A Storm of Swords
Martin was several months late turning in the third book, "A Storm of Swords". The last chapter he had written was about the "Red Wedding", a pivotal scene notable for its violence (see Themes: Violence and death). "A Storm of Swords" was 1521 pages in manuscript (without appendices), causing problems for many of Martin's publishers around the world. Bantam Books published "A Storm of Swords" in a single volume in the United States in November 2000, whereas some other-language editions were divided into two, three, or even four volumes. "A Storm of Swords" debuted at number 12 in the "New York Times" bestseller list.