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A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5)
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 gat...more
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Warning: The dragons in this review are named Giant and Spoilers. I have tried to shield most of them from view, but don’t get mad at me if one of them burns you. With this book, it was bound to happen.
This one was a real mudfight. Between me, myself and I.
Me didn’t get beyond “SQUEEE!” for several hundred pages,
Myself, while also trying to get over her grammatically awkward name, came up with the logical reasoning why this reaction was totally okay and based on something other than left over t...more
This one was a real mudfight. Between me, myself and I.
Me didn’t get beyond “SQUEEE!” for several hundred pages,
Myself, while also trying to get over her grammatically awkward name, came up with the logical reasoning why this reaction was totally okay and based on something other than left over t...more
Dec 04, 2013
Nataliya
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
GRRM fans who, like me, can't abandon this series in the middle
Dear George R.R. Martin.
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You may have killed my favorite character. Prepare to die
roll in dough as we continue buying your brick-sized creations.
(The above is what you'd expect from a book titled "A Dance with Dragons." Disclaimer: For the vast majority of this book's pages, none of it happens.)
(The above is what you'd expect from a book titled "A Dance with Dragons." Disclaimer: For the vast majority of this book's pages, none of it happens.)
Yes, I have a few problems with this latest installment in GRRM's neverending magnum opus. I have high standards for GRRM after ASOIAF 1-3. Hey, I read GRRM before I ev...more
"Words are wind," says George R. R. Martin (GRRM) no less than 13 times in the latest installment of his
A Song of Ice and Fire
series. In this incredibly windy tome there was very little advancement of the overall story and no resolution to any of the myriad plot threads. Instead, most of the book followed characters travelling, yet in its 1,000+ pages only one reaches his destination while the rest are still travelling.
Words are wind, and GRRM is a windbag. His predilection for overwriting is...more
Words are wind, and GRRM is a windbag. His predilection for overwriting is...more
I'm blown away that someone could write a book so long in which nothing actually happens
I wrote a longer review at http://allthenominees.blogspot.com
But it says pretty much the same thing.
I wrote a longer review at http://allthenominees.blogspot.com
But it says pretty much the same thing.
Jul 26, 2011
Valerie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
much and more
Recommended to Valerie by:
wild horses couldn't keep me from reading this
Purchased anew, and laid it beside her bed,
Conflicting thoughts flying through her head.
Afraid almost to crack the covers, read the pages,
What if it was the last book? "No, More," she rages.
What if it wasn't? How long the wait next time?
Five years? Seven? Thirteen? Unlucky, even in rhyme.
First I must reread all the others...
refresh my brain of Snow and all his Brothers.
Sansa is no smarter than I did recall.
Starks should avoid other Kings Halls.
Weddings never make things merry,
The price too high...more
Conflicting thoughts flying through her head.
Afraid almost to crack the covers, read the pages,
What if it was the last book? "No, More," she rages.
What if it wasn't? How long the wait next time?
Five years? Seven? Thirteen? Unlucky, even in rhyme.
First I must reread all the others...
refresh my brain of Snow and all his Brothers.
Sansa is no smarter than I did recall.
Starks should avoid other Kings Halls.
Weddings never make things merry,
The price too high...more
Tyrion Lannister's horse was rubbing him raw as they rode onward, the branches of the trees above them swaying in a branch-like way. Ravens flew about among them, and clouds of dust hovered like halos around the hooves of their steeds.
Wiping sweat from his brow, Tyrion spoke to yet another minor character you've never seen before. "I hear that the Morvin and the Shornpel clans have sided with Darvus Farier from the great city of Bee Eff Eee, and are pushing forward late king Baratheon's bastard...more
Wiping sweat from his brow, Tyrion spoke to yet another minor character you've never seen before. "I hear that the Morvin and the Shornpel clans have sided with Darvus Farier from the great city of Bee Eff Eee, and are pushing forward late king Baratheon's bastard...more
Spoilers Included, so skip if you feel the need...
So, it's like this. You like hotdogs. Hotdogs are your favorite food. And there's a jumbo hotdog coming out on the 12th, so yay. Come the twelfth, all you get is the bread, and they say, eat that, the sausage is coming. It's so meaty, you're already salivating, dribbling on yourself in public like a fool.
Munch, munch, munch. But the bread is dry... Then you come upon a sausage factory. The Jumbo Sausage factory, and you get a grand tour, up and d...more
So, it's like this. You like hotdogs. Hotdogs are your favorite food. And there's a jumbo hotdog coming out on the 12th, so yay. Come the twelfth, all you get is the bread, and they say, eat that, the sausage is coming. It's so meaty, you're already salivating, dribbling on yourself in public like a fool.
Munch, munch, munch. But the bread is dry... Then you come upon a sausage factory. The Jumbo Sausage factory, and you get a grand tour, up and d...more
PROLOGUE
He awoke to the warmth of sunlight on his face. At last the day had come. He stretched to work out the kinks in his joints and muscles and groaned at the throbbing in his head. On his nightstand lay a bottle of Dornish red, which he downed in one long swallow to clear his mind, wine dribbling down his beard and tunic. He spied the book at the corner of his room where he had hurled it, and nearly threw the bottle too as the rage resurfaced along with his senses.
The book was called A Dance...more
He awoke to the warmth of sunlight on his face. At last the day had come. He stretched to work out the kinks in his joints and muscles and groaned at the throbbing in his head. On his nightstand lay a bottle of Dornish red, which he downed in one long swallow to clear his mind, wine dribbling down his beard and tunic. He spied the book at the corner of his room where he had hurled it, and nearly threw the bottle too as the rage resurfaced along with his senses.
The book was called A Dance...more
So, this is it. The dragons were supposed to dance, instead they barely spread their wings. And I am left thinking, this is it?!?
My complaint by the way, is not about the wait itself. I think I have been waiting since 1998 for this (this was supposed to be book 3 sometime in the past). After a few years of waiting, I think I managed to ignore it (by ruthlessly ignoring almost all discussion of anything related to these books for years). Other authors take their time: Megan Whalen Turner seems to...more
My complaint by the way, is not about the wait itself. I think I have been waiting since 1998 for this (this was supposed to be book 3 sometime in the past). After a few years of waiting, I think I managed to ignore it (by ruthlessly ignoring almost all discussion of anything related to these books for years). Other authors take their time: Megan Whalen Turner seems to...more
Martin himself describes the writing process of Feast: ‘The last one was a bitch.” and of ADWD: “This one was three bitches and a bastard”. If the author had trouble writing it It’s not surprising that it is also “three bitches and a bastard” to read. Presumably the first 3 books were easier to write, I also found them far more enjoyable to read.
I think part of my difficulty with reading ADWD is my refusal to skip anything, I never felt this urge to in the 1st 3 books. I read this today and tho...more
I think part of my difficulty with reading ADWD is my refusal to skip anything, I never felt this urge to in the 1st 3 books. I read this today and tho...more
8/27/11 Ok, no it didn't take me a month to read the book. It took me a few days. I just waited to write the review because it's one I didn't want to write.
*****BELOW THAR (may) BE SPOILERS********
Ok, I'm underwhelmed. GRRM is undoubtedly a fantastic writer and the writing was superb, as always. But the god damned story is dragging.
1. Dany and her dragons will never ever ever ever ever ever ever get moving. Never ever. Never. And that's bullshit. There was no dancing with dragons. There was a...more
*****BELOW THAR (may) BE SPOILERS********
Ok, I'm underwhelmed. GRRM is undoubtedly a fantastic writer and the writing was superb, as always. But the god damned story is dragging.
1. Dany and her dragons will never ever ever ever ever ever ever get moving. Never ever. Never. And that's bullshit. There was no dancing with dragons. There was a...more
Feb 07, 2013
mark monday
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
astrological sign: Virgo
Shelves:
fantastickal
An Initial Reaction to an Initial Reaction
Chicago Tribune:
“What’s A Song of Ice and Fire? It’s the only fantasy series I’d put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. . . . It’s a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don’t read fantasy.”
ugh, SHUT THE FUCK UP, CHICAGO TRIBUNE!
"a fantasy series for hip, smart people"...you make me want to never read this. but i won't let you influence me. fuck off, douchebags! how dare you spoil my excitement with your pretentious,...more
Chicago Tribune:
“What’s A Song of Ice and Fire? It’s the only fantasy series I’d put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. . . . It’s a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don’t read fantasy.”
ugh, SHUT THE FUCK UP, CHICAGO TRIBUNE!
"a fantasy series for hip, smart people"...you make me want to never read this. but i won't let you influence me. fuck off, douchebags! how dare you spoil my excitement with your pretentious,...more
This was a struggle between what I wanted to feel and what I felt.
I’m not going to lay false claim to being an early convert to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire cycle. To the contrary, up until April 17, 2011, I spent a great deal of time passively ignoring fantasy in general, and Martin in particular. (By passively ignoring, I mean I lived my daily life without ever thinking about the topic). However, on that date, HBO premiered Game of Thrones. Within three minutes, people were bei...more
I’m not going to lay false claim to being an early convert to George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire cycle. To the contrary, up until April 17, 2011, I spent a great deal of time passively ignoring fantasy in general, and Martin in particular. (By passively ignoring, I mean I lived my daily life without ever thinking about the topic). However, on that date, HBO premiered Game of Thrones. Within three minutes, people were bei...more
Did any of you guys watch Lost? Remember how you'd be watching a totally banal episode, and you're like "Oh, interesting, everyone is mad at Hurley for eating ranch dressing right out of the tub, that's, gee, that's compelling, hey now do more scenes of Jack and Kate re-establishing readily apparent character conflicts and interrelationships, zzz." But then at the end of the episode, something totally crazy would happen, and you'd be all "OMG IS VINCENT THE SMOKE MONSTER?" and the music would go...more
Well, I guess we know now why Martin took so long to release this latest volume: it's a steaming mess.
Forget for a moment the fact that of the many principal POV characters, only one (Jon Snow) has any discernible character arc throughout the tome's 940+ pages. Forget too that the only female POV characters (Cersei and Dany, and even Asha in her first chapter) can scarcely go two pages without pining lustily and pathetically for their male paramours. Don't trouble yourself with the chapters (Vic...more
Forget for a moment the fact that of the many principal POV characters, only one (Jon Snow) has any discernible character arc throughout the tome's 940+ pages. Forget too that the only female POV characters (Cersei and Dany, and even Asha in her first chapter) can scarcely go two pages without pining lustily and pathetically for their male paramours. Don't trouble yourself with the chapters (Vic...more
At the risk of getting thoroughly stomped by series fans, this was the first book where I really felt "it was ok" is the best I can say of it. It's wildly scattered all over the landscape of the current story, both in term of physical location and in terms of characters. There are so many new characters, new armies, new leaders, new kings, new slaves, new queens, and new vicious psychopaths that it's impossible to keep track of everyone, even if I wanted to. I know fans will say that's what the...more
This is the review I did for the Sunday Express. It only appeared in hardcopy so I can't link it.
Since it's a national newspaper and many of the readers may never have read a fantasy book, let alone the first four in the ASOIAF series, the review is less about this book and more about the series and the author. I hope to make them the gift of a great reading experience.
My rating for the book is set in the context of the alternative works of fantasy on the shelves rather than in an attempt to ra...more
Since it's a national newspaper and many of the readers may never have read a fantasy book, let alone the first four in the ASOIAF series, the review is less about this book and more about the series and the author. I hope to make them the gift of a great reading experience.
My rating for the book is set in the context of the alternative works of fantasy on the shelves rather than in an attempt to ra...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I don't know how to objectively review this book.
I first found Westeros in high school--sophmore year, to be exact. I'd had A Game of Thrones for months, maybe a year. I think it was a present. I kept opening it, reading a few pages, and bouncing off. And then one day I was bored and didn't have anything better to read and I finally forced my way through the prologue (which I still hate, and skip on rereads) and fell head-first into the book. When I came up for air, I demanded my parents take me...more
I first found Westeros in high school--sophmore year, to be exact. I'd had A Game of Thrones for months, maybe a year. I think it was a present. I kept opening it, reading a few pages, and bouncing off. And then one day I was bored and didn't have anything better to read and I finally forced my way through the prologue (which I still hate, and skip on rereads) and fell head-first into the book. When I came up for air, I demanded my parents take me...more
May 20, 2008
Juliet
marked it as to-read
I find it strange that people have already rated this book.
Ok so I loved the first 3 books in this series, loved them.A Feast for Crows was a bit disappointing, but A Feast for Crows was a different format and was considered one half of a finished product. So A Dance With Dragons is the other half to make that this installment complete, but they never feel complete you need the next one right away because this George R.R. Martin bastard has created these characters that we love and we want to find out what happens to them. I kid,I kid, I love George Mar...more
Three and a half stars.
There are currently over 3000 reviews of this book on this here website here. Adding another one would be like spitting into the Delaware River. So here goes.
Like the previous entry in the series, A Feast for Crows, there are too many POV chapters from characters I don’t care about, uninteresting subplots that go nowhere, too much bloat. I read A Game of Thrones in about a week; this book took me over a month, and it seemed like forever. Am I going to read, The Winds of Wi...more
There are currently over 3000 reviews of this book on this here website here. Adding another one would be like spitting into the Delaware River. So here goes.
Like the previous entry in the series, A Feast for Crows, there are too many POV chapters from characters I don’t care about, uninteresting subplots that go nowhere, too much bloat. I read A Game of Thrones in about a week; this book took me over a month, and it seemed like forever. Am I going to read, The Winds of Wi...more
Dear George R.R. Martin:
We know. We know you created this big amazing world, one so detailed that we can imagine every castle, every mountain, every bite of roast boar with figs. Your appendices kick all other appendices' asses. Your cast of characters makes Russian novels jealous. It's incredible, and we're all duly impressed. However, now would be a good time to remember why all the fans -- and I still count myself among that number -- fell in love with the series, and get back to it. Because,...more
We know. We know you created this big amazing world, one so detailed that we can imagine every castle, every mountain, every bite of roast boar with figs. Your appendices kick all other appendices' asses. Your cast of characters makes Russian novels jealous. It's incredible, and we're all duly impressed. However, now would be a good time to remember why all the fans -- and I still count myself among that number -- fell in love with the series, and get back to it. Because,...more
More of a 3.5, rounded down because I'm reflecting my declining love of this series. It started out great, but grew too large & is now choking in its own waste of words. It didn't move along at anything like the pace of the first 2 books. There were long chapters set too close together, improperly titled, & riddled with cliff hangers. The gritty realism is descending into gross for its own sake. Not all the time, but consistently enough that it is wearing.
My biggest complaint is that man...more
My biggest complaint is that man...more
It's real, it's here. He could have written about locusts and I would have been happy. 5 stars.
ETA: July 12, 2011. Oh, why not. I believe this one, too.
Amazon says this will be out September, '08.
I have no words for how excited seeing an actual publication date for this makes me. I've decided to believe it. And in pixies and unicorns and magic rainbows, too.
ETA: July 12, 2011. Oh, why not. I believe this one, too.
Amazon says this will be out September, '08.
I have no words for how excited seeing an actual publication date for this makes me. I've decided to believe it. And in pixies and unicorns and magic rainbows, too.
To George RR Martin,
What in the name of baby Jesus have you been doing for these effing five years?
Yours,
A very disgruntled reader
What in the name of baby Jesus have you been doing for these effing five years?
Yours,
A very disgruntled reader
I didn't start reading this series expecting a literary gem. I was only hoping for an entertaining, dark, morally ambiguous fantasy series written somewhat competently. The 1st and 3rd books delivered that quite well but the 2nd, 4th, and now 5th fall short. Having only started reading the books a couple of months ago, I don't seethe with the frustration of fans who have waited years for it to appear only to find that the action still moves at a snail's pace. Nonetheless I am aware that it took...more
Querido George Martin:
¿Qué te pasó de pequeño? ¿Quién se rió de ti? ¿Fue por tu masa corporal? ¿Por tus dioptrías aislantes? ¿De dónde viene toda esa mala sangre, toda esa mala tinta que acaba acampando a sus anchas en tus libros? Tu capacidad para dejar destrozados a tus queridos lectores es inaudita. Las muertes rápidas de los villanos poco tienen que hacer con las agonías en slow motion que otorgas a los supuestos héroes de esta historia. Ya sé que nuestros sentimientos son irrelevantes. Ya s...more
¿Qué te pasó de pequeño? ¿Quién se rió de ti? ¿Fue por tu masa corporal? ¿Por tus dioptrías aislantes? ¿De dónde viene toda esa mala sangre, toda esa mala tinta que acaba acampando a sus anchas en tus libros? Tu capacidad para dejar destrozados a tus queridos lectores es inaudita. Las muertes rápidas de los villanos poco tienen que hacer con las agonías en slow motion que otorgas a los supuestos héroes de esta historia. Ya sé que nuestros sentimientos son irrelevantes. Ya s...more
Night gathers, and now my watch wait begins. It shall not end until my death, George RR Martin's death, or until the 6th fucking book is published.
After doing a complete re-read of books 1-4, I have finally finished the last remaining published book in the epic series A Song of Ice and Fire.
Was it as good as I was expecting? No.
Did I still enjoy it? Of course.
Do I sometimes ask myself questions and answer out loud? Obviously.
I love this series, but I think the main problem for me is that there...more
After doing a complete re-read of books 1-4, I have finally finished the last remaining published book in the epic series A Song of Ice and Fire.
Was it as good as I was expecting? No.
Did I still enjoy it? Of course.
Do I sometimes ask myself questions and answer out loud? Obviously.
I love this series, but I think the main problem for me is that there...more
Martin excels at delivering disappointment. He builds characters up to the point where you think you know what is coming next, and typically want to see it happen, and then introduces dramatic changes that take the character either in a completely different direction or directly into the grave, all without seeming arbitrary. His style is a bit annoying in that almost every chapter ends with a dramatic discovery, which is a bit frustrating, especially given the breadth of the narrative and the am...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What will happen to your fave and least fave characters, on the upcoming books? | 4 | 13 | 2 hours, 47 min ago | |
| Sort of a girls only question... | 21 | 254 | Oct 16, 2014 02:09PM | |
| *Spoilers* Which characters in the series do you wish had lived? | 13 | 124 | Oct 16, 2014 05:17AM | |
| Books2Movies Club: SoIaF 05.2 - HBO GoT Season 5 | 1 | 4 | Oct 08, 2014 03:33PM | |
| Books2Movies Club: SoIaF 05.1 - A Dance with Dragons | 1 | 2 | Oct 08, 2014 03:13PM | |
| Are there any audio recordings of this book that are NOT by Roy Dotrice? | 3 | 28 | Oct 04, 2014 01:06PM | |
| What do you think about ''The Bastard Letter'' | 21 | 332 | Oct 02, 2014 04:53PM |
George R. R. Martin was born September 20, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. His father was Raymond Collins Martin, a longshoreman, and his mother was Margaret Brady Martin. He has two sisters, Darleen Martin Lapinski and Janet Martin Patten.
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies,...more
More about George R.R. Martin...
Martin attended Mary Jane Donohoe School and Marist High School. He began writing very young, selling monster stories to other neighborhood children for pennies,...more
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“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.”
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