A Dance With Dragons

A Dance with Dragons
by George R. R. Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again—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 three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

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 yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon 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....

Holy hot damn, guys. This is the last A Song of Ice and Fire book that I will be reviewing for a while. It seems like I've been reviewing these forever. I'm not complaining about it because it's been fantastic, but it's very weird to think that it might be a couple of years before I read another book in this series. It's been a long time since I actively followed an ongoing book series. I've been reading finished book series since I gave up on the Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, which was... six or seven years ago, if I am remembering this correctly.

So here we are at the end of the road (for now.)

Like I said in my review of A Feast For Crows, that book and this book have some overlapping time. Most of the book seems to be overlapped time, actually. So any of the characters you were missing in the last book come to the forefront in this one.

Things are happening at The Wall. Stannis Baratheon has moved most of his forces up there to defend the Wall and is now moving to bring the Watch on his side, despite their oath to loyalty only to the Watch. He leaves a force, including Mellisandre, to ensure their cooperation, which causes unnecessarily petty problems with how the Watch operates.

But things are changing with the Watch as well. Operations seem to grind to a halt as the Watch moves to elect a new Commander and Samwell (before leaving with Aemon and Gilly) plays a rather conniving role in changing the course of the Watch. And Jon Snow's destiny has become a much heavier burden.

I'm sure you can infer a hell of a lot of spoilers from that, but I'm not explicitly saying anything, so don't blame me if you figure everything out.

Our buddy Tyrion Lannister has fled the Seven Kingdoms in a rather ungainly fashion with the help of the Targaryen's old host, Illyrio. Tyrion learns that someone who was thought to be dead isn't and through a series of misadventures, teams up with the jaded and miserable Jorah Mormont and an idealistic and naïve dwarf-lady named Penny. I have to admit, Team Tyrion is a bit like Team TARDIS – I prefer it in threes. The balance of Tyrion, Mormont, and Penny is really interesting. Penny and Mormont are pretty static characters and their motives are clear to the reader, but to see Tyrion navigate between them and move them through the political mess of the world is fantastic. It's Tyrion Lannister at his best, I think, because all of the things he used to rely on have been taken away, so he becomes much more resourceful and cunning.

Of course, we also have Daenerys, who is losing control of Mereen. Conquering the city was easy enough, but she is learning that maintaining a city is much more difficult and it is looking like she is not quite up to the task. At the same time, the dragons are growing and are less controllable, but sets up the most exciting part of the entire book.

So I'm not going to talk about it because that would be spoiler-tastic. Let's just say it's the most exciting thing to happen in the series to date.

Yeah. It's crazy. And awesome.

If you've made it this far in the series, I think it's clear that you need to read this one, too. It's phenomenal. I'm incredibly impatient for the next book, but I am definitely recommending this one.

A Feast For Crows

A Feast For Crows
by George R. R. Martin

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears....With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist--or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces--some familiar, others only just appearing--are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests--but only a few are the survivors.

Holy hand grenades. I'm already reviewing book four? That seems crazy. I mean, there is a lot of time between when I actually finished these books and when I have the chance to sit down and write about them, but it feels like there is no way I could have written about three of these monsters already.

Things really start picking up in this one and that very well may be because of how this and the the next book are structured. The time passing in these two books is like travelling across a Venn diagram. Everyone sort of starts out at the same time at the beginning of A Feast For Crows, but then the book focuses on only some of the major characters and events. Then, the next book picks up those other characters from where they were in the time split, follows them through the time that is simultaneously happening in A Feast For Crows, and then continues on with everybody for a little bit.

Granted, I do have the advantage of reading A Feast For Crows in the first days of the release of A Dance With Dragons, so I knew that there would be this time and character focus difference between the two books. If you are not aware of that, I can see how some things might get confusing and the exclusion of certain characters towards the end of the book made me anxious.

In this book, we follow King's Landing and all the political sword fighting going on there. Not so much literal sword fighting, although there is some of that, but the Lannisters (namely Cersei) are losing hold on the city and the Tyrells seem to be maneuvering things more effectively. Knowing Cersei as we do, this cannot go well. And it doesn't. Spectacularly.

We also follow Samwell Tarly for a large portion of this book. He is tasked with taking Maester Aemon back to the Citadel, along with Gilly and Mance Raynor's son, but he is met with considerable difficulty and faces many interesting personal challenges. Samwell's growth as a character has been rather slow, considering the pace of all of the other characters and their pursuits, so it was fantastic to get some good time with him and see more of his role in this story.

Arya Stark begins her training at the House of the Black and White, which is complicated by her own stubborn nature and her increased connection with Nymeria (although, she doesn't know that's what it is yet). There were so many times that she crossed paths with other characters in Braavos and each one of them was gripping as I tried to map where she would end up. She has been one of the greatest mysteries of the series for me. Most of the characters have a basic idea of where they should be headed or why they are proceeding the way they are, but Arya seems to take off whenever she needs to without any plans or goals. She still maintains the hope of seeing Jon Snow at some point, but she's a realist and knows that this is unlikely with how her situation keeps bouncing her around. The other characters try to shape the events around them, but she keeps flowing through them and I have no idea what's going to happen with her before the series end.

Brienne of Tarth is tasked by Jaime Lannister to take one of the swords forged from the late Eddard Stark's blade Ice and keep her word to Catelyn by finding Sansa. She ends up questing through towns in the traditional sort of fantasy story way and is tagged along by Podrick Payne, Tyrion's semi-competent squire. If you've been following my reviews, you'll remember that I love analyzing Brienne's character because of the gender-expectation bending and I latched onto her role with Podrick just as quickly. Pod is fantastic because he recognizes the same sorts of things I was. He approaches Brienne as he would any man going on such a quest and is a little awkward with the seemingly surprising revelations that she is, in fact, a woman whenever she speaks directly to him, but he switches between “my lady” and “sir” nervously, as if he's waiting for Brienne to approve which titles he should be using. He's always been considered a bit of a simpleton by the Lannisters he served, but Brienne takes the time to listen to him and teach him and he repays the respect in kind.

Littlefinger becomes Lord of the Eyrie after the murder of Lysa Arryn and Sansa, disguised as his bastard daughter, has to manage Robert and the lords of the Vale whenever Littlefinger needs to use her for his gains. Sansa's growth as a character has also been slow and I have been unsure whether she would remain a weaker character or if she would grow into her role as a direwolf. It's been hard to tell because the boys have been forged by connections to their wolves and Arya has always been wild, but Sansa's wolf was killed and she's never exhibited the kind of behaviour that has reinforced Arya's survival instincts. In this book, however, we get some more glimpses of the iron forming under her skin. She's always going to remain quiet and pretty on the outside, I think, but she's learning and adapting and I think she's going to become a quietly ruthless fighter very soon. It feels like she's on the brink of it and I am eagerly awaiting the moment when she wins.

Jaime leaves King's Landing (which opens the place up for the Tyrells as mentioned above) to oversee the siege at Riverrun, which doesn't lead to very many interesting new things with him, but we see the continuation of the changes caused by his trip with Brienne. And the Iron Islands flounder for a bit after the death of Balon Greyjoy, but they call for a new king. Divisions between the clans widen a bit and ships are sent out to stage new battles, which I think will become very interesting and very important later.

And, of course, main characters are killed. There are some intriguing things happening with the undead right now, so I am suspecting that we may not see the last of some of them. The fantasy aspects of this world are becoming more prevalent and I am hooked into their development, clinging to see what's going on. As usual, I had no idea what to expect in the next book when I closed this one and it continues to enthrall me in the best possible ways.

Up next, the current final book - - A Dance With Dragons!

A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords
George R. R. Martin




Before your eyes get any further in this review, Be Warned. There are probably spoilers in this review for events in A Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings. If you have not read those books and do not wish to be spoiled, Turn Back Now.

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey, of House Lannister, sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb, of House Stark, still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies, even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world ...

But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords ...

Oh boy. Where to begin?

I suppose I'll start with Brienne of Tarth. If I am not mistaken, she was first introduced in A Clash of Kings as a part of Renly Baratheon's guard. She becomes one of the major players in this book when Catelyn Stark gives her the task of exchanging Jaime Lannister for Sansa and Arya. Brienne is a fantastic character. Because of her “unladylike” build and height and because men have found her less than appealing, she cast aside traditional female roles and adopted male roles as a sort of misfit knight. I like the gender play there. She holds onto her own female name and, at the same time, is very uncomfortable when anyone calls her by a female title. She wants to be treated like a lady of her station sometimes if she can have the same respect as other ladies and she wants to be treated as a man other times and fights for the same respect as other men. She carves out her own identity and holds herself to her own standards without compromise and I have great respect for her.

She also happens to be stuck with Jaime Lannister, which I would probably enjoy with any character but especially so with her because he is a pompous ass. It is fascinating to follow their journey because they develop this grudging respect and admiration through fighting with each other and becoming prisoners of others. It's fantastic.

Of course, we also have the unfortunate Robb Stark learning precisely why it is a bad idea to betray a Frey promise when he nullifies his betrothal and marries another young lady. And Arya escapes from where she was from, only to be passed along from one group to another as she tries to find her way to her family.

In Stannis' camp, the focus is on Davos, who managed to escape the flames at King's Landing to land in Stannis' dungeon. Melissandre's premonitions discovered Davos' hatred for her and plots against her, but her hold on Stannis weakens when Stannis makes it clear that he values Davos above his other knights.

King's Landing is in turmoil. Joffrey is betrothed to Maergery Tyrell and is wed to her, with interesting consequences. Sansa's betrothal to one Lannister is forced upon another when Tywin decides that she must marry Tyrion. Circumstances force Sansa to flee the castle with the help of Littlefinger and go into hiding, which in turn causes Tyrion to take the fall for her suspected hand in events. The Lannisters become even more splintered as patricide and paranoia shape their family.

In the North, things are getting much more complicated. Bran, Hodor, Meera, and Jojen leave the ruins of Winterfell and travel north as winter comes closer. The Watch party encamped at the Fist of the First Men are attacked by undead wights that cannot be killed. Jon Snow is forced to play turn coat among the free peoples that Mance Raynor has gathered.

And in the East, Daenerys has found her army. She purchases the whole of the Unsullied – the company of eunuch soldiers renowned all over the world for its members' obedience and prowess in battle. In a demonstration of power, she turned them on the slavers who made them and changed the landscape of the East.

Each of these books is somehow bigger than the last one with more anticipation and more intricately laid destinies for these characters. This series continues to be one of the greatest epics I have ever read.


Next: A Feast for Crows.

A Clash of Kings
George R. R. Martin



Before we even get into this review, I must warn you that there are some spoilers in this review for events in both A Clash of Kings and A Game of Thrones. My A Game of Thrones review was pretty non-spoilery, but in order to talk about the events in A Clash of Kings, I may give things away that happen in that first book.
So, you know. Fair warning.

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders - Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon - who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war. It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel...and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

This book is called A Clash of Kings for good reason. Kings are clashing from the first page to the last. Both Renly and Stannis Baratheon have declared their kingship and have raised opposing armies. Robb Stark have been properly asserting himself with the Tullys of Riverrun. The Greyjoys in the Iron Islands have declared a kingdom and are intent on expanding that kingdom into the Westeros mainland.
King’s Landing has its own special brand of kind clashing with Joffrey on the throne, Cersei as the Queen Regent, and Tyrion as the King’s Hand are all vying for control of the kingdom while trying to make it appear as if they aren’t betraying each other.
The Night’s Watch is intent on clashing with Mance Raynor, the proclaimed King beyond the wall, and his wildling army.
And Daenerys clashes with the ruling classes and organizations in Qarth in her quest to gather enough forces to take back Westeros.
In fact, I think the only major character from A Game of Thrones that doesn’t directly clash with any kings is Arya, who starts the book travelling north to Winterfell as the orphan boy Arry and ends up heading in any direction that may result in safety as whatever identity is necessary.

I expected this book to be brilliant. How could I not after A Game of Thrones? But the moments of fun and victory are fewer in this book because of the prevalence of war. This book becomes more about the politics and how politics shape characters, whereas A Game of Thrones seemed to be more about how individuals shape politics. Usually, politics shaping characters isn’t quite my flavor of fiction, but this really grabbed my brain because I was already entrenched in this rich, fictional world with all these fantastic characters.

Next time on A Song of Ice and Fire… A Storm of Swords!

A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones
by George R. R. Martin

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict like the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win the deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

First of all, I’d just like to say that it is a crime that I had held onto this book for so long without reading it. I picked it up in a used bookstore a couple of years ago for some spare change and it has just been sitting in my drawer of books to read while I’ve been off gallivanting with other novels.

A crime.

Thank god for the HBO series. I started watching it because of the enthusiasm and joy at the adaptation by various podcasters (namely Scott Johnson on The Morning Stream and Tom Merritt on Sword and Laser and Frame Rate) and it was so good that it pushed all other books out of my mind for a while.

I am thrilled that this book has exceeded my expectations. It is everything everyone has said about it and more. I’ll admit, I was leery of reading “fantasy kind of without fantasy” despite having enjoyed it on screen, but it really does work well. Take the court intrigue of pre-Camelot, pre-Arthur England with a dash of Tolkien houses, names, and basis for current day legends and a heaping helping of betrayal and bloodshed and you’ve got yourself the start of what is sure to be a brilliant series.

This is fantasy when real life gets in the way. There are tales of dragons and mythical beasts and terrifying monsters, but these things are long since past and each man must fend for himself in a world where ruling houses are barely clinging to alliances made in their younger days. War is imminent, but whose war that will be remains to be seen. And while politicians and would-be knights and heads of houses fight in the south, winter is coming and something far more terrible may be at its heels with only an ancient wall and a couple dozen thieves, rapists, cast offs, and bastards to guard it.

And here’s the part where I usually talk about scenes and characters I particularly like, but I’m finding it difficult to narrow either of these down without needing substantial explanation for the events or giving away spoilers. All I can truly say is, just like life, there are some terrible things that happen and some exciting things that happen and no character is exempt from either of these things. Everyone is fair game and the character you like best could just as easily die in the next chapter as the character you hate the most. It is refreshingly fascinating, even if that means all of the characters I like die. Usually, I would find that worrying, but even when characters I like die, the circumstances of their death and the repercussions have not failed to change the events of the story in a fascinating way.

If you have not read A Game of Thrones, you should look into it. I’m not entirely confident to whom I should recommend this book, but my instinct says that anyone who enjoys fantasy, backstabbing politics, psychology, or twisting plots should take particular interest in this series.

As the first book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series, it is wildly successful in gaining my loyalty as a reader. I am now on the third book in the series.