I don’t think I’ve ever in my life been as shocked by a book as I was by what I read in book three of George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, A Storm of Swords, last night. Maybe by the end of part two of Nineteen Eighty-Four, possibly by “I did it thirty-five minutes ago” in Watchmen, but I’m not sure. Seriously, I was so stunned that even though it was way past my bed time, I decided I had to keep plowing through the book to get to the next section that dealt with that segment of the storyline–but then stopped when I realized I wasn’t even actually reading the chapters, just letting the words pass through my eyes until I got where I wanted to get to. I had to put the book down. Then I had a hard time sleeping, I was so flabbergasted. I mean, for pete’s sake, I’m up at 7:16am on a Saturday blogging about it. Wow. Folks, you need to read this series. How I’m going to be able to wait until 2025 or whenever Martin will finish the final book is completely beyond me.
(Just a request for commenters who’ve read books three and four in their entirety: Please don’t hint at any coming developments for me! I want to go in as blithely unsuspecting as I was here. “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet” is acceptable.)
Tags: A Song of Ice and Fire, fantasy, Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin
Yeah, the whole second half is just one kick in the gut after another – it’s crazy how he manages to keep up such an engrossing pace in such a long book full of incredibly sad shit. And pretty ballsy to hit you with the worst of the incredibly sad shit only 2/3 of the way through, so you know you’ll have to just get over it and soldier on; and then to kill off several awful people you’ve been wishing doom upon for a long time, except in context it’s not really a relief at all, just sad and fucked-up; and then to bring back someone you think you’d like to see again, but… no. Brrr.
All I’ll say about the fourth book is that it’s not like that. I really like it, not everyone does, but it’s definitely a different experience and you don’t have to worry quite as much about having an abrupt need to pee your pants. Except for the part where _____________________ and the __________________________________.
Dang, I hope I didn’t just once again say stuff that was more hinty than intended… somehow when I read your post the first time, I thought you had finished the third book. On the other hand, given the huge number of characters I could’ve been referring to, I don’t think I actually revealed anything beyond “more people die and you will feel bad, although possibly not quite as bad as you felt yesterday.”
hahaha, oh, Hob, you don’t have the greatest track record in this regard, yeah. Oh well, life will go on. Well, not for everyone, apparently. 🙂
OK OK I’M BUYING IT!!
“I wasn’t even actually reading the chapters, just letting the words pass through my eyes until I got where I wanted to get to…”
Love when this happens. Sign of a great book. (And undisciplined reader?)
Which particular surprise are you talking about? It’s been a while since I’ve read the books. Pretty sure which part you’re up to, but the books are packed away so I can’t look up when that part happened. And I don’t want to guess what it is, in case that’s NOT it…