A Storm of Swords: The bestselling classic epic fantasy series behind the award-winning HBO and Sky TV show and phenomenon GAME OF THRONES: Book 3 (A Song of Ice and Fire)

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As with the first two books in the series, be prepared for plenty of blood and gore. Characters will die, sometimes gruesomely. Don't get too attached. This definitely isn't a series for the faint of heart.

A Storm of Swords: The bestselling classic epic fantasy

A Storm of Swords is a delight for grimdark fans and another high point in George R.R. Martin’s enduring saga of war and betrayal.

The violence. One of the criticisms of the 2004 Antoine Fuqua film King Arthur starring Clive Owen was the minimization of violence. Whereas earlier adaptions of the Arthur legend were intentionally theatrical and atmospheric rather than realistic, Fuqua seemed to be on to a cool angle by introducing a historically accurate revisionist story of Arthur as a Roman leader fighting Picts and Scots. There’s swords and daggers and arrows and lots of fighting, but not so much blood and guts. The incongruity of the muddy realism with the stylized violence was distracting. George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including those of the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire-- A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons--as well as related works such as Fire & Blood, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and The World of Ice & Fire, with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson. Other novels include Tuf Voyaging, Fevre Dream, The Armageddon Rag, Dying of the Light, Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle), and Dreamsongs Volumes I and II. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with his lovely wife, Parris, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. If only Robb would have just listened to his mother. If only he would have been able to keep it in his pants for a night, or to not feel guilt afterwards. If only Robb would have stayed in Winterfell. I mean, I can play the "if only" game with Robb all day, but that doesn't make the results of what happened any different. Robb left Winterfell to avenge his father. Robb trusted himself over his mother. Robb is a grown man that wanted to have sex, and felt obliged to marry a girl after he took her virginity. I mean, it's not like he did terrible, unthinkable things, he did things that a young boy would do. It doesn't ease the pain, or make me less upset, but he actions are somewhat understandable.

A Storm of Swords: The Illustrated Edition: The Illustrated A Storm of Swords: The Illustrated Edition: The Illustrated

Tyrion Lannister: Oh Tyrion, how I love you. You are clever and sarcastic and funny, seem to have a shred of human decency, and are pretty much the only good person in the series. Just a piece of advice though: stop falling in love with prostitutes. Seriously, man. Otherwise, keep doing what you're doing. Fortunately, we get to spend more quality time with Daenerys Targaryen in A Storm of Swords compared to A Clash of Kings. The exiled Mother of Dragons continues to amass power as she overcomes treachery within her own ranks. Daenerys becomes a favorite with everyday people as she frees enslaved populations en masse and exacts justice for crimes committed against them. Of course, not all the viewpoint characters are created equally. Sansa Stark finally has things to do (and finally rejoins the plot; she has basically stood mute since betraying her father Eddard in A Game of Thrones), but she is still dumber than a garden gnome. Martin finally convinced me that Davos Seaworth, loyal to royal pretender Stannis Baratheon, is an important character; unfortunately, his importance does not make him interesting. Like Eddard Stark before him, Seaworth’s square, dogged sense of honor – shorn of wit or pragmatism – makes him an uninspired character.Another highlight from Jaime’s chapters is getting to know Brienne of Tarth, an imposing warrior who has sworn to deliver Jaime safely to the Lannisters in exchange for release of the Stark girls. I especially enjoyed seeing how Brienne manages her distaste for Jaime while fulfilling her promise to the Stark family. As Jaime’s situation becomes increasingly out of hand, Brienne’s strong commitment to his safety never falters. Surprises aside, many of Storm’s highlights stem from four characters in particular: Jaime the Kingslayer; Jon Snow of the Night’s Watch; Arya Stark; and Tyrion the Imp.