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desaevio95 's review for:
Fire & Blood
by George R.R. Martin
I really missed George's writing. This historical tome eloquently penned by the thoughtful and assiduously detailed Archmaester Gyldayn is a joy to read. The power and grandeur of the Targaryen legacy is both fearsomely displayed and painstakingly deconstructed, as the endless scheming and personal vendettas of Westeros poison the purity of this House who believes its members to be like gods. The details of the many triumphs and losses faced by King Jaeherys I Targaryen and Good Queen Alysanne Targaryen are especially fascinating, as their many children delight and disappoint them at dizzying dramatic depths.
The stories of Saera Targaryen, Rhaena Targaryen, and Aemond Targaryen really stood out to me in how potently they explored all-too-familiar family drama. The great strength of ASOIAF is its fundamental display of human flaws in a full-hearted fantastical setting. That remains on display here throughout Jaeherys and Alysanne's epic reign as well as the nauseating, unending nature of the Dance of Dragons, given a whopping 200-some pages. By the end of it, I was so exhausted by the violence and treachery I really felt as if I had understood the emotions George wanted the Dance to convey about war and family.
However, the latter tails of the Dance of Dragons chapters and the entire last fifth of the book were definitely a slog to get through. I just was not that interested in the random lords and ladies continuing to scheme on a small scale and not even in direct conflict with the Iron Throne (e.g. the Stepstones civil wars, Alyn Velaryon's sailing adventures, even the dealings of the shady characters from Lys). It became a huge bundle of endless names and short storylines that was nowhere near as compelling as the bulk of the book, which had a dramatic center in the Targaryen family. Maybe I was rushing and didn't give this section the attention it deserved because I wanted to finish the book before the Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones, but I did also notice that the writing in general was much more meandering and it makes for a weak conclusion to this first half of the Targaryens' history. The end of the Dance of Dragons makes for a much more enticing cliffhanger and natural end to the themes of family and betrayal explored in Fire and Blood.
I am grateful as always for George's excellent understanding of what makes an interesting character and am hopeful for a Winds of Winter that will stay true to the razor sharp balance between said drama and good pacing, which the first 4/5 of Fire and Blood definitely delivered.
The stories of Saera Targaryen, Rhaena Targaryen, and Aemond Targaryen really stood out to me in how potently they explored all-too-familiar family drama. The great strength of ASOIAF is its fundamental display of human flaws in a full-hearted fantastical setting. That remains on display here throughout Jaeherys and Alysanne's epic reign as well as the nauseating, unending nature of the Dance of Dragons, given a whopping 200-some pages. By the end of it, I was so exhausted by the violence and treachery I really felt as if I had understood the emotions George wanted the Dance to convey about war and family.
However, the latter tails of the Dance of Dragons chapters and the entire last fifth of the book were definitely a slog to get through. I just was not that interested in the random lords and ladies continuing to scheme on a small scale and not even in direct conflict with the Iron Throne (e.g. the Stepstones civil wars, Alyn Velaryon's sailing adventures, even the dealings of the shady characters from Lys). It became a huge bundle of endless names and short storylines that was nowhere near as compelling as the bulk of the book, which had a dramatic center in the Targaryen family. Maybe I was rushing and didn't give this section the attention it deserved because I wanted to finish the book before the Season 8 premiere of Game of Thrones, but I did also notice that the writing in general was much more meandering and it makes for a weak conclusion to this first half of the Targaryens' history. The end of the Dance of Dragons makes for a much more enticing cliffhanger and natural end to the themes of family and betrayal explored in Fire and Blood.
I am grateful as always for George's excellent understanding of what makes an interesting character and am hopeful for a Winds of Winter that will stay true to the razor sharp balance between said drama and good pacing, which the first 4/5 of Fire and Blood definitely delivered.