A Storm of Swords: 2 Blood and Gold (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3, Part 2)

It is perhaps a little unfair to have this split into two. It's one book, and designed to be read as such. After all, no one is going to pick up part one, being the third book in an ongoing series, without reading part two as well. Besides, all of the big, widescreen moments happen in the second half, and the first volume is left without even a partial resolution or cliffhanger.

That said, this is brilliant. Make sure that there is a clean spot on the carpet in front of you before you start reading this, because your jaw is going to be spending a lot of time on the floor. If you thought the first two books in this series were amazing (they were), then you ain't seen nothing yet.

Martin's biggest strength is his characters; no one is good, no one is evil, everyone is just shades of grey. His second strength is his plotting - just when you think you know what's about to happen, he pulls the rug out from under you, and the exact opposite occurs. Things that should happen don't. Things that shouldn't happen do. Bad things happen to good people, and there ain't no justice.

This book left me scratching my head wondering how on earth one man can conjure all this out of his imagination.

But perhaps the best thing I can say about this is that after 3 books and 3,000 pages, we start to get a glimpse that perhaps Martin is not telling us the story that we thought he was...

Let's hope we get more of Daenerys next time round.

Valor Morghulis...


These books just keep getting better and better!   May 30, 2001
11 out of 11 found this review helpful

With a complex weave of fantasy and reality, George Martin continues to write this stunning series with an amount of depth and attention to character that I can't remember seeing recently in any high fantasy series. He continues on with his brutal look at a realistic world where no man or woman is spared from the bad things in life.

Characters are so believeable in their creation with a heavy dose of flaws and range of emotion. The look at the world as a whole and lands outside of the main continent are terrific giving the whole tale a mighty scope that only whets your appetite for more.

This third book finally starts to bring in the more magical aspects of the universe with subtlety and then smacks you over the head with a couple of stunning twists. The great thing is that the magic doesn't overshadow the deadly court intrigue and human wars, but mingles with it so perfectly that it seems very natural for it to be included.

Unfortunately I see that the next book isn't going to be released for over a year! Aye caramba! I don't know that I can hold out that long to find out what's going to happen next. I can't say enough positive things about this series. I recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading, not just those fantasy geeks like myself. It's a very fulfilling ride that just gets better with each page.


Simply put: the best ongoing Fantasy series out there.   September 24, 2000
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I simply love this series. I could not wait for the book to come out here in America, so I had a friend buy it and ship it from the U.K.! This series is that good, and this book does not let me down one bit. Martin's books are the only "big time series" books by an author who has not only kept me coming back, but made me want to devour each and every word! He has not made the mistakes of Eddings and Jordan by making his characters too powerful, and his character development is so much better than Goodkind's. I normally read books so fast that my friends aren't use to seeing me come in with the same books more than two or three days. They kept on asking me what was taking me so long with this book- I was taking my time to savor every word, like you savor a great meal. I also read it twice, in a row. Something I have never done with a book until now! I only have three compaints: "Why can't more people write like this?", "Why is it that all of these books seem to end too quickly?" and, "How long do I have to wait for the next one?" If you haven't started reading this series, start now. I have gotten all of my friends around the office hooked and all it took was putting A Game of Thrones in their hands and telling them to read at least fifty pages...


Masterful skill   October 22, 2001
Henry Green (Grinningd@Hairylegs.co.uk) (England)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

Martin's skill with the written word, his magical ability to steal your attention and lose you in this magical world of his is utterly stunning. But it is not just his ability to draw a picture in the mind but also his capability in writing a hundred different twist and tricks into his plot that make it such an astonishing read. no character is safe from his machinations, no event is totaly predictable, nothing is obvious and everything is to be expected. One critic suggested that his books were on a par with J.R.R.Tolkien, i say that there has never been more truth to a statement.


What can I say - magnificent!   August 16, 2002
Mr. E. Nzegwu (Portsmouth, UK)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

George RR Martin is a truly gifted writer easily up there in my opinion with Tolkien, Feist, Peter F Hamilton, Stephen Donaldson, David Gemmell.

The world he has created, the epic scope, the detailed characterisation is of the highest quality. Characters aren't just black and white, good or evil but move through the various shades of grey between the two poles.
The characterisation is superb - Tyrion Lannister is a personal favourite - likewise, although Sansa isn't a fabourite character of mine, the effort to draw her character and simulate realistically how and why she behaves is both appreciated admired by the reader.

I can't honestly fault this book in any way - I'm just gutted that it's going to be a good 4 years I'd estimate before the 6 book series is complete - when it's complete, it will turn into an absolute classic