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This month’s book is an older one (at least, in the scheme of book
reviews), but certainly one of the best that I’ve read. No...that’s wrong.
The book is A Storm of Swords, by George R R Martin. It’s not really a
book, as it doesn’t have a definable beginning nor an ending. It just is.
Where it is, I can only say that it picks right up where the last chapter of
the previous book left off and ends where the first chapter of the next
book begins. This time, I’m not waiting two years for it to go to
paperback. Maybe that’s how they get us to buy hardcover . . .
It’s impossible to talk about this book without touching on the whole
storyline. It takes place in a land called the Seven Kingdoms. It is
populated only by human beings (what fantasy novel is complete with
out hinting at eldritch races come and passed before?), and these people
live in a fairly straight out feudal society. This is a rather large
continent, with many minor lords and ladies, and their households. Mr. Martin
somehow manages to give the appearance of not only having each and
every single member of every noble family completely worked out with
their own distinct personality - but also makes you believe that he’s met
each and every one of these people, sat with them, ate with them, and
used their chamberpot. Hopefully not all at once.
Don’t be mistaken, it is definitely an epic. There are a few main
characters, but they come and go. The story itself seems to have a life of
its own. Each chapter is titled after the character it follows for it, so
it seems to be almost a collection of intricately woven short stories than a
book in its own right.
I have a strong belief that if you break a book down enough for a
synopsis, it stops sounding original. This series holds true. It’s about a
country that’s just recovered from a war, only to have its recently
crowned king (who took the crown by rebellion) be killed. All of a
sudden, everyone and their pet dire wolf is proclaiming themselves king.
Ok, maybe not. At least a few do, though.
There are many things I like about Mr. Martin’s style. The main things
are rather simple, and something you expect from any good author:
Detailed characters with their own individual personalities (or lack
thereof), a rather intricate plot that doesn’t necessarily show you where
it’s going but rather takes you along for the ride, and a sense that the
book is well-worth the money you paid for it. I can name a bunch of
authors that can do that. George R R Martin can do something else,
though, that set him apart from the rest. It’s a little thing that I like
to call "reality."
Sure, there’s a bit of magic in the world (however uncommon), and
dragons are not unheard of (although long since extinct). This is a
different sort of reality. This is the reality where people, regardless of
how important they are to the story, die. It’s amazing. It will make you
flinch. Mr. Martin is definitely a god of his world, and he certainly likes
the smite key (in case you’re wondering, it’s next to the alt key). That’s
not to say that people die for no reason. That would be just as bad.
People die for a reason, as important as sacrificing themselves to save
their family, or for a reason as little as being silly enough to lead a
charge. Not knowing which characters will live and die, and how, gives
the plot its own life. Sometimes, at night, I can hear it breathing. Well,
it’s either that or my stalker is back again.
Have no fear, if you read this series, you will laugh at parts, you will cry
(I did when I learned how much time is between books), and you will
shake your fist in righteous anger as again and again and again and
again and again as characters that you felt had no right dying do so.
Some of them repeatedly. But this is all good - after all, George R R
Martin is writing this story, not us. Sometimes I think even he doesn’t
know how it will turn out. That’s when I know that I’ll buy the next one,
and every other one in this series.
Please note: Among other things, he IS a graphic writer. He puts you in
his world very solidly, but it can be a violent and otherwise explicit
world. If you have a weak stomach, don’t ride rollercoasters. Why
you’re bringing a book up there is beyond me.
-- Chris Reid
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