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A review by ricksilva
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This review is probably a bit influenced by the knowledge that the next book has been "coming soon" for so long that really, we have no idea when it is ever coming out.
There were some great bits in this installment of the Game of Thrones saga, especially seeing Daenerys come to grips with the harsh reality that conquest is often easier than successfully governing the conquered. Daenerys was sorely missed from the previous volume, which too place simultaneously with the first two thirds or so of this book.
Jon Snow, dealing with a parallel set of problems as Lord Commander of the Night Watch provides a great counterpoint to Daenerys, and their two plotlines (along with a quick glimpse that resolves Arya's cliffhanger from A Feast for Crows) form the highlights of this series.
Much of the rest of the plot revolves around overdone villain Ramsay "the Bastard of" Bolton, so there is an awful lot of rape and torture, way past the "we get it, this is a world full of horrible people" stage and just into excess.
Tyrion Lannister is also heavily featured, and has some good character development, but in terms of plot, it's all setup for the Imp.
In fact, so much of this book was setup. There are multiple major events that are teased and hinted, only to be put aside for the next volume. One major battle may even have taken place completely offscreen after tons of buildup (although that is not entirely made clear).
The result of all of the setup and lack of resolution is that the story, in spite of several attempted cliffhangers, just felt like it fizzled out with the good stuff saved for when and if we get volume six.
There were some great bits in this installment of the Game of Thrones saga, especially seeing Daenerys come to grips with the harsh reality that conquest is often easier than successfully governing the conquered. Daenerys was sorely missed from the previous volume, which too place simultaneously with the first two thirds or so of this book.
Jon Snow, dealing with a parallel set of problems as Lord Commander of the Night Watch provides a great counterpoint to Daenerys, and their two plotlines (along with a quick glimpse that resolves Arya's cliffhanger from A Feast for Crows) form the highlights of this series.
Much of the rest of the plot revolves around overdone villain Ramsay "the Bastard of" Bolton, so there is an awful lot of rape and torture, way past the "we get it, this is a world full of horrible people" stage and just into excess.
Tyrion Lannister is also heavily featured, and has some good character development, but in terms of plot, it's all setup for the Imp.
In fact, so much of this book was setup. There are multiple major events that are teased and hinted, only to be put aside for the next volume. One major battle may even have taken place completely offscreen after tons of buildup (although that is not entirely made clear).
The result of all of the setup and lack of resolution is that the story, in spite of several attempted cliffhangers, just felt like it fizzled out with the good stuff saved for when and if we get volume six.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, and Torture