Valerie

This was probably my least favorite of the series. The world Martin created is so vast, and I understand why he chose to split the cast the way he did. That said, boy was it frustrating to plow through the chapters based in Dorne and Pyke to get back to the characters I was so frantic to find. I wanted to spend a lot more time with Arya and Sansa than was allowed. Brienne was not as compelling a narrator as I'd hope she'd be, but I still am nail-biting over her cliff-hanger.

I have officially lost any sympathy I ever had for Cersei but gained more than I thought possible for Jaimie. I was planning on taking a break before going into Dance (everyone else waited six years after all), but that's not going to happen. Not when I've been denied Tyrion's story for 800 pages. Here's hoping the HBO series puts on enough pressure to get “Winds of Winter” out before I crack.

I think I've been too harsh on this series because I'd already watched the drama. Now that I've passed the point of HBO, I find the story a hundred times more compelling and two hundred times more frustrating.

The most frustrating aspect about this installment was just how close the characters are at every turn, at every bend. They just need to take one step further to be reunited with their loved ones, to find a true ally, to achieve some goal. Sometimes they physically are that close, but they are stopped by pride or foolishness or blatant misunderstanding. Bran is so *close* to Jon at the wall, Brienne is so *close* to Arya on the road, Sansa is so *close* to Tyrion who could be a real, true ally. I just wanted to smack characters together and say, “She's RIGHT THERE!” a thousand times.

This frustration is only compounded by Martin's love of killing people which I'm going to say is worse than Joss Whedon's. He sends me into a frantic state of mind whenever the novel turns hopeful or peaceful. Any time things seem to be going well, I know someone is going to die, probably horrifically. I was a bit sad about Robb though more because it felt like dropping the plot than any actual caring for him. He lost that right when he got married for no reason. I see why HBO changed that plotline up. Catelyn I was almost happy about because I found her chapters the hardest to read. Interested to see what that sequel is going to mean. I'm sure I was singing "Ding Dong Joffrey's dead with the rest of the crowd, but that was compounded by knowing my happiness at one thing spelled someone else's doom. Sure enough, Tyrion. Oh my Tyrion. I hope there is more in these books for you. They don't actually "say" that he died yet, but I flipped through the chapter listing of "Feast for Crows" and he's no longer narrating. That is sad enough for me. Likewise I know Lysa dying, sweet as that was, probably spells Sansa's doom.

The compelling part though is that I don't think an author has ever made me wish so hard for the wrong thing. Most of the times when reading a story, you see the protagonist's choice clearly outlined with an easy choice and a right choice. They are crystalline and the hero is obviously going to make the write choice. Martin regularly presents his characters with a wrong choice and a worse choice. Melisandre is a good example. Martin spends half her descriptions convincing me she's is soulless, pretender harpy. Then he spends the rest of the time making me wish she wasn't. I end up as confused as Davos and Stannis, and I think that's brilliant.

I'm not sure how people made it half-decades between books. I'm very pleased with the next move for Arya, Brienne, Bran, and Jon, whose chapters are finally becoming interesting. I'm deeply saddened that Sansa cannot catch a break, but I look forward to seeing what happens next. As for the Lannisters... what can I say about the Lannisters? Debts! Debts to be repaid all around, I think. Also zombies. I look forward to lots more zombies.

I realize I've about forgotten about Dany, just like the rest of Westeros. I think that's also part of Martin's intention, saving her for book five. Then again, Martin never does what I think he's going to do, so why do I try?

I loved this book so very very very much until the epilogue. I thought it was a fantastic character exploration and was pleasantly surprised to not be able to find a true hero or villain in the piece. Every character is masterfully well-rounded and motivated by many opposing factors. The theme on the power of pride and how people let it shape them for good or evil resonated very deeply within me. After slogging through “A Song of Ice and Fire,” this was refreshing fantasy. It has a fast pace and remains real without getting as graphic as ASoIaF.


Then I got to the very last sentence and about threw the book across the room. My book club specifically picked this because it was a stand alone novel without a sequel after the last two books caused frustrating time sinks for people without much reading time. That means that unless Mr. Kay has a change of heart (and he wrote this book over 20 years ago), we the audience are left with this awful pit in our stomachs. My advice, read the book, stop at the epilogue.

I really wish I'd read this before watching the HBO series. It was an enjoyable book, but I think the sheer amount of spoilers I had going into it hurt my connection with characters that I knew weren't going to make it. That said, I still love the story. Well-rounded characters, beautiful descriptions, and not half as awkward as I expected it to be. Martin likes killing beloved people more than Joss Whedon does, though.

At this point, I'm just happy I started reading this series after 5 books had already been published. Now that I've got a grip on the characters and have read beyond what's been put on HBO, I'm enjoying the story a lot more. That said, I still find Catelyn and Jon Snow to be rather dull points of view regardless of what action is going on around them. I'd like to read an entire book just from Tyrion or Arya's perspective though.

My initial reaction to the book was “The Canterbury Tales: In Space!” I really enjoyed the 6 stories for the price of one aspect of the novel. Each tale was told in a very different voice allowing me to read a psychological horror story, a hard-boiled detective story, an emotion-shredding story of family loss... just tons of variety. Obviously, the book draws a lot from the work of Keats. Not having much background in that area, I do feel like I'm missing a lot of references. Still, I really enjoyed it and now need to pick up the sequel. Cliffhangers are not my friend.

(Very general spoilers)

“The Magicians” was an interesting twist on portal fantasy. Ordinarily, I don't like the genre because it has been done so many times and I can never stand how the hero always has to, or even wants to, go home at the end of the story. This book uses the “be careful what you wish for” trope in a unique way. I enjoy how Quentin gradually gets all the things he never thought possible, up to and including the portal fantasy of his dreams, and finds all of them eventually give way to the mundane. While Quentin is frequently an unlikable character and untrustworthy point of view, I did identify with his drive to succeed even if he wasn't particularly passionate about the avenue of success. He's driven, but every destination he reaches just drives him right back out. I've heard some people call it an allegory for academia, but I think it's a broader metaphor than that. To me, it's the idea that anything, no matter how wonderful, unique, or unbelievable, can become mundane with enough time.

I was a little disappointed when my book club picked this for the month. I first read this series in college, and lost interest around book 5. However, re-reading it was nice, and it was interesting to see how much of the movies had displaced the book in my mind. I'll always have some nostalgic fondness for this series, especially those precious first three.