I loved this novel. I'm engrossed in this whole saga. I sleep too little, clean too little because I want to read on and on. With this novel finished I've already begun in the next (Blood and gold), and I feel a little anxiety to know that after that one I only got Feast of Crows. At some point this story will be told and I don't want to know the end of it yet. I want it to go on and on, like some soap opera's do. Too much to ask?
Well, let's be professional about this. Why is this novel so addictive? Simple.. it's an interesting story superbly written and it leaves you begging for more.. MORE!
I love the way Martin divided his chapters, every time you think you found out, he's taking you somewhere else, wondering for a few minutes what happened with the others, before you get sucked in all over again. He does this not only once, but over and over again.
Besides this marvelous gift of placing cliffhangers all over.. he can get you to hate or love a character with the stroke of a pen. In the first novel, you get a plainer view of good and evil with Ned Stark and Cersei and Jaime Lannister on both sides of the scales, but as you progress in the story some lines get faded. You get a look inside there head and as in real life they don't seem to be 100% evil, just people transformed by circumstances.
Take Jaime Lannister for instance.. Flinging Bran out of the window in the first novel (A Game of Thrones) would entitle him to an evilish role throughout the book. I remember being devastated when that happened.
At this moment, however, Jaime looks more and more like a normal man, turned evil by chance. He's a man in love, more specifically and tragically he's in love with his sister. Beside that he's also made some choices which led him to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
All in all you get to pity Jaime, even sympathize with his forbidden love. That's how genius Martin is.
Of course Steel and Snow is a installment of a larger story, but what struck me as peculiar in this particular novel is the constant sexual tension. The first novel (Game of thrones) was mainly about honour, the second (Clash of Kings) was about Justice and this first part of the third novel is in my opinion about life and lust.
With that said, I'm off to read further.. and order the latest installment (Dance of dragons).
Personal rating: 5 stars
