A Storm of Swords

George R. R. Martin

Illustrated by Jonathan Burton

The third instalment in George R. R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ saga is available as a two-volume Folio collector’s edition. A Storm of Swords is illustrated by award-winning artist Jonathan Burton.

‘Characters so venomous they could eat the Borgias’

Guardian

The bloodiest, boldest and most addictive saga in fantasy continues with A Storm of Swords, the third volume in the ground-breaking ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series. Taking the world by storm, George R. R. Martin’s fantasy epic has won millions of fans worldwide, and these Folio editions – described by the author as ‘masterpieces of the bookmaker’ art’ – are packed full of details that devoted readers will find irresistible. Featuring exquisite illustrations by series artist Jonathan Burton, updated genealogies, a pair of bindings blocked in red and gold foils and specially designed chapter headings, this edition of A Storm of Swords exemplifies everything that makes a Folio edition so coveted.

PRODUCTION DETAILS

Bound in three-quarter blocked cloth with a printed and blocked cloth front board
Set in Vendetta with Esmeralda as display
1,128 pages in total over two volumes
12 full page illustrations and 4 double-page spread colour illustrations
Printed in black & gold throughout
11 illustrated chapter openers and 15 illustrated house sigils
15 family trees in volume two
Printed endpapers
Coloured tops
Blocked and printed slipcase with printed illustration inside
10˝ x 6¾˝

STEEL AND SNOW, BLOOD AND GOLD

The War of the Five Kings has ushered in a new age of unrest and violence to the seven kingdoms. Jon Snow is deep in Wildling territory and has discovered that they intend to throw down the Wall once and for all – yet their motives may be more complex than he anticipated. Arya is loose in a war-stricken land filled with dangerous men, and must think on her feet to keep her throat from being cut. Robb Stark, newly crowned King in the North, needs to build new alliances, and quick, but in Westeros, blood runs truer than oaths. Can a hastily arranged marriage secure an alliance with the Freys? The twin spectres of revenge and betrayal stalk Ned Stark’s heirs, and no one will escape unscathed.

‘I wish I had enough poison for you all. You make me sorry that I am not the monster you would have me be, yet there it is. I am innocent, but I will get no justice here. You leave me no choice but to appeal to the gods. I demand trial by battle.’

Tyrion Lannister, A Storm of Swords

A KING’S RANSOM OF UNIQUE DETAILS

A Storm of Swords contains a number of the grisly surprises that George R. R. Martin is rightly celebrated for. Jonathan Burton’s sensitive and skilled handling of such a huge cast of characters gives these shocking twists an even greater weight, and this kind of attention to detail can be seen across the entire production of this very special Folio edition. The interior of the slipcase features an image of King Joffrey, leering from the Iron Throne, while the binding designs use the imagery of the warring houses to spectacular effect. The Lannister Lion stands triumphant over a cowed wolf on volume one, while volume two sees the Stark wolf and Tully trout united as danger closes in.

ABOUT GEORGE R. R. MARTIN

George R. R. Martin is a celebrated author of fantasy, horror and science-fiction stories and novels. He began publishing short stories in science-fiction and fantasy magazines in the early 1970s, and his first novel, Dying of the Light, was published in 1977. Martin went on to work as a television scriptwriter in the 1980s, before – discouraged by the limitations of the medium – he returned to writing fiction, beginning work on the epic fantasy series for which he is best known, ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’, inspired by medieval England’s Wars of the Roses. The first instalment, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996; the fourth and fifth volumes (A Feast for Crows, 2005, and A Dance with Dragons, 2011) earned Martin best-seller status. The winner of multiple Nebula and Hugo Awards, as well as the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, Martin has also received three Emmy Awards for his work as a producer on the HBO adaptation of his A Song of Ice and Fire novels, Game of Thrones.

ABOUT JONATHAN BURTON

‘[Illustrating A Game of Thrones] became much more involved than I ever imagined with the universe of characters, costumes, settings and creatures all needing to be interpreted in an original way whilst being true to the book. I threw myself into this world 100% and relished in its rich and strange visual atmosphere bringing together medieval romanticism, dark drama and chilling horror. Delicious.’

Jonathan Burton has worked as an illustrator since 1999, after graduating with an MA from Kingston University, London. He has been awarded two silver medals from the Society of Illustration in New York, two Awards of Excellence from Communication Arts, and has received the Overall Professional Award for 2013 from the Association of Illustrators. For The Folio Society he has also illustrated Cover Her Face by P. D. James, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, and the entire Hitchhiker’s series. He lives in Bordeaux, France.