A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series—as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance -- 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 thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind. Fleeing from Westeros with a prince on his head. Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. but his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys's claim to Westeros forever. Meanwhile, 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. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creature of ice. From all corners, bitter conflicts 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.

I thought I really enjoyed this book. Looking back on my notes there were a lot of fillers. It was much better than A Feast for Crows, but too many pointless chapters to give it 5 stars.

Jon: Trying to get control of the nights watch. some chapters were brilliant, others a waste. Still one of the strongest characters in this book. Lived hearing more about the Wildlings.

Danaerys: if I hear one more thing about Daario I might scream. She didn't care about the city, so I gave up caring too.

Bran: That's it?.... sure his character is boring, but we finally were getting somewhere! Then silence. George could have easily swapped a pointless chapter for this one.

Theon/Reek. on his was to a redemption plotline. Easy my favorite chapters. The inner struggle, hiding from Ramsay. The chapters were cruel, but he had the best character development.

Tyrion: I'm on a boat. I found a dwarf friend. I get on another boat. I'm sold into slavery. get on another boat. finally almost meet Danaerys. she flies off. I try to find a new boat.

Sir Barristan: Important POV after Dany leaves, and he tells what's happening when she's too busy daydreaming about Daario. chapters just too long and boring.

Quentin Martel. hilarious. boy thinks he can whip a dragon into obeying him. moron.

other Martels : trying to screw over the lannisters I'm ok with that.

Melisandre: oooh visions. I'd be fond with more chapters from her. they actually made me like her.

Random Targaryan kid: who? why. stupidest plotline by far.

Asha Greyjoy: she's horny.... ok..... pointless chapter.

Arya: ooh closure. good. looking forward to what happens next with her.

cersei. got what she deserves. hope they behead her. what's with frankenstein??

Jamie and Brienne: I need more!! let's go!!

Davos: captured again. his plot seems done.

Victorian Greyjoy: I think he's someone to watch. using blood magic. hope Dany crisps him .

epilogue: best part. poor kevan, but FINALLY Varys shows back up. the boom missed his scheming.

GRRM knows how to do a few things well; build characters that you care about, kill those characters and to drag unrelated characters into the mix to break up the tension. It creates a kind of jerky narrative at times that really feels like it was made for TV.

TYRION IS IN TROUBLE, HOW WILL HE EVER COPE?

Cut to commercial.

Jon Snow takes his glove off and clenches his sword hand.

It keeps you reading, at least.

Het is allemaal een beetje in één geschoven, de hele reeks van A Song of Ice and Fire, vrees ik: ik had deel één al gelezen, jaren geleden, en toen heb ik de televisieserie gezien, en toen heb ik deel één tot en met vier herlezen, en net toen deel vier uit was, heb ik deel vijf gelezen. Deel vier en vijf waren oorspronkelijk opgevat als één boek, en met ze zo meteen na mekaar te lezen, zitten ze ook zo in mijn hoofd.

Ik heb de indruk dat het allemaal wat sneller had kunnen gaan, met wat minder geëmmer hier en wat meer detail daar, maar ik ga niet klagen. Het ging uiteindelijk vooruit; niet zo goed als in het begin, maar een mens krijgt toch de indruk dat de stage helemaal geset is voor een zekere conclusie.

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Feastdance, A Feast with Dragons, A Dance for Crows: noem het hoe ge wilt. Wat het is, is hoe deel vier en vijf van A Song of Ice and Fire zouden moeten gelezen worden.

Het verhaal is bekend: GRRM was begonnen aan deel vier, en het bleef maar groeien, en groeien, en groeien, en iedereen werd ongeduldig, en het lukte maar niet om alles af te ronden zoals hij het wou afronden – en dus besloot hij maar om het boek in twee te splitsen.

Niet chronologisch in twee, want het grootste deel van boek vijf loopt parallel met boek vier. Ook niet thematisch, want de thema's lopen over en door de twee boeken heen. Wel op basis van de personages, grotendeels. De afweging was: vertel ik in boek vier ongeveer de helft van het verhaal voor (bijna) alle personages, of (bijna) het hele verhaal voor ongeveer de helft van de personages.

Het is dat tweede geworden: het minste kwaad, dacht Martin. Begrijpelijke, maar vooral spijtige zaak, want de twee boeken zijn vele (véle) keren beter als ze samen gelezen worden.

Wie de boeken nog niet gelezen heeft, rep u naar hier om te leren hoe ze zouden moeten gelezen worden. Wie de boeken wél al gelezen heeft, haast u naar hier om te zien hoe Sean T. Collins (en Stefan, en vele anderen) de twee in elkaar gestoken hebben.

Ik kan niet zeggen hoe content ik ben van mijn ikweetnietmeerhoeveelste herlezing.

Now that was a long book!! Unfortunately, not a whole lot happened. I still love the world George R.R. Martin has created so I didn't really mind crawling through this one too much.