the longest book in the series when it was first released. Due to its length, the paperback edition of the book was divided into two parts and released as Steel and Snow in June 2001 and Blood and Gold in August 2001 in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Serbia, and Israel.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. And as opposing forces manoeuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mythical Others—a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords.

My reaction to this novel...

I just finished reading the third book in the Game of Thrones series. The third novel in the book series was the longest, according to the A World of Ice and Fire website. I had just finished the third novel and was unable to move on to the fourth series since they decided to break the plot into two parts for that reason.

George R. R. Martin is truly remarkable. This book was fantastic, and I have no idea how he did it. He deserves to be applauded. Given that he wasn't dealing with just one character but twelve, he is so amazing that he was able to maintain the characters and the flow of the story despite the numerous twists and turns in his novels and their length. 

Episodes regarding A Storm of Swords may be found in both the third and fourth seasons of the television show. And as I've previously said, even though I already knew the story because I saw the television version before reading the novel, reading this still made me feel a mixture of trepidation and excitement. I was compelled to recall the horrible events in each scenario. The fight sequences in the TV program were superior, despite the fact that I observed several differences between this book and the series; I found it really difficult to read and comprehend the battles. However, I could still envision the fights I saw in the TV series version while reading, so I was able to appreciate this novel more than I would have otherwise. As a result, I could clearly understand what was happening.

Since I had previously finished the series, my friends really urged me to stop reading the novel. They felt I was too much a fan and couldn't understand why I enjoyed reading his books so much. Simply because of the strong characters, Martin's skill in crafting each scene, and the way he kept the plot unexpected while clearly outlining all the possible outcomes for his readers to grasp the plot.

Although there are numerous differences between the novel and the TV series, I liked the novel more. The narrative had a lot of events that shocked me. Reading this book was a fantastic experience. I believed that the series would be incredibly intriguing if only those segments were included. I was totally absorbed, and I found myself enthralled by every page I read. I try to read this book every day despite my hectic schedule. Martin's writing style does violence, sorrow, and lying quite justice. With tragic incidents and crushed hopes, it was extremely compelling. It was really substantial. When I closed my eyes, I realized that I was unprepared for the heartbreaks inherent in each scenario.

I heartily urge all readers to read this book up. You must go through this firsthand.

My Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐✨(4.5/5)

"Some people hurt others just because they can.”

Humans often cause harm to one another—not just on purpose, but often accidentally. Most of the time, they have no idea they are hurting someone since it is an emotional attack rather than a physical one. In my opinion, physical injuries are less painful than verbal ones since the former will eventually heal, however verbal wounds are so severe that they are difficult to forget even with the passage of time.

“Always keep your foes confused. If they are never certain who you are or what you want, they cannot know what you are like to do next. Sometimes the best way to baffle them is to make moves that have no purpose, or even seem to work against you.”

When someone is against you, this is true. Knowing how to prepare or plot your next move in order to confound the opponent will work in your advantage. If you make your foes feel perplexed, it will become one of your weapons, thus you shouldn't reveal how your mind thinks to them.