Anyone else NOT reading A Dance with Dragons yet?

[mark]

i also wanted to add that it is bizarrely refreshing to hear someone say that Tyrion is not their favorite character!

he is my favorite character and, i think, most of the series' audience as well. but it is great to find that not everyone is marching to that same tyrion the dwarf beat. although i am curious as to why. do you find him annoying? unrealistic? he is such a popular fave, i have literally read no critiques about his character

(other than a slight criticism from martin himself about endowing tyrion with surprising fighting abilities in his first battle. which he corrected in the tv series apparently)

[Sandra]

Well, it's been a while since I read the books, so my memory is fuzzy. Yes, there was lots of activity, but most of it wasn't compelling for me... perhaps that's where I got my feeling that there wasn't much ADVANCEMENT. Lots going on, yes. Ho-hum. Great if you have ADHD.

Tyrion? While he's sympathetic, he's just so much a victim, and his deformities make him such a freak, that while he's likable, he's far from my favorite character. Dani and Arya would fill that spot. Also the direwolves, and other than Jon Snow's Ghost, I don't recall much involvement with them. They were my primary reason for loving the first book so much, as well as Arya's spunk and prowess with the sword, and Dani's marriage to her savage horseman, whatever his name was.

AND, the title of this thread is who is NOT reading ADoD. And I'm not. I merely stated my reasons. Plus, for some reason I erroneously thought that ADoD was going to be the finale and then I read there are x # of books more, and I decided I won't live long enough to read the end, so I'd just as soon quit while I'm ahead, thank you very much.

[Leland]

Tyrion in book 2 (view spoiler)[ was the hand of the King all through the second book. He masterminded plot after plot after plot and even went into battle when the Hound refused to do so whereupon he was nearly murdered by someone on his own side. (I did mark this as a spoiler...why no one else can mark spoilers around here is beyond me). (hide spoiler)] How on Earth do you see him as a victim?

[mark]

AND, the title of this thread is who is NOT reading ADoD. And I'm not. I merely stated my reasons.

yes, you have listed your reasons for NOT reading ADOD. i'm merely debating points raised by you and ala about a lack of plot in the series - because i did not understand those points, they did not make sense to me. if someone raises a point that i take issue with or am confused by, hey, i'll respond. no matter what the title of the thread is - unless the thread is titled Do Not Respond To Member Posts.

[Karen]

I know this may get me blocked from this group but I never heard of this series until HBO. So I'm just starting "A Storm of Swords" now.

One thing I'd like to point out is the difference between favorite characters and favorite plot line. Arya and Jon are my favorite characters but Tyrion has one of the more interesting plotlines.

By the way I find the rapid changes in POV can be a little challenging. Is anyone else tempted to skip whole chapters? As for Dance, I'll probably wait for the paperback.

[Laura]

Karen wrote: "I know this may get me blocked from this group but I never heard of this series until HBO...

Same here. It sort of makes me angry because there's so much in these books that I love. Why didn't anyone tell me about them sooner!?

By the way I find the rapid changes in POV can be a little challenging. Is anyone else tempted to skip whole chapters?"

Yes. Davos' chapters suck. I understand his purpose, but just... no. Bran's chapters in the beginning of Clash of Kings were boring. And as much as I like Dany, some of her stuff in the desert in Qarth and whatnot wasn't very interesting to me.

But that's just something you have to contend with when you have multiple character POVs. Sometimes you won't like a character at all or not be interested in his/her story.

[mark]

Karen wrote: "I know this may get me blocked from this group but I never heard of this series until HBO...."

LOL! moderators, please remove this member.

the challenge i've found in the POV shifts are probably typical: i long for the POVs of characters that i particularly enjoy (Tyrion, Arya, Jon Snow, Danaerys, and - this will probably get me banned - Theon)...and so i have to force myself not to rush through the other POVs. i had a lot of trouble focusing on Catelyn and Sansa's POVs for example. the thing that i found myself doing, much to my personal shame and chagrin, was surreptitiously jumping ahead and reading a few pages of my favorite character's POV, if that character was left in a cliffhanger (which was usually the case). i just had to know what was to come next!

[[deleted user]]

mark wrote: "i'm merely debating points raised by you and ala about a lack of plot in the series"

uh

mark wrote: "...points raised by you and ala about a lack of plot..."

must go deeper

mark wrote: "...you and ala..."

one more level

mark wrote: "...ala..."






wut

[Dawn]

lol...

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Tenso?

[Leland]

Ala wrote: "Yeah. Apparently a good portion of Dance is simultaneous with Feast. The latter portion is where the timeline actually moves forward.

I read that somewhere yesterday and can't find the blasted link, argh. .."

Was it the interview that was in Atlantic magazine?

[[deleted user]]

No, the one I read said something similar but also said the latter part of ADWD continued forward.

But this interview says it close enough.

Specifically this:
Article Quote:" How do you view A Dance with Dragons's place within the larger narrative of A Song of Ice and Fire?

It's a bit unusual because of what happened with the fourth book, A Feast for Crows. When I was writing that book, it became so large that in 2003 or 2004 my editors and I realized that it would have to be split into two books. It wasn't finished at that point, but ultimately I made the decision to split the book geographically, since my characters were spread out across the world—to tell the story completely for some characters in A Feast for Crows, and to tell the story for some different characters, but within the same time frame, in A Dance with Dragons. In that sense, A Dance with Dragons is not the fifth book, but is more like four B. The two books run in parallel, and both begin five minutes after the end of A Storm of Swords.

Interview

[mark]

Ala wrote: "mark wrote: "i'm merely debating points raised by you and ala about a lack of plot in the series"

uh..."

oops, sorry ala, just re-read the thread and laura's message. my bad. please subtract "and ala" from above.

sure seems like i've been apologizing to you a lot lately!

[[deleted user]]

Heh, no worries. I found it funny :P

[Evilynn]

There's a "A cavil on chronology" in ADWD that states that it runs parallel with AFFC, until AFFC character POVs start popping up again in the latter half of ADWD.

[Adam]

It's been too long since I read the first books. Now I'll have to figure out if I should reread/reskim the first books or find a really good synopsis to jog my memory.
Does the new one start with any kind of reminder? Or do I need to find one online if I go that route?

[Diane]

I've purchased the book, but have not started reading it yet. Still trying to figure out if I want to reread all the books before I start, or if I want to reread each book just before the HBO season. It took five years for this book to be published, and it will probably be that many years or more for each of the two remaining books... so there may be no need to hurry!

[Helen]

You lot are making me want to re-read now! I was so cross at the end of part 3 (lots of turning the back page and cries of 'what?') that I decided to wait til the end but my curiosity is growing.

[[deleted user]]

@Adam

http://towerofthehand.com/

They've got all the info you'd need to get caught up :)

[Kevin]

Why I just finish the book, and thought the chapters of the few non main characters kind of weak.

[[deleted user]]

I am not reading DwD....yet. I still need to read A Feast for Crows. I ripped right trough books 1-3, but wanted to wait on book 4 until I knew DwD was coming out. While waiting, I started the Malazan Book of the Fallen series and I am currently finishing up book 3 in that series. Heading back to ASOIAF asap.

[Andre]

I'm not reading DwD because I'm still catching up with the Wheel of Time (planning on being ready for the last book when it's released). One epic series at a time is quite enough for me. Once Wheel of Time is all finished, then I might take a look at this one.

For those complaining about the overlapping time periods, this isn't the only series to have done something like that. Wheel of Time does it with books 9 and 10, where Crossroads of Twilight jumps back several chapters and days before the end of Winter's Heart and covers that time period from other points of view, several of which hadn't been seen since probably the previous book.

[Dannyboy]

Lara Amber wrote: "I feel like the only person not running to get a copy RIGHT NOW. After waiting this long, I'm just going to wait for the series to finish before going back. Anyone else holding off?"

ive got all of the books currently read no 1 and im working through the rest

[John]

I just read the first one and loved it, but I was under the impression this would be the last. If not, I can wait until the series is complete before I go on.

[Dannyboy]

no was originally a trilogy then it doubled to 6 so this is the 5th book still 1 to go

[John]

Well that's not so bad, but I know I'm going to want to plow right through this series once I get started so I'll wait for 6. :)

[Valerie]

Dannyboy wrote: "no was originally a trilogy then it doubled to 6 so this is the 5th book still 1 to go"

He's still aiming for seven books, so two to go.

[John]

OMG how long will that take, 10 years? I still have plenty to read before then heh. I just finished the beginning of the Pandora Sequence by Frank Herbert, Destination Void. Look forward to starting The Jesus Incident soon.

[Dannyboy]

yhave you read the wheel of time series yet the last book is released in 2012 so would be a good time to start they are quite simply the best

[John]

No thanks, never heard of that. I'll look into it

[Dannyboy]

cant believe you havent heard of the wheel of time series they are in my opinion better than tolkien(and id never thought it utter those words lol)believe me look into it theres 13 books to relish and i do mean that they are superb

[John]

I haven't read fantasy in years. I used to be into David Eddings and Terry Brooks. Also, I really hate Tolkien, sorry lol. I don't know why, and yeah, I know Terry Brooks totally rips off Tolkien, I don't get it either. Too sing-songy I guess.

[Kevin]

Song of Ice and Fire is a lot like Wheel of Times, where it was first going to be a trilogy then six or seven books, but it went all out of control to god who knows how long. I hope that Martin does not have to die like Jordan in order to have the series finished.

[Dannyboy]

your so right,i was just thinking the same thing myself the other day lol.in reply to brooks ripping tolkien i agree but the elfstones is a stand alone masterpiece in my eyes,david eddings also an excellent author who went too far.how many times you can milk the same story,go see eddings (the origional stories class)then all the others,too far.

[John]

I enjoyed the Belgariad, and the first 3 Shannara books, although I read 3 or 4 more after that that I can't even remember. I read the series Eddings did after the Belgariad, and it was meh to me, but I think that was is more highly thought of than Belg. I also really liked Brook's Magic Kingdom series - although I don't remember enough of it now to tell you anything about it lol

Game of Thrones was definitely the best fantasy novel I've ever read though.

[Kevin]

Dannyboy wrote: "your so right,i was just thinking the same thing myself the other day lol.in reply to brooks ripping tolkien i agree but the elfstones is a stand alone masterpiece in my eyes,david eddings also an ..."

You think Brooks ripped off Tolkien then read The Iron Tower Omnibus by Dennis L. McKiernan, which might as well be Tolkien, but only changing all the names.

[Jensownzoo]

I've read the first three books, but had to wait so long for the fourth that I have to re-read the first three. Now there is a fifth book out and the series should end with the seventh, so I think I will do the same as many other people and wait until I have all the books in my hand before starting a grand re-read/read. I am kinda hoping that with all the hoopla surrounding the TV series that it kinda lights a fire and I won't have to wait 10-15 years to do this.

[Reginac1]

Kevin wrote: "Song of Ice and Fire is a lot like Wheel of Times, where it was first going to be a trilogy then six or seven books, but it went all out of control to god who knows how long. I hope that Martin doe..."

Martin has said that he will not let anyone else finish the series if he dies before it is done. So we all need to pray for his continued health.

[Stan]

The first 4-5 books of the Wheel of Time series are okay. Okay at best. After that, it takes a sharp turn downhill. No way is it better than Tolkien's work, or Martin's.

[Chris]

Kevin wrote: "Song of Ice and Fire is a lot like Wheel of Times, where it was first going to be a trilogy then six or seven books, but it went all out of control to god who knows how long. I hope that Martin does not have to die like Jordan in order to have the series finished...."

Reginac1 wrote: "Martin has said that he will not let anyone else finish the series if he dies before it is done. So we all need to pray for his continued health..."

Wow. We sure have some insensitive bastards in this group. I hope he finishes the series too, but I hope he has a long and healthy life regardless to how many pages he cranks out.

Though Kevin seems to think that Jordan died as a marketing ploy or something.

[Reginac1]

Gee, ad hominem attacks much Chris? As someone who has stage III non small cell lung cancer, I resent your implication that I am an insensitive bastard on GRRM's life, as I will surely pre-decease him and most probably his finishing the series.

[Chris]

Ehhh, I was just thinking about rephrasing that. It was meant to be more tongue-in-cheek than it came across. No, not meant as an attack. I apologize that it seemed that way.

[Kevin]

Chris wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Song of Ice and Fire is a lot like Wheel of Times, where it was first going to be a trilogy then six or seven books, but it went all out of control to god who knows how long. I hope t..."

I really don't think of that way, but it did make it a lot easier to finish the book.

[Bill]

I'm not reading it. There are too many other TBRs that come 1st and I still have books 3&4 to read in the series. I will probably start the entire thing over when it comes time.

[Charles]

Loved the first two books. Could not finish the third and I doubt I will try again in the future.

[Kerry]

I haven't read any of the books and don't plan to. It's just too much of a commitment to something I'm not convinced I'm going to like.

My reading goes on a cost/benefit ratio and the cost feels way too high on this one for me.

I just love Janny Wurts' Wars of Light and Shadow and I'm really struggling with those at the moment, so I am totally not taking on aything else of similar scope.

Enjoy the books everyone who is reading them, but I won't be joining you.

[Mike]

I've only read the first and I felt pretty lukewarm about it. Due to the recent hype however, I've been thinking that I really need to give the series another shot, but I'm obviously not ready to read ADWD as of yet.

[Sandra]

I just checked ratings at Amazon.com and it's getting an average of 3 stars out of 5. Most are complaining that the plot doesn't advance much and he's introduced a bunch of new stuff ala WOT. Doesn't sound too enticing to me, as I'd already kind of given up on the series. BN has a higher average rating, but most of the positive reviews are for the series as a whole. If you make the list with most recent reviews first, there are quite a few 1 star reviews, again complaining about lack of plot advancement.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

Sandra - one of my GR friends has made that complaint, and observed that critics have given it higher ratings than "regular" readers.

[Chris]

I'm not finished yet, and I am seeing some of that, admittedly. But I'm still enjoying every word of this book. It's wonderful.

I should also note that I love WoT too, so maybe I just love bloated epics. I'll survive, I suppose.