About book BookRags Summary: A Storm Of Swords (2010)
Okay, so I never read fantasy. Like, never. I mean, I read The Hobbit in the sixth grade because it was required. Since then, nothing. As you know if you've read the reviews on this blog, I gravitate toward relatable, character-driven, contemporary fiction.But I got hooked on the HBO series for Game of Thrones. I watched the first two seasons on Netflix and then I suffered through the Facebook updates of people watching the third season. But I don't have HBO. So I decided to read the third book instead.It amuses me to listen to debates about whether George R.R. Martin is a "good" writer. This seems to mean very different things to different people and readability (as evidenced by popularity and awesome sales) isn't always enough. I wonder if some people put the writing down specifically because of its broad appeal. The fact that it's accessible to a majority means it can't be "good". For these readers, a book is only "good" when indecipherable to most.For me, it was in one of the first chapters of A Storm of Swords, when a low-speed sailboat chase had me on the edge of my seat, that it occurred to me that I was in the hands of a "good" writer. Martin's technique of killing off lead characters isn't a risk most writers are willing to take and it definitely ups the stakes. I also love the fact that these characters are so complicated. Morality is murky here and virtue often does not achieve external reward - much like in real life. Perhaps that realism is why I'm able to enjoy a book about dragons and magic. The fantasy elements are superficial; at its root, this is a story about people, relationships, and human nature. This book sucker punches you repeatedly and leaves you gasping for the next one.I don't want to give anything away (I feel that would be an especially heinous crime with this story), but I will say that even if you've anticipated a plot twist, it will happen in such a way, and at such a time, that it'll still knock you back on your ass.I gained a new respect, too, for how adept Martin is at playing on one's emotions. At various points throughout the story I felt excited, shocked, hopeless, empowered, and even optimistic (however unliklely that is with this bleak, bleak series of books). I'm attached to so many of these characters.This is my favourite kind of fantasy writing. Even in the passages in which no action is happening (these are few), Martin still discusses things I'm interested in knowing about the setting and the characters--rather than droning on about clothing, minor characters you'll never hear from again, description, backstory, etc.He even keeps food descriptions to a minimum in this book, lol.
Do You like book BookRags Summary: A Storm Of Swords (2010)?
Impossible to put down. The entire book could have been about Tyrion, and I would have liked it.
—Glamgirl101
Wow! No tengo palabras para describir la genialidad y la crueldad de este libro.
—lisajoubert
really really excellent -- all the game of thrones books are wonderful.
—Slowandgo
