A Storm of Swords

[sawyl]

Thanks to Sunday's appalling weather, I was able to read my way through most of the colossal single volume edition of GRRM's A Storm of Swords. The action, which overlaps slightly with the end of A Clash of Kings, follows the usual set of protagonists as they come to terms with Tywin Lannister's crushing victory at King's Landing and the new disposition of power in Westeros.

I rather enjoyed the sections set in King's Landing and particularly appreciated the chance to see Lord Tywin up close and person. Consummately Machiavellian and vastly self-possessed, he casually pushes around his available children like game pieces in an attempt to maximise their usefulness to House Lannister, pushing both Cersei and Tyrion towards dynastic marriages that neither really want, while positively doting on his absent son Jaime. Through Tyrion, we get a few hints as to how Tywin turned into a sociopathic monster: his ruthlessness is a reaction against his father's weak and compassionate nature; he hates Tyrion because he blames his son's birth for his wife's death; while his affection for Jaime seems to be somewhat narcissistic. There's just a touch of irony about all this because, as Tyrion notes, he and Tywin are actually remarkably similar, whereas Jaime seems to have dedicated most of his life to getting out from under his father's thumb.

Of the narrators new to A Storm of Swords, Jaime Lannister is probably the most interesting. Having spent most of the first two books under lock and key at Riverrun, he finally finds himself free to return to his family in King's Landing. His initial attitude of dismissive arrogance and hostility, principally aimed at his travelling companion Brienne of Tarth, mellows when he suffers an abrupt and unpleasant set back at the hands of a group of mercenaries. As time goes on and his story unfolds, he actually seems to show signs of character growth, shifting from an unpleasant bully boy into something rounder and more sympathetic.

Of House Stark, Catelyn and Robb continue to make some of the worst decisions known to man, proving absolutely that Robb really is Ned's son; Arya tramps the countryside in the company of Robin Hood Beric Dondarrion, dreaming of wolf packs and almost-but-not-quite crossing paths with her siblings; Bran continues on his quest to find a mystic three-eyed crow; and Jon Snow struggles to reconcile his vows as a member of the Night's Watch with a set of orders that seem to run counter to them. There are a few additional hints about Jon's parentage — Arya encounters someone who believes that Jon may have been his wet nurse's son — but nothing that completely invalidates my suspicion that Jon isn't Ned Stark's son but his nephew via his sister Lyanna and Rhaegar Targaryen.

Of the other major characters from the previous books, Theon Greyjoy features not at all, Davos Seaworth appears when necessary to advance Stannis Baratheon's plot, and Samwell Tarly narrates some sections that link Jon's story with the rest of the Night's Watch. Daenerys features only lightly, popping up and solving a set of puzzle-like challenges that allow her to take control of an implacable army and a couple of coastal cities.

While I continue to have slight doubts about some aspects of A Song of Ice and Fire — primarily the character development and the lack of autonomous female characters — there's something terribly engaging about the world, with its petty political battles played out against the inevitable climatic catastrophe of the oncoming winter. Next stop, A Feast for Crows in time a A Dance with Dragons at the start of next month...