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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Interesting abridged history of the dance of the dragons
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Blood and fire, this was a good read, although an actual story of it would be much more welcome, instead of a record of events.
This felt like reading the Silmarillion by Tolkien. It was good to know a bit of history from the Targaryen family.
I've rated everything A Song of Ice and Fire five stars so far -- even A Feast for Crows! -- because I look at the series as one complete work, and each volume gives a lot of detail to that complete work. I understand that's how some folks look at Tolkien's work, too, so I don't see that as being an unprecedented position.
With these two "stories," though, that trend stops. I wanted to like them. I liked the Dunk and Egg stories, so I expected this one to follow in the same vein, but what I got was a couple of dry history lessons narrated by an old Maester. So much of the events in these stories were glossed over to the point of them reading like analytical pieces and less like stories. There were antagonists and protagonists (or as close as you can get to them in this series), and there were clear conflicts and resolutions, but the lack of the point-of-view characters killed what interest I should have had with these sto-- ... er, essays.
Taking the broad view, I can appreciate that they fill in more of the Targaryen's history, and find that a lot of the content here is reminiscent of what would normally be found in Westeros. Political machinations, deceptions, assassinations, battles, betrayals, and power struggles are just the surface of what you'll find in these recountings of the Dance of Dragons. In fact, what's in these pieces could easily be the outline for another novel set in Westeros without it being part of the series proper. I just wish that Martin had treated them as such.
I mean, anyone who's interested in the series and the expanded history beyond just A Song of Ice and Fire should read these stories. Just don't go expecting them to be anywhere close as interesting as the series proper.
With these two "stories," though, that trend stops. I wanted to like them. I liked the Dunk and Egg stories, so I expected this one to follow in the same vein, but what I got was a couple of dry history lessons narrated by an old Maester. So much of the events in these stories were glossed over to the point of them reading like analytical pieces and less like stories. There were antagonists and protagonists (or as close as you can get to them in this series), and there were clear conflicts and resolutions, but the lack of the point-of-view characters killed what interest I should have had with these sto-- ... er, essays.
Taking the broad view, I can appreciate that they fill in more of the Targaryen's history, and find that a lot of the content here is reminiscent of what would normally be found in Westeros. Political machinations, deceptions, assassinations, battles, betrayals, and power struggles are just the surface of what you'll find in these recountings of the Dance of Dragons. In fact, what's in these pieces could easily be the outline for another novel set in Westeros without it being part of the series proper. I just wish that Martin had treated them as such.
I mean, anyone who's interested in the series and the expanded history beyond just A Song of Ice and Fire should read these stories. Just don't go expecting them to be anywhere close as interesting as the series proper.
This book was absolutely amazing. Reads a bit like a history book (it kind of is) so it’s probably for the die hard ASOIAF fans only. The audiobook was read by the actor who plays Viserys and he’s really good. But for real though, the amount of thought that GRRM has put into creating these battle strategies to advance the story is immaculate. Absolutely brilliant.