Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by hawkeyegough
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm so glad I read the author's note at the end of the book, which makes two books I can say this about already this year. Throughout this excellent book, I was enjoying my time (perhaps "enjoying" is the wrong word for a tale this dark, but you get my drift) with all these schemers, scoundrels, heroes, and regular Joes who make up Westeros. At the same time, I was getting more and more perplexed as I got further in without hearing from some pretty crucial characters. At about the 2/3 point of the book I accepted that I was unlikely to hear from these folks for the duration, and wasn't sure why Martin would do this as I began to wonder if this elaborate plot was feeling incomplete. To Martin's credit, I never swung over to the opinion that this was a bad choice, but I was definitely a little puzzled as I cruised through the last third of the book. Upon reaching the last page, I saw a "meanwhile,..." on the next page, which I presumed was an epilogue. It wasn't; it was an author's note in which Martin tells us that he emphatically did not forget about any of the characters I was missing. He simply wound up with a manuscript that totaled more than 2000 pages, and opted to break it into two parts. He goes on to explain that he felt hearing from half the characters (and focusing on some specific geographical locations) for the entire tale would feel more complete than hearing half a story from every character. I will admit, if this story had cut off at the halfway point I think I would've felt like I needed more to form a complete plot. That being said, I'm not sure either option was a great move considering this book didn't feel like the actual ending was much of a natural stopping point either. I think this was a result of some of the natural difficulties that middle books in a long fantasy series sometimes encounter. Primarily, it felt like it was a bridge between some critical plot points rather than being a complete story on its own. There were some truly unexpected twists and a plethora of amazing settings, details, and characters, but I didn't feel a true climax or denouement. That being said, I just don't care because Martin is an amazing wordsmith and he's struck absolute gold with this world and the characters he's conjured from his mind.
This book is an incredible example for all authors of the principle of showing the reader all the important aspects of a plot and world without explicitly telling him or her what's going on. This is seen through the subtle metaphors weaved into the weather, the plant life, and many other things throughout the book. It's by no means crucial to pick up on these to follow the plot or enjoy the book, but I got a lot of pleasure from trying to deduce what the author had in mind behind each description and background. Another example of the author's deft ability to show rather than tell is how he uses each character's perspective to clue us in on what's happening to other characters who are off-screen, and how he incredibly manages to rigidly ensure no character knows anything he couldn't in this expansive world. This depth of detail and description leads to better immersion and a realer feel to the characters and their context.
George R.R. Martin is compared to J.R.R. Tolkein on the back of the book jacket, and there's certainly a similarity in the way each constructs a world that feels rich and believable. While Tolkein's world is slightly more fantastical and Martin's is darker and grittier, both produce for us a canvas that is at once atmospheric and intimate, elaborate and blunt. These authors represent the pinnacle of what high fantasy can be, and despite this book having its own (very minor) flaws, I loved it and devoured it. I almost never read these long, heavy book series installments back to back, but I enjoyed A Feast For Crows so much I may do just that.
This book is an incredible example for all authors of the principle of showing the reader all the important aspects of a plot and world without explicitly telling him or her what's going on. This is seen through the subtle metaphors weaved into the weather, the plant life, and many other things throughout the book. It's by no means crucial to pick up on these to follow the plot or enjoy the book, but I got a lot of pleasure from trying to deduce what the author had in mind behind each description and background. Another example of the author's deft ability to show rather than tell is how he uses each character's perspective to clue us in on what's happening to other characters who are off-screen, and how he incredibly manages to rigidly ensure no character knows anything he couldn't in this expansive world. This depth of detail and description leads to better immersion and a realer feel to the characters and their context.
George R.R. Martin is compared to J.R.R. Tolkein on the back of the book jacket, and there's certainly a similarity in the way each constructs a world that feels rich and believable. While Tolkein's world is slightly more fantastical and Martin's is darker and grittier, both produce for us a canvas that is at once atmospheric and intimate, elaborate and blunt. These authors represent the pinnacle of what high fantasy can be, and despite this book having its own (very minor) flaws, I loved it and devoured it. I almost never read these long, heavy book series installments back to back, but I enjoyed A Feast For Crows so much I may do just that.