A Storm of Swords [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

This is truly epic stuff--I always stayed up too late to read this, so had to force myself to bed for health's sake...but I found I had trouble sleeping, because quite frankly, the novel's storyline and characters kept flip-flopping through my head. Will Arya ever find her way back? What is Dany doing? How the hell will Robb get out of this one? The suspense this series oozes will become as a drug...the trials that each character faces becomes truly personal...you just want things to work out so bad!

Just looking back, I would that if there were a list of the top 10 scenes thus far, 7 alone would come from this book. "Jaw-dropping" does not even begin to describe some of the things that come to pass.

As a last note, perhaps most interesting is the new Jaime POV. Readers have come to despise this character, but Martin really humanizes him, proving with a certainty that it is difficult to hate someone after at last seeing things the other way around. A wonderful change in perspective, and expertly done.

Highly recommended!

After taking us into a world of intricate political machinations, breathtaking heroics, fatal betrayals, foredoomed affairs of the heart and blood, and an awakening magic about to return to a world at the eve of eternal chaos with the first two books of the 'Song of Ice and Fire' series, Martin manages to capture the readers attention once again. Additionally he succeeds in raising the suspense and the fascination for the stunned reader to yet another new level. The moment you start reading 'Storm of Swords' you won't be able take a break from reading this astonishing masterpiece of contemporary fantasy literature.

So, what's it about?

After the Lannisters have fend off the assault on King's Landing by Stannis Baratheon, their ascent to undisputed dominance over Westeros appears to be only threatened by young Robb Stark, King of the North. The Baratheon line has been decimated to the last stronghold of Lord Stannis, the Starks are under pressure from an unexpected foe threatening their heart lands, and the remaining political and military powers seem to flock together under the banners of juvenile, but cruel and ungoverned King Joffrey Lannister. But the Lannister's reign is shadowed by the unpredictable fate of the brothers Jaime - still under captivity by Catelyn Stark, and Tyrion - severly wounded since the fight at King's Landing. While Tywin Lannister tries to secure his grandson's hold to the Iron Throne, mysterious powers beyond the frontiers of Westeros are steadily growing, threatening the balance of life itself on the lands devastated by war, famine and anarchy. In the far north, Jon Snow struggles to uncover the secrets of the wildling hordes while attempting to preserve his very integrity as a Black Brother. And on the other side of the world, Princess Danaerys has yet to master challenges of warfare and treachery to lay the final claim to her rightful seat on the Iron Throne.

What makes this book so extraordinary is far more than just a complicated and thrilling pattern of medieval strife and heroic exploits. Martin uses down to the bone honesty to describe human ambitions and passions. He reminds us that the line between benefactors and criminals is never pin sharp. And success and failure stand only as separated from each other as chance and circumstance permit. His plot is witty and never predictable, the dialogues used are charming, sharp and spirited, and rarely I have seen such a huge cast of carefully outlined characters. It's been a long time (in fact since Donaldson's Gap series) since I have experienced so many different feelings for the main protagonists, ranging from cheers to hatred and from sorrow to utmost astonishment and joy - and more than once I had to discover, that my personal feelings concerning a specific character had undergone a 180-degree turn from rooting to booing (or vice versa).

Admittedly Martin is no easy-going read. His style of narration and writing competes with the likes of Iain Banks and Umberto Eco, his tales are full of symbolism and hidden meanings and the plot is so thick and rich of surprises and backyard information, it can be really tough to keep all details in mind. But whatever it takes to follow Martin's ambitious writing: It's worth every piece of paper and minute spent reading. Cuz the way Martin gets the reader involved in his story is simply outstanding and when you finally reach the final pages of 'Storm of Swords', there are only 2 things left to say: First 'Wow!' and second 'When will Book 4, 'A Feast for Crows' finally be available...'

Enjoyable trash at first, but trash, none the less.
Plotlines and character developments are created and destroyed so fast that you barely feel he's telling the reader a grander story. What was once a well-crafted and witty tale of politicians and magicians has degraded into Fantasy-Soap Opera. In this sense, the book's title, "A Storm of Swords" is fitting. Few survive the bloody torrent this book presents, and when the aftermath hits, the reader is left wondering, "How can he expand this into 3 more books?"

Yet, it would be ignorant to believe that a skilled writer such as Martin would deprave himself of an opening by which he could continue his story. The question isn't how he will continue it, but rather if readers will stand by to watch him march onward (or rather, downward). But even amongst the over-hyped chaos of his series, Martin still retains much of his crafty word play and flair for the dramatics. (Can anyone truly sandblast him for managing to escape the all-engulfing shadow projected by Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings?)
He even takes the time to introduce us to fantastic new characters and Houses. (Keep an eye out for the charismatic Dornish and their crazed princes). For that matter, he even reintroduces characters that played a small roll in the first book, to play a larger role in this one. More then one fan will cheer at the return of Lord Tywin Lannister, I'm sure. But a fair warning to the reader at hand: The new characters, as delightful as they may seem, come and go...some of them more violently then others.
Also welcome is Martin's slow, but meaningful introduction of mystical powers. Through all of the political maneuvering and grabs for power, you always feel the dark undertone that some grander force lies in waiting. Perhaps that's where Martin means to take the series, perhaps not. It's difficult to say when Martin embellishes the liberty to continue his onslaught of sex, violence and all things disturbing.

Great aspects aside "A Storm of Swords" is simply Fantasy-sensationalism, not timely literature. Martin's dramatics and depraved characters may very well be lost if he's forsaken a story-arc in the name of shock-value. It's as if he's promised to take his readers to Mars, but instead simply painted the moon red and called it Mars.
Ultimately, in this analogy we see the largest and most unspoken difference between him and Tolkien: Martin promises to take his readers to Mars, Tolkien truly did.