A Storm of Swords

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

After the defeat of Stannis Baratheon and the death of his brother, Renly, the war of the five kings slowly draws to an end. The rampaging continues across Westeros, and the politics of King’s Landing intensifies. With Tyrion injured and Jon in the camp of the wildlings, a new story begins to form as the characters are faced with new difficulties to overcome.

Key Facts about A Storm of Swords

• Book Title: ‘A Storm of Swords.’
• Author: George R. R. Martin.
• Book Inspiration: The inspiration for ‘A Storm of Swords’ stems from George’s childhood and specific historical events. As a young boy, George’s world made him begin crafting stories about the dolls in a playhouse he had; this would eventually start the characterization of the characters in his star series. Another inspiration for his story was the War of the Roses.
• Publication Date: August 8, 2000.
• Literary Period: Contemporary Period.
• Point of View: Limited third-person point of view.
• Setting: Westeros, Essos.
• Climax: The story climaxes when Lysa begins recanting how her attraction to Petyr had made her do crazy things, including killing her husband and sending the letter blaming the Lannisters for his death to Catelyn Stark. Petyr promises to always be by Lysa and then hugs her right before pushing her through the Moon Door. Later, a man, Merrett, tries to free his half-brother but sees a woman he knows is supposed to be dead. He is shocked she lives.
• Protagonists: Arya, Jon, Daenerys, Samwell, Bran.
• Antagonists: Tyrion, Tywin, Cersei, Petyr.
• Sequel: ‘A Feast for Crows.’
• Preceded by: ‘A Clash of Kings.’

George R. R. Martin and A Storm of Swords

‘A Storm of Swords’ is regarded as the best novel in A Song of Ice and Fire. As George R. R. Martin’s longest and best novel, it rose to popularity and had a positive reception as it became the New York Times best-selling novel of the year. It also got nominated for many awards and won a few, except the Hugo Award, which George expressed his displeasure about, as J. K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ won.

Books Related to A Storm of Swords

As a novel that tells a story about a world where politics is crucial to maintaining a delicate balance between warring sides, many books are similar to George’s epic tale. Here is a list of them:

• ‘Mistborn: The Well of Ascension’ by Brandon Sanderson is the second novel in the Mistborn Trilogy. After the death of The Lord Ruler, a man claiming to be a god incarnate, Vin, a former street urchin and the protégé to the Kelsier who masterminded the defeat of the Lord Ruler, becomes the strongest Mistborn after the death of her master. With Kelsier and the Lord Ruler dead, Vin notices a new antagonization growing up from a new religion. The siege on Luthadel, the empire’s largest city, intensifies as three armies wait to sack the city. The three armies governed by three different leaders, Straff Venture, Ashweather Cett, and Jastes, wait patiently. Jastes’s army attacks the city. Jastes loses control of his army and gets killed. As the battles intensify, the legend of the Well of Ascension brings hope to Luthadel.
• ‘Children of Dune’ by Frank Herbert is the third novel in the Dune series. Its events begin after Paul Atreides walks into the desert a blind man. With Alia as regent of the Padishah Empire, House Corrino begins plotting to reclaim the throne. As the Corrinos scheme to take the throne, the Bene Gesserit begin scheming to reclaim the control of Melange production. Alia succumbs to the abomination and starts hating Leto II and Ghanima. Jessica returns to Arrakis and discovers that her daughter has succumbed to the abomination. She escapes from the planet after Alia tries to kill her. House Corrino tries to kill Leto II and his sister, but they survive, and Leto decides to seek out his father, who he believed to be a preacher in the desert, while his sister alters her memory. In the desert, Leto gets captured by a band of Fremen outlaws and forced into a spice trance. He formulates the golden path and later meets his father, Paul. Leto fuses with sand trout and gains superhuman abilities. Together, he and Paul head back to Arrakeen to confront Alia. After winning a fight with her, Alia commits suicide, and Paul gets killed. Leto becomes the new emperor.
• ‘The Way of Kings’ by Brandon Sanderson is the first novel in The Stormlight Archive series. It tells the story of many characters who live different lives on Roshar, a world of storms and stone. Centuries after the fall of the Knights Radiant, ten consecrated orders, kingdoms start fighting over the Shardblades and Shardplates, mystical swords, and suits of armor left behind by the Knights Radiant. One of the wars fought over the Shardblades involves Kaladin, a man who trades his medical apprenticeship to save his little brother. Brightlord Dalinar Kholin, the brother of the late king who got assassinated, becomes fascinated by an ancient text called the way of kings, which makes him doubt the history of the Knights Radiant. Across the ocean, Shallan, an untrained scholar, seeks to steal from her teacher, Jasnah, and she discovers hints that begin uncovering the secrets of the Knights Radiant.

The Lasting Impact of A Storm of Swords