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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
dark
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
An acquired taste, and a hard book to recommend (especially as it it far too long). However, the faux history book approach is interesting and the main story is a page turner.
The style is a little dry and formulaic, and I can take or leave the book before the Dance… but that whole section is fantastic.
Eh. Happy to go back to this world any time, but the format of a maester's history book strips R. R. Martin's byzantine storylines of the character development that made all the family drama/political intrigue so gripping.
If you like to go deep into fictional worlds, you’ll like this. If you’re not interested in reading about topics as obscure as which minor knights a Targaryen king appointed to the Kingsguard, you can probably skip.
Personally, I loved it!
As for the Dance of Dragons that HotD follows… there were several moments that I found more shocking than the Red Wedding
Personally, I loved it!
As for the Dance of Dragons that HotD follows… there were several moments that I found more shocking than the Red Wedding
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
If you like A Song of Ice and Fire – and I’m talking about the novels rather than the TV series – and you want to learn more about the history of Westeros, you’ll love this book. It’s not written as a conventional novel, more as a narrative history. What I mean is that the ostensible narrator is not an omniscient GRR Martin but a master writing several centuries after the event and relying on several contemporary sources of dubious accuracy. If that doesn’t sound very exciting, don’t worry, there is plenty of excitement here. And plenty of action too, of the kind you associate with Game of Thrones: wars, conspiracies, betrayals, beheadings, poisonings going on all over Westeros, with additional dollops of violence and mayhem floating in from across the Narrow Sea.
For those who find all this a bit grim and macho, GRR Martin is pretty good at putting women front and centre, so there are plenty of notable female characters, not just doing queenly things, but also doing “manly” things like exploring the seven seas (or however many seas there are in this world) and riding dragons. In fact, the major war in the centre of the novel hinges on the female right of accession to the Iron Throne, i.e. whether a younger brother’s claim trumps an older sister’s.
It reminds me that I’m not keen on the Middle Ages really, and as a republican I’m not a big fan of kings and queens. However, I can see why so many fantasy novels are set in something that approximates to the European Middle Ages. Kings and queens, knights in shining armour, jousting and swordplay, men with longbows and crossbows. It’s all fertile ground for creating action-packed narratives and fully-rounded characters.
Unlike GRR Martin, I’m not usually a great fan of illustrated novels, but in this case, the illustrations by Doug Wheatley are generally very good and do add a lot to the novel. We also get a list of reigns and dates and a Targaryen family tree, which is helpful if you get your Aegons mixed up with your Aemons. My only gripe about this edition is that there is no map. Yes, I can picture Westeros in my mind and there are maps in other volumes, but I’m sure there are some names of towns and regions that I haven’t come across before and it would be nice to know whereabouts they are.
By the way, Fire and Blood begins with the Targaryen take over of Westeros, three hundred years before the TV series starts. In this volume we get about half-way through that period, so expect a sequel at some point.
In this edition, as a bonus, you get a transcript of a conversation between GRR Martin and the mediaeval historian Dan Jones. It gives a fascinating insight into how the author first conceived of Westeros and how he developed this complex world. Apparently, it all started with a dream about the incident – which is very vivid in the TV series – when Bran discovers the direwolf pups. And at first, the author thought of that as a fit subject for a short story, not for a massive series of several doorstep sized novels. He also talks about his interest in history, and how the great thing about being a fantasy writer, rather than a historical novelist, is that you can take a historical event or artifact and then let your imagination go. As an example, he tells how a trip to Hadrian’s Wall led to the Westeros Wall. The author also hints at future Westeros novels, including a sequel to this one.
For those who find all this a bit grim and macho, GRR Martin is pretty good at putting women front and centre, so there are plenty of notable female characters, not just doing queenly things, but also doing “manly” things like exploring the seven seas (or however many seas there are in this world) and riding dragons. In fact, the major war in the centre of the novel hinges on the female right of accession to the Iron Throne, i.e. whether a younger brother’s claim trumps an older sister’s.
It reminds me that I’m not keen on the Middle Ages really, and as a republican I’m not a big fan of kings and queens. However, I can see why so many fantasy novels are set in something that approximates to the European Middle Ages. Kings and queens, knights in shining armour, jousting and swordplay, men with longbows and crossbows. It’s all fertile ground for creating action-packed narratives and fully-rounded characters.
Unlike GRR Martin, I’m not usually a great fan of illustrated novels, but in this case, the illustrations by Doug Wheatley are generally very good and do add a lot to the novel. We also get a list of reigns and dates and a Targaryen family tree, which is helpful if you get your Aegons mixed up with your Aemons. My only gripe about this edition is that there is no map. Yes, I can picture Westeros in my mind and there are maps in other volumes, but I’m sure there are some names of towns and regions that I haven’t come across before and it would be nice to know whereabouts they are.
By the way, Fire and Blood begins with the Targaryen take over of Westeros, three hundred years before the TV series starts. In this volume we get about half-way through that period, so expect a sequel at some point.
In this edition, as a bonus, you get a transcript of a conversation between GRR Martin and the mediaeval historian Dan Jones. It gives a fascinating insight into how the author first conceived of Westeros and how he developed this complex world. Apparently, it all started with a dream about the incident – which is very vivid in the TV series – when Bran discovers the direwolf pups. And at first, the author thought of that as a fit subject for a short story, not for a massive series of several doorstep sized novels. He also talks about his interest in history, and how the great thing about being a fantasy writer, rather than a historical novelist, is that you can take a historical event or artifact and then let your imagination go. As an example, he tells how a trip to Hadrian’s Wall led to the Westeros Wall. The author also hints at future Westeros novels, including a sequel to this one.
Was a hard read at the start, but it picked up pace (or maybe I enjoyed it more bec I was procrastinating) and the rule of jahaerys was a treat.
Then first 2 seasons of HOTD happen, which were excellent, and the following resolution of their storylines were conclusive, albeit at times it felt like it was being dragged.
But then the end was an absolute chore, as characters weave in and out of the story and only the Targaryen’s and one or two names would stay top of mind as I read through the whole thing. Quite a drag, and king Aegon III was a very dull reign and sad and infuriating at his complacency.
Perhaps the next book would be good, but I doubt I would give it a chance.
The starting was difficult to get used to, the middle was fun (bec I had a visual reference) and the end was a drag.
Then first 2 seasons of HOTD happen, which were excellent, and the following resolution of their storylines were conclusive, albeit at times it felt like it was being dragged.
But then the end was an absolute chore, as characters weave in and out of the story and only the Targaryen’s and one or two names would stay top of mind as I read through the whole thing. Quite a drag, and king Aegon III was a very dull reign and sad and infuriating at his complacency.
Perhaps the next book would be good, but I doubt I would give it a chance.
The starting was difficult to get used to, the middle was fun (bec I had a visual reference) and the end was a drag.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No