Book Review: Storm of Swords Book 3 in Game of Thrones #gameofthrones

Book Review for: Storm of Swords

Written by: George RR Martin

Bantam Books

ISBN: 978-0-553-10663-3

5 Stars

Absolutely Engrossing!

Martin pens a novel full of adventure, betrayal, and greed with “Storm of Swords,” book 3 in the “Song of Ice and Fire,” series. The novel is over 900 pages – not for the faint at heart – and a bit daunting. It’s taken me months to finish, and while it’s been long for me, it’s been an adventure.

Martin uses several point of view characters to tell the “Storm of Swords.” There’s Tyrion, smart and clever, yet a dwarf who is the butt of his nephew’s cruel jabs. There’s Robb, the King of the North, who must win the Frey’s favor or lose all he has gained. Jon, on the Wall, must find out information on the Wildlings and the Others, using all of his cunning to survive. Jamie must not only use his sword, but his wits to make it back to King’s Landing. Arya escapes the city only to find herself a captive and pawn to various outlaws who would use her as a hostage for their benefit. Stannis must prove himself a king, so he travels to the Wall, hoping to save it. Then there’s Daenrys, who learns how to use her swords to conquer, but she must learn to rule before returning to Westros.

Every story involves violence, sword play, and cunning. As the realm loses its tenuous grip on the various kingdoms, secrets are revealed, proving a precursor to the upcoming battle between ice (the others) and fire (the dragons).

The characters are honest, real, and interesting. There’s good and bad and even some in between – like the “Hound,” Sandor Clegane. Everyone has a distinct motivation to do what they do, even if unknown to the reader. I’m always wondering what is driving a character.

A “Storm of Swords” grows the story, looks deeper into the players, and takes the reader on an adventure of a lifetime!

Question for you:  Who is your favorite "Game of Thrones" character?  

Book Review: A Knight of the 7 Kingdoms (Game of Thrones accompanying novel)

Book Review for: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Written by: George RR Martin

Bantam Books

ISBN: 978-0-345-53348-7

Avail as an ebook and in print

4 Stars

Revealing!

Martin sings a fascinating song of Targaryens, dragons, and betrayals with this book. This collection includes three novellas set in Westros which take place 100 years before the events in Games of Thrones. Our heroes, Dunk, a hedge knight, and his squire, Egg, travel through the heart of the Seven Kingdoms in search of adventure.

Dunk hopes to fight in the lists at Ashford Meadows, but there’s trouble when the Targaryens arrive. When Dunk is accused of dishonorable conduct, he must fight in a trial of seven. Will the Hand of the King fight with him or against him?

The lingering effects of the Blackfyre Rebellion haunts the land. Will Dunk continue to honor Ser Eustace’s request to bring water to his land once he learns of Eustace’s prior allegiances?

A mystery knight called “The Fiddler” arrives at a wedding ready to enter the jousts. The prize? A dragon egg. Who will prove worthy to own it?

Martin’s writing style is easy to read. The adventures take the reader along for the ride. While fantasy, Martin explains most terms so the readers aren’t lost. The characters are well rounded. Dunk is noble to the core while Egg is hardworking and eager to share his opinions.

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is full of adventure, suspense and betrayal. It’s a fine edition to the tales of Westros and sheds some light on what the Targaryens were like.

A Game of Thrones, Part 1 in a series

Sean Bean as Eddard Stark


Thoughts and reflections on George R.R. Martin's novel and the HBO series.

My husband and I are two very different book readers. He prefers high fantasy and science fiction, I'm a romance, history, and biography nut. And I'm not adverse to high fantasy or science fiction, but it's got to be something special to catch my attention.

About two years ago my husband listened to "A Game of Thrones" on Audible and said I would like it. I grunted. Then he said HBO was making a series out of it and Sean Bean was cast in the leading role. That caught my attention.

I loved HBO's "Sopranos" and "Rome." Both series had a high production quality, great characters, and pitch perfect storytelling. I knew Game of Thrones would be no different so I looked forward to watching the series.

I was not disappointed.

The production quality is fantastic. Game of Thrones is a high fantasy story set in another world, and as the series opening credits unfold, the "casual" viewer sees a map of the world to help them understand the lay of the land.

HOW TO DO FANTASY RIGHT

Several aspects of the series pulled me in immediately. To the north is The White Wall covered in ice and snow. "The Others" are past the wall and have recently been awakened. The Night's Watch, the guardians of the snow and ice infested land know something threatens them – but what? They have to figure it out. Theirs is not an easy job. It's a hard life and a man must not have a wife or start a family.

Jon Snow, Eddard's bastard



The Stark family of Winterfell is south of the wall. Eddard Stark is a good, honest, and noble man – a true hero who embodies courage and nobility naturally. His family is interesting as well. My favorites: Jon Snow and Arya. Why? Because these are characters struggling to fit into their world.

Another character that just captured my attention was Daenerys Targaryen. She is the daughter of the mad king, Aerys Targargen, who was overthrown by Robert Baratheon. Daenerys goes to live with the Dothraki and marries Khal Drago, their ruler. As Daenerys' story unfolds, I witnessed a naïve young girl gain courage, inner strength and find love. For me, her story was the most compelling because it's such a strong character-driven plot. And the dragon lore was cool, too.


Emilia Clarke as Daenerys




Side Note: George RR Martin won the 1997 Hugo Award for best novella for "Blood of the Dragon" which consisted of chapters only from Daenerys POV taken from the original book, Game of Thrones.

The casting is excellent. Peter Dinklage as "Tyrion Lannister" is dynamic as the clever, rude, and infuriating dwarf. Emilia Clarke portrays Daenerys with a subtle yet commanding performance that will have you cheering for every episode.

The series is deliciously close to the novel which I was inspired to read after watching the series. I'm only 150 pages into the novel and have only gleaned two tidbits of info from it that I didn't get from the series – one having to do with dragons and Tyrion and the other having to do with Jon Snow's mother.

Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister


The writing is top notch – engaging the readers with a great blend of dialogue and narration. It's easy to see how Martin was nominated for and won several of fantasy's top awards.

Did you know? David J. Peterson from the Language Creation Society was hired to develop the Dothraki language.

What makes Games of Thrones compelling for me are the characters. Even the heroes have flaws and the villains are capable of compassion, evoking sympathy for them.

Next Week:
My top 3 favorite characters:
Daenerys Targeryen
Tyrion Lannister
Jon Snow