A Storm of Swords

　　HBO影集封面版

　　龍后丹妮莉絲帶領所剩無幾的族人，乘船航向維斯特洛大陸；她用盡一切努力招兵買馬，並苦苦等待小龍茁壯，以助她復國大業。布蘭的狼夢漸趨頻繁，在夢裡，他化身為狼、自由奔跑。然而夢醒之後，他又是那名落難的王子、被追捕的臨冬城遺孤。南至君臨，在被蘭尼斯特雄獅佔據的皇城之中，喬佛里將迎娶提利爾家的瑪格麗，珊莎雖逃離暴君的魔爪，卻被許配給在黑水灣之戰中面目全非的小惡魔提利昂。遠在北境，於奔流城與攣河城聯姻前夕，羅柏將一名陌生女子帶到凱特琳面前，宣稱她是自己的真命天女。凱特琳因兒子的舉動感到惶惶不安、終日難眠。原本將締結姻緣的兩大家族，都因此蒙上了陰影。瓊恩雖然遭擄，但統治境外的王者卻非他所想像殘暴不仁；艾莉亞成功逃離赫倫堡，身後仍有冷血無情的追兵跟隨，但她一路向北，依舊抱持著終有一日回歸故園的想望……

　　THE BOOK BEHIND THE THIRD SEASON OF GAME OF THRONES, AN ORIGINAL SERIES NOW ON HBO.

　　Here is the third volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

　　A STORM OF SWORDS

　　Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King’s Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world. . . .

　　But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords. . . .

　　★本書中譯版《冰與火之歌第三部：劍刃風暴》由高寶出版。

作者簡介

喬治．馬汀（George R. R. Martin）

　　當代歐美文壇最重要的奇幻小說大師

　　一九四八年出生於美國紐澤西州的貝約恩市。二十七歲即以《萊安娜之歌》獲象徵科幻小說界最高成就的「雨果獎」，此後得獎連連，曾獲四次「雨果獎」、兩次「星雲獎」、一次「世界奇幻文學獎」及十一次「軌跡獎」。二○一一年更入選《時代雜誌》百大影響人物。

　　喬治．馬汀是當今歐美最受推崇的奇幻小說作家之一，曾擔任「新陰陽魔界」和「美女與野獸」等電視影集編劇總監，他的早期作品多為科幻，尤以短篇見長，筆調瑰麗、感傷而富浪漫色彩。長篇作品則包括《光之逝》、《風港》、《熾熱之夢》、《末日狂歌》，以及預計共七部的奇幻小說「冰與火之歌」系列。

　　「冰與火之歌」系列是近年來史詩奇幻小說的一大突破，他以寬廣的格局，史家般的寫實筆觸，跌宕而驚奇不斷的情節，革命性地拓展了奇幻小說的視野，已連續多年蟬聯亞馬遜網路書店年度最佳奇幻小說。

　　George R.R. Martin is the author of Fevre Dream, the ultimate science fiction horror novel, several collections of short stories and numerous scripts for television drama. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.