A Storm of Swords, authored by George R. R. Martin begins with five kings battling for the Iron Throne, while long lost magic’s are slowly reawakening. The story picks up a little before the ending of the previous book, A Clash of Kings and opens in a prologue of men of the Nights Watch, “brothers”, devoted to protecting the realm of the Seven Kingdoms from dangers beyond the 700 foot wall, marking the end of the civilized world.
The prologue sets the tone for the rest of the book, defined by death, dark magic, and gut wrenching tragedy; yet even this does not prepare you for some of the pages that follow.
We are re-introduced to characters known to you previously, but in a new light as many of them are now given their own point of view. Most notably Jaime Lannister; a lethal swordsman, secret father of King Joffrey born as a result of the incestuous union between Jaime and his twin sister Cersei. Until this point Jaime Lannister has been one of the worst enemies of the Stark family, however A Storm of Swords provides an intriguing insight into his actions and motives, somehow worming his way into most people’s empathetic side.
Other chapters in the book are told through the eyes of the Stark children, Arya, Bran and Sansa and their bastard born Brother Jon Snow, a member of the Night’s Watch. The children have been separated since the murder of their father, and the uprising of their brother Robb as King in the North. Arya is crossing the war torn Westeros, heading for Riverrun where her mother and brother seek refuge in the castle in which Catelyn Stark spent her childhood. Sansa is still trapped in King’s Landing, where she is forced to behave as though she loves and is loyal to King Joffrey and his mother Queen Regent Cersei. Bran and the youngest Stark Rickon, have separated and are both crossing the North in search of safety and answers, whilst Jon is beyond the Wall feigning loyalty to the wilding free folk in order to infiltrate the army that is intending on breaching the divide between the Seven Kingdoms.
Further into Westeros Lady Catelyn Stark releases Jaime Lannister in a bid to send her servant Brienne of Tarth, a female knight, to see him safely to King’s Landing and exchange him for her daughter Sansa who Catelyn believes is one of only two of her remaining children. At Riverrun Catelyn watches her son Robb conduct his army making brave and foolish decisions. These chapters allow you a wonderfully maternal insight into the war, where Catelyn, desperate and grief stricken, will do anything to reunite herself with her remaining children.
Robb finds himself wed to a young girl, Jeyne, breaking a promise made to one of his least trustworthy lords. In King’s Landing Tyrion Lannister is locked in a constant battle for power against his sister, which he finds himself at the losing end of upon the arrival of his father, Lord Tywin Lannister, who takes up the role of King’s Hand. Lord Tywin forces marriages of conveyance upon Sansa and Tyrion and his grandson Joffrey, in an attempt to forge peace across the shattered Kingdom. However this simply leads to more tension and tragedy within the castle walls and a death that marks a turn in the fate of Tyrion Lannister forever.
So much happening in one novel can make it a very exhausting read. It’s almost an information overload in that George R. R. Martin adds twists and turns until the readers head is spinning. I even found myself rereading certain parts to make sure that I kept up with the plot! The third installment of the Game of Thrones – A Storm of Swords, is filled with promise for even further adventures to come. A mesmerizing read so far. I rate A Sword of Storms 10/10.
Eaving Shores 