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A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Posted on July 28, 2011
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Reason for Reading:
  • I’ve been waiting for this book for years!

I also recommend:

  • Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Summary from GoodReads:

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again–beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone–a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all. . . .

My Review:

It really is impossible to write a review of A Dance with Dragons without reflecting on the wait any fan of GRRM had to endure to get this book into his or her hands. For years we’ve been waiting on this book, the other half to A Feast for Crows, and, while it certainly gave more of what we’ve come to expect of Martin, it also failed to answer many questions that we’ve had years to dream up.

I’ve never read a book quite so thick before and come away as dissatisfied as I am right now. Most of that dissatisfaction stems from a fear of having to wait another 5-6 years before given more of the story – and that’s a really long time and many, many books between. There were deaths in A Dance with Dragons, rebirths, kings seated and unseated, villains punished (or were they?), factions changed and many other things that occur, yet the ramifications will not be known for quite some time. So, rather than providing us with answers after several years of wait, we’re merely left with more questions.

That said, there was one scene in the book that finally provided me with something, a mere scene, that I’d been waiting for. It involves Queen Dany and… it was worth the wait. I was also pleased to note that a few others that played such a large part in A Feast for Crows were included in A Dance with Dragons (as I’d begun it thinking that they would have little to no part at all), and I was happy to finally see what happened to some of my favorites (Jon Snow and Tyrion).

I am still processing this book and, upon re-reading it next year, will probably write a whole different review, but as of right now I can say this – I’m fully satisfied with the story contained within A Dance with Dragons – provided the book following it does not make me wait another several years.

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Fantasy Book Critic

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A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

Posted on July 27, 2011
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Reason for Reading:
  • With the release of A Dance with Dragons, I felt the urge to re-visit these stories.

I also recommend:

  • Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Summary from GoodReads:

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears….With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out. But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead. It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes…and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

My Review:

It’s difficult to write a review of A Feast for Crows because of one drastic thing – the empty promise at the end of the book. I read this book several years ago and hung my hopes on that promise, that in a year A Dance with Dragons would be released – and it was just released this year. So when I reach the end of A Feast for Crows, it reminds me of the agony of waiting (although I certainly filled my time with other books). This fourth installment of A Song of Ice and Fire is interesting and infuriating. It only deals with certain characters and leaves others out. I long for updates of Jon, Dany, Tyrion and one other – but get very, very few bits of information on them. Rather, we’re stuck with the “King’s Landing” version of events. Granted, those events are thrilling. Between the struggle of the Queens (Margaery and Cercei), the search of Brienne “A highborn maid of three-and-ten, with a fair face and auburn hair?”, the fumbling heroics of Samwell (finally, the boy shows his backbone… of sorts), the re-emergence of Asha (I love that chick) and.. Sansa, now Alayne and Arya, now Cat. So. much. information. And I feel like I’m just being set up for something huge and the bigger it gets the more I fear for it to fail and for me to come away feeling disappointed. I know that Martin has cautioned us to not get too attached to characters – but I got attached to Brienne, dangit (And she and Jaime better.. you know!), I even enjoyed Cercei’s own spectacular brand of wickedness. But now, religion is playing even more prominently into the political mess. The emergence of a new “Holy Guard” to battle against Stannis’ “Red Woman” brings a whole new level of tension to the stories and one that, I hope, A Dance with Dragons will shed a little more light on.

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Yet Another Rambling Blog

Ex Libris Amie

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A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin

Posted on July 26, 2011
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Reason for Reading:
  • With the release of A Dance with Dragons, I felt the urge to re-visit these stories.

I also recommend:

  • Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Summary from GoodReads:

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. . .

My Review:

A Storm of Swords is a game-changer. This pivotal book takes everything that the first two books in the series has built up and it dashes it to pieces on the ground – yet leaves enough for the true story to shine through.

Kings are dying, have died and will die throughout the progress of A Storm of Swords making it very aptly named. Cherished characters die, others are redeemed and most of all, Martin gives us a picture of one of the most hated characters and brings his back story into the picture through a mannish woman and a journey taken. That back story had me reeling and feeling pity – the Lannisters, once a family I detested (and I still do with Cercei and Tyrwin) now have two somewhat noble family members. Putting aside the incest, which I admit is hard to do, Jaime is a character worthy of pity and one that, oddly enough, brings hope back into the story.

My heart breaks most in this book for Sansa Stark. Used over and over as a tool, for money, for power, for lust, this 13 year old child has seen more in her lifetime then any of us could possibly imagine. She believes she is the last of her line, she has been beaten, threatened with rape, abused mentally, kicked and betrayed by her own family – yet she still manages a strength of character that makes even Ayra seem the weaker sister.

A Storm of Swords up the game and sets up the remaining story in a masterful, incredible way. pAnd the most incredible part? I still don’t know which faction I lean to. Do I look to Queen Daenerys and her dragons? Do I look to the Lannisters, with all of their betrayals and faults? What about King Stannis who, technically, has the right of the crown being King Roberts lawful heir? And the Starks.. where will they fall in all of this?

These questions plague me as I continue to go through this saga. I have to say, no books can hold my attention quite like a fantasy saga – and even more so the king that George R.R. Martin has written. For all of it’s baseness, its crude language and behavior, it is a masterful story and one that holds me in its grip.

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Beth Fish Reads

Book Hooked Blog

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A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

Posted on July 24, 2011
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Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • With the release of A Dance with Dragons, I felt the urge to re-visit these stories.

I also recommend:

  • Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Summary from GoodReads:

A Clash of Kings is the follow-up to A Game of Thrones, George R. R. Martin’s fabulous introduction to a multilayered epic fantasy adventure that marked one of the most auspicious kickoffs in years. For those who enjoy their fantasy big, thick, and complex — Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series is for you. Fans of Jordan, Brooks, Goodkind, Feist, and high fantasy escapism in general are recommended — no, commanded — to flock to this breathtaking series. You’ll be doing yourself an immense favor.

My Review:

A Clash of Kings is just that – it’s the story of King after King, each taking the title for himself and going to battle to defend his own crown and capture the others. There’s death, there’s gore, there’s rape, there’s plunder, there’s magic and there’s just some creepy stuff that had me wrinkling my nose and thinking about puppies and kittens to get away from the imagery.

While A Game of Thrones was more about politics and introducing the “game”, the end prize being a crown, A Clash of Kings is it’s bloody younger brother. Gone are the pages upon pages of talk and introduction, these characters have now been solidly introduced and are biting at the bit for action – with the slight exception of one.

Tyrion Lannister, the “Imp”, shines in this book. Honestly, I cannot decide whether to love or hate the dwarf. His cunning makes me admire him, his wit makes me want him to win (he’s the only REALLY likeable character in the series aside from Renly – It’s impossible not to like Renly) and he’s the underdog, and I always cheer for the underdog.

But that means I’d have to forsake the noble Starks and how it kills me that the Starks and the Lannisters have done to each other the actions in this book. There is no going back there, no forgiveness.

And then, most of all, there is betrayal of the most magnificent sort. There is deaths, deaths that taught me, once again because I’d forgotten it from the first time I read these books, that you cannot become attached to any character because Martin does not hesitate to sacrifice them for the good of the story.

The only thing that really disturbs me about A Clash of Kings is the stories of Jon Snow and have Queen Daenerys. Dany’s story is disturbing to the point of making me severely uncomfortable in reading it, and Jon’s story seemed one gigantic setup to something even bigger and more amazing – but the set up was so long and drawn out I really struggled to keep my interest in it.

There’s no doubt about it – Martin knows how to tell a story and how to make a person really get caught up in the lives of these fantasy characters.

Check out these reviews!

Beth Fish Reads

Book Hooked Blog

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A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Posted on July 22, 2011
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Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • With the release of A Dance with Dragons, I felt the urge to re-visit these stories.

I also recommend:

  • Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
  • The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Summary from GoodReads:

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective wall. To the south, the King’s powers are failing, and his enemies are emerging from the shadows of the throne. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the frozen land they were born to. Now Lord Eddard Stark is reluctantly summoned to serve as the King’s new Hand, an appointment that threatens to sunder not only his family but also the kingdom itself. A heroic fantasy of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and evildoers who come together in a time of grim omens. The first volume in George Martin’s series.

My Review:

George R.R. Martin is one of the giants in the fantasy world today, and rightly so. He is a master of storytelling, world building and his characters command so much attention it’s difficult to put them aside in favor of doing things like, you know, eating, sleeping and working.

There’s been a lot of talk lately (most recently in a NYT review of GRRM’s latest book) of George “replacing” Tolkien, which is complete hogwash. While both are fantasy authors (and one a recognized forefather of the genre), their styles are completely different.

George R.R. Martin focuses on such a big picture with A Game of Thrones. There’s no necessary “good” or “evil”, there’s politics, wars, slights, rights and wrongs – which each character can be guilty of. Rather than focusing on a particular quest, which is something Tolkien loved to do, instead George R.R. Martin writes the saga of a land and the movement of power between huge factions of families.

There are characters I love in A Game of Thrones – little Anya and Bran, Ned Stark for his quiet strength, Catelyn Stark for her backbone, Jon Snow, the bastard, and the Imp for his sheer comedic value. There are characters that are evil, but even some of those have a side that is revealed at times hinting at more then isn’t there.

The writing in A Game of Thrones is gritty, tough, engrossing and engaging. Tolkien never used some of the drama that Martin does, be it in the private of the bedroom/tent between man and woman or on the battlefield, because it wouldn’t fit the story. Martin does it because it fits his story, and that is why I find any sort of comparison to be ridiculous.

I’m glad I’m finding the time to reacquaint myself with this series, because it is a powerful story and they are books worth reading if you are a fantasy lover – but it is powerful enough on its own and is weakened by the need to compare it with other authors.

Check out these reviews!

Beth Fish Reads

The Bookish Owl

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