--- description: Find out why A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin is on TIME's list of the best fantasy books of all time title: 'A Storm of Swords' Is on TIME's List of the 100 Best Fantasy Books image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt477ca8f94ff7efc8/698a132016d88437f4c38b07/A-Storm-of-Swords-George-RR-Martin-100-besy-fantasy-books.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Oct 14, 2020 # A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  At nearly 1,000 pages, George R.R. Martin’s _A Storm of Swords_—the third installment in his _A Song of Ice and Fire_ series—is one of his most eventful and most lauded. Martin’s unpredictable medieval world is rendered with unflinching brutality: the so-called Red Wedding and the Purple Wedding, both turning points for his series, unfold here. And the characters, which he spent thousands of pages painstakingly developing in the first two novels, take flight: Jon Snow finds forbidden love, Danaerys Targaryen unleashes her powers of fire, and Robb and Catelyn Stark scheme and sacrifice. The breadth of Martin’s vision comes fully into focus in _A Storm of Swords_, as does his continued willingness to upset expectations. If the first book in the series set the precedent for killing off beloved characters, then _A Storm of Swords_ is where Martin makes it clear no one is safe. These are the scenes that became show-stopping centerpieces in [HBO’s _Game of Thrones_ series](https://time.com/game-of-thrones-2017/ "undefined"), and continue to indicate the high-water mark for shocking plot twists. Martin, a [frequent subject of controversy](https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a33532809/george-rr-martin-hugo-awards-2020-controversy-explained/ "undefined"), may not be pushing the field toward equity or more inclusive storytelling. But his groundbreaking series remains an important source of inspiration for writers like [Marlon James](https://time.com/5521259/marlon-james-black-leopard-red-wolf-book/ "undefined"). —_Raisa Bruner_ **Buy Now**: _A Storm of Swords_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780553106633 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3ddgUGt "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898481/a-storm-of-swords/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898481/a-storm-of-swords/"},"headline":"'A Storm of Swords' Is on TIME's List of the 100 Best Fantasy Books","datePublished":"2020-10-14T19:25:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:42:44.134Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898481/a-storm-of-swords/","keywords":["Books","list"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt477ca8f94ff7efc8/698a132016d88437f4c38b07/A-Storm-of-Swords-George-RR-Martin-100-besy-fantasy-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt477ca8f94ff7efc8/698a132016d88437f4c38b07/A-Storm-of-Swords-George-RR-Martin-100-besy-fantasy-books.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-best-fantasy-books/5898481/a-storm-of-swords/","name":"'A Storm of Swords' Is on TIME's List of the 100 Best Fantasy Books"}}]}] ```