Book: A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin
Krishna
This book is the third book in the series of A Song of Fire and Ice, better known as the Game of Thrones Series. It is a continuation of the excellent Game of Thrones, already reviewed here before, and A Clash of Kings, also reviewed here, which I consider is better than the first one. This book, if anything, it is even better than those two books! The series seems to get better and better.
You need to definitely read the first two books before you can understand the third. It is not one of the series where each book stands independently because the background of the characters and the richness of the story woven by George Martin will be lost without the background. But the sheer pleasure of reading is the very same as you get when you read the Harry Potter series of J. K Rowling. You get happy that this book is only the third book and, at the time of this writing, there are two more books that you can read!
The story continues.
Tyrion wakes up in the Red Keep and finds all is gone. He lost his men, he lost Tommen as hostage, and suspects Cercei tried to kill him through one of his own aids. (If you remember, he survives an assassination attempt in the heat of the battle but loses part of his nose at the end of the second book), Lord Tyron has taken away his Hand of the King title and his Alayaya a decoy for Shae was whipped and driven away. Jamie is being taken by Brianne back to Tyron and for that treason, Catelyn has been imprisoned in her own father’s castle.
Davos the Onion Knight that we met in the second book, washes up ashore in a rocky island and rescued from there after the disaster of the battle. He realizes that he has all his sons in the battle.
Lady Olenna, “the Queen of Thorns”, grandmother of Margery, seems to be a female Tyrion in character!
Sansa tells Margaery and Olenna the real nature of Joffrey against her own best judgement! She has a crush on Loras and assumes, when Olenna offers to take her back to her castle for an alliance, that the latter means to marry her to Loras but realizes that she is being marked for Willas, an older man and a cripple to boot.
Jon and Qhorin Halfhand caught by wildlings, Qhorin persuades Jon to kill him to be accepted by the woldlings and Ygritte. the girl who he had earlier spared, speaks for him. Rattleshirt, the leader with bones as cloak, is taking him to Mance Rayder. He is accepted after an ingenious explanation as a turncoat and one of them.
Meanwhile Ser Jorah Mormont persuades his Khaleesi not to trust Illyas fully and to take with her an army.
In the meanwhile Arya runs away from the castle and gets taken by an old man from Robert’s army. But he is Cedric’s man and not with Robb at all.
Jon joins the wildlings and is attracted to Ygritte and respects them. He is forced to have sex with her and loves it. He is forced to join in an attack against his erstwhile brothers in black – against the Wall
Daenerys buys Unsullied, the fanatically loyal and castrated troops who know no fear, with a treacherous promise but kills the traders (all of them) before she needs to pay up.
Sansa, in the meanwhile is forced to marry Tyrion.
Arya meets the Hound, who is forced into a battle with a knight whom he wounds grievously.
Jamie loses his hand in a shocking scene, to a brutal and cruel warlord Locke.
Davos is propositioned to by Melissandre and is aghast. He is in prison for plotting against her when she proposes to him.
Catelyn’s father dies. Robb leaves to placate the Freys and runs into Red Wedding, one of the most shocking scenes in the entire series. I will try not to give it away. Read it, you will not be disappointed, even with this little hyped up sentence in your mind.
Arya is captured by the Hound. Jamie is sent to Tywin but comes back to rescue Brienne.
Another shocking story where Tyrion is accused of treason against his own family (Reason? Telling you that will be a spoiler)
Sansa is rescued by Petyr in a kidnapping, taken to Lysa and kept there but when Petyr kisses her and is caught by Lysa, Petyr kills Lysa.
Arya gets captured by the Hound who wants to give her to Jon and claim his reward. Finally a stroke of luck for Arya? It was not to be. He runs into enemies and escapes with Arya but is grievously wounded. She watches him die. And moves on.
A brilliant story, with more shocking twists than any other book I have read so far. Period.
I will give it a score of 9/10
– – Krishna