A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords
US hardcover (first edition)
AuthorGeorge R. R. Martin
Audio read byRoy Dotrice
Cover artistStephen Youll
LanguageEnglish
SeriesA Song of Ice and Fire
GenreFantasy
PublishedAugust 8, 2000 (Voyager Books/UK) & November 2000 (Bantam Spectra/US)
Publication placeUnited States
Pages973
AwardLocus Award for Best Fantasy Novel (2001)
ISBN0-553-10663-5 (US Hardback)
ISBN 0-00-224586-8 (UK Hardback)
OCLC44676135
813/.54 21
LC ClassPS3563.A7239 S7 2000
Preceded byA Clash of Kings 
Followed byA Feast for Crows 

A Storm of Swords is the third of seven planned novels in the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. It was first published in the United Kingdom on August 8, 2000,[1] with a United States edition following in November 2000. Its publication was preceded by a novella called Path of the Dragon, which collects some of the Daenerys Targaryen chapters from the novel into a single book.

At its publication, A Storm of Swords was the longest novel in the series. It was so long that in the UK, Ireland, Australia, Serbia, and Israel, its paperback edition was split in half, Part 1 being published as Steel and Snow in June 2001 (with the one-volume cover) and Part 2 as Blood and Gold in August 2001 (with a specially commissioned new cover). The same division was used in the Polish and Greek editions. In France, the decision was made to cut the novel into four separate volumes.

A Storm of Swords won the 2001 Locus Award,[2] the 2002 Geffen Award for Best Novel, and was nominated for the 2001 Nebula Award for Best Novel.[2] It was the first novel in the series to be nominated for the Hugo Award, among the two most prestigious science fiction and fantasy publishing awards. However, it lost to J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire novel.[2][3]

Meisha Merlin Publishing, which had previously issued limited, illustrated editions of both A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings, was planning to release a similar version for A Storm of Swords in two volumes; however, lengthy delays in the release of A Clash of Kings caused it to lose its publishing rights, which Subterranean Press picked up. This edition, illustrated by Charles Vess, was released in the summer of 2006.

A Storm of Swords is also the name of the second expansion to the board game A Game of Thrones, released in July 2006. Approximately the first half of the novel was adapted for television as the third season of the HBO show Game of Thrones.[4] The second half became the basis for the series' fourth season[5] and some elements for the series' fifth season.

  1. ^ Miller, Faren (November 2000). "Locu Online Reviews: A Storm of Swords (August 2000)". Locus. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "2001 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2009-07-25.
  3. ^ "2001 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. 2001-09-03. Archived from the original on 2012-06-05. Retrieved 2011-10-13.
  4. ^ Martin, George R. R. (11 April 2012). "Season Three". Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
  5. ^ Elavsky, Cindy (January 19, 2014). "Celebrity Extra". King Features. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2014.

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