A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five [Hardcover]

 

 

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I enjoyed reading Martin's latest novel, but even 100 pages into it I began to feel a growing dread that this was not going to be a book to equal A STORM OF SWORDS. The narrative pace crept when it should have galloped. Over-long passages were devoted to what people ate for breakfast, local scenery or history. Ever more viewpoint characters were introduced, meaning that less time was available to advance the story of existing characters.

All of this detail is great fodder for ancillary projects: compendiums, encyclopedias, tie-in games, etc. But a rousing story it does not make.

There are some great touches. In particular, in the Reek chapters, Martin does for Theon Greyjoy what he had previously done for other anti-heroes like Jaime Lannister, giving him a powerful, personal story. The paranormal content rises significantly, but remains consistent with what has gone before and does not overwhelm the story. The dragons are depicted very well as creatures of fire and fury. Davos has some entertaining adventures.

But...

There are too many viewpoints. The problem seems to be that Martin has maneuvered almost all of the "primary" characters into some form of prison, or slavery (Theon, Cersei, Tyrion, Aisha, Davos, the dragons), or into figurative bondage (bound by duty, destiny, or oath as in the case of Dani, Bran, Jon, Arya, etc.). No one has room to maneuver. Everyone is stuck. While this gives A Dance with Dragons a certain thematic unity ("escape!") it doesn't help that Martin is in no hurry to set things up. At any one time at least half the cast is either in prison, visiting someone in prison. What's worse, when they aren't in prison, they spend most of their times stuck aboard ships or boats on the way to a destiny that always seems just out of reach, beset by storms, pirates, slavers, and other traditional perils. The mark of a good character is the decisions he must make. Individuals bound by chains or oaths or duty have little no room to weigh these choices. Eventually, circumstances or decision DO break some of these bonds but it's a long time coming. It's a mark of the strength of Theon's chapter that despite his circumstances - worse than that of most other characters - he makes choices.

With almost all of the main characters so constrained, Martin has two choices: get someone them out of trouble STAT, or add new characters who aren't constrained to move the plot along. Unfortunately, he chooses the latter, with the predictable result that even less time is spent on anyone we care about, and more time is spent introducing new faces who serve mainly as spoilers to kick the plot along. In doing so, the addition of one character, a lost heir, seems to come completely out of left field, with the unfortunately consequence of weakening the apparent important of one of the series' core characters.

So as to not end of a negative note, however, one element I did like was the introduction of some new villains. A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE has been hard on its heroes but even harder on its villains, with many of the more memorable antagonists either disposed of or (to some extent) reformed or made understandable (e.g. Jaime, Littlefinger), while the "white walkers" - the wights - remain an oddly impersonal menace. Both Ramsay Snow and Victarion Greyjoy get some extra development here, making the latter especially more credible as a future antagonist. Cersei also has potential to emerge back on stage, though perhaps more as a catspaw than an actual opponent.

It has been SIX LONG YEARS since George R.R. Martin last released a book in his Song Of Ice And Fire Sequence. That's a pretty long wait.

So was "A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five" worth the wait? Well... yes and no. It returns to much-beloved characters like Tyrion, Bran and Daenarys and slowly moves us toward the complex, treacherous endgame of Westeros' power struggles. But it's also very slow-moving, and sometimes it feels like events are happening too slowly.

After killing his father, Tyrion flees his native land and ends up adrift in another, dependent on others for safety and shelter. So instead, he forges a new destiny for himself. Meanwhile, Bran is en route to the Wall, only to run into wargs and discover new facets of his mysterious skinchanging power.

The new Night Watch commander Jon Snow finds himself facing an incoming horde of wildlings, as well as the presence of grouchy King Stannis and his bloodthirsty priestess Melisandre. Jon is determined to keep doing what he thinks is right, but his steadfastness may also be his undoing.

Having conquered the city of Meereen, Daenarys starts learning the ropes of queenship there, as well as caring for her three rapidly-growing dragons. Of course, she soon discovers that it's a lot harder than it sounds, as she becomes enmeshed in a deadly tangle of love, treason, ambition and bloody murder.

It's honestly hard to sum up a George R.R. Martin's books without giving away far too much, or going into countless detailed subplots. However, this book is very slow moving, and there isn't a lot of forward momentum until the last several chapters. It feels like Martin is arranging his vast chessboard for a the final clash, but it's going to be slow moving until he's done.

However, even a Martin book moving forward slowly is a striking experience. He embroiders this bloodspattered tapestry with vivid prose ("he fluttered like a burning leaf, a moth caught in a candle flame"), sex, and quite a bit of gruesome violence handled very casually (when a man is beheaded, someone asks, "Can I have his boots?").

The only very flawed scene that springs to mind is Daenarys' final scene, which is so melodramatic as to be almost silly. And yes, it ends on a multiple cliffhanger. Prepare to scream in frustration.

As for the vast cast of flawed, intriguing characters, Martin only handles some of them -- we see more of Bran's burgeoning powers, Jon's bleak, frustrating life as a commander, the determined Tyrion afloat without his family's influence, and Daenarys' quiet nature at war with her "dragon's blood."

Well, he touches on some of the other characters -- such as Cersei -- but mostly focuses on those four. And without revealing too much, yet another much-loved character seems to have bitten the proverbial dust.

"A Dance of Dragons" dances too slowly, but it's still a deeply absorbing read -- and it feels like George R.R. Martin is arranging the grand finale. Let's hope the next book doesn't take six years.

Six Years.

I waited six years for progress and answers and all I got was more cliff hangers.

Because George knows the only way we will wait another 6 years is if he resolves as little as possible.

When I neared the end of the book I had such high hopes. So many threads were converging, it would clearly end in an amazing climax.

But it didn't.

I am sure this book will get some good reviews. It has some pleasant chapters and was enjoyable to read, but that is simply because I and many others have waited so long, that we would be happy with anything new.

But this is no book to re-read.

For every surprise, there is a hundred pages of tedium.

The book meanders about, and feels like George wrote simply for the sake of writing. It was all build up and no release, and that's bloody unacceptable after six years of waiting.

I know there will be fans of the book, those who angrily defend it, and I really wish I was one of them. But instead of sliding this book onto my bookshelf, well satisfied, I simply want to throw it out a window.

I really couldn't be anymore disappointed.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Over The Top in A Dance with Dragons
The Amazing mind of George R. R. Martin keeps us on the edge of our seats and in
the throws of anticipation. Read more

Published 18 days ago by R A.E.Giglio

3.0 out of 5 stars A Dance to Keep Dancing
Warning: Review Contains 'Spoilers'

The 5th installment of the Song of Fire and Ice series is long. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Alex

2.0 out of 5 stars Easily the worst book in the series!
6 years for a book that does nothing but advance the plot far enough to add cliff hangers for the next book, which probably won't be released until 2018. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Phillip Whelan

5.0 out of 5 stars Accomplished
I have to admit that this is not a genre I read often, so the fact that I enjoyed it to the point where I unconsciously read it like a true story, says a lot. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Sancho

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing !!
The story is amazing. Its very hard to putt the book down, you'll want to keep reading until its done! I recommend this whole series of books.

Published 3 months ago by SarahViviane

4.0 out of 5 stars not great but still very good
The first four books were great in my opinion. But by the fourth book I noticed that we barely heard about the main characters we had come to love in the beginning. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Danny Beaulieu

5.0 out of 5 stars Absorbing tale!
I generally prefer the 'historical genre" for my choice of reads but upon some urging from my 'fantasy' reading daughter decided to give this author a try. Wow! Read more

Published 3 months ago by Kismic

3.0 out of 5 stars A Dance With Dragons
After waiting so long for this book that I had to re-read the entire series it just doesn't quite measure up to my expectations.

Published 3 months ago by Northern Light

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 stars
Martin is a master story teller, you cant go wrong if you have choosen to read this series. The only part that is frustrating is the length of time between releases. YEARS. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Sandra

1.0 out of 5 stars The good, the bad and the real ugly
I loved the first three books.
I read the fourth with effort.
I was expecting a better fifth book, but alas, this one is worse. Read more

Published 4 months ago by hbayer

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