REVIEW: A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: A FEAST FOR CROWS ~ GEORGE R.R MARTIN

In his acknowledgements George R.R Martin starts off by saying “This one was a bitch”.  I wholeheartedly agree, though our reasons probably differ.  If I had started reading the A Song of Ice and Fire series back in 1996 when A Game of Thrones was first released, and had I waited for five years after A Storm of Swords (2000) for A Feast For Crows (2005) to be released, I would have been very, very disappointed.  Was this delivery worth a five year wait?  Not in my opinion.  However, keep in mind that Martin had spent a significant amount of time first writing A Dance With Dragons after A Storm of Swords.  He then realised that he needed an interim story, and only then decided to bump A Dance With Dragons to book number five, and create A Feast For Crows as book number four.  So technically this book didn’t take him five years to write, but it was still a five year wait for fans. 

Truthfully, I battled my way through this instalment.  I found it boring!  I suspected it might happen – A Storm of Swords was just so epic and mind blowing.  I had mentally prepared myself that this one would very possibly not live up to the excitement of its predecessor, but even so I was very disappointed. 

In this instalment Cersei is ruling King’s Landing in Tommen’s stead, and in an attempt to ensure she alone runs the show she surrounds herself (and fills her council) with incompetent fools sure to agree with anything she says.  Cersei seems to be the only one ignorant of how unwise this approach is.  Jaime, growing more humble and noble by the day, grows cold towards his once beloved sister as he starts seeing her for what she is, and becomes more concerned with his honour than Cersei’s whims.  Arya finds herself in Braavos, and starts studying the art that made Jaqen H’ghar who he is today.  Sansa is still secluded in the Vale of Arryn, hiding her true identity from everyone (except Petyr), while Brienne of Tarth faithfully searches the Riverlands for Lady Catelyn’s daughters.  The Lannisters seem to have control of the Seven Kingdoms once more, but the Brotherhood Without Banners (now led by Lady Stoneheart) grows ever more wrathful in their vigilante justice, and a massive threat from the Iron Isles threatens to become more devastating than the war of five kings had been.

Arya in Braavos

A Storm of Swords concluded with such a slap in the face that I could not wait to read more – Martin, however, thought it would be a good idea to omit chapters from this surprise character, along with several other viewpoint characters, from A Feast For Crows (or as I like to call it, The Adventures of Cersei Lannister).  If you read my previous ASOIAF post mentioning major 8 character deaths, you might want to skip the remainder of this paragraph so as to not determine who is still alive.  This book does not include chapters from Lady Stoneheart, Jon, Tyrion, Bran or Daenerys!  To “make up for this” Martin overcompensated with way too many Cersei, Brienne and Jaime chapters; at least Jaime’s chapters were bearable.  The man I hated so very much in the beginning is turning out to become one of my favourite characters!  The only chapters I truly enjoyed were those of Arya, and they were far too few.  I battled my way through the rest, finishing this book only by sheer willpower.  There was no momentum this time around to keep me reading; I only really got into the book over the last 200 pages or so.

Lady Stoneheart

On the bright side, we see more of the Iron Isles this time around, and we are treated to two new fascinating characters; Euron (Crow’s Eye) Greyjoy, and Victarion Greyjoy – two brothers competing for the Seastone chair.  I think the history between them and the dynamics of their relationship will make for very interesting events.  Add to that the fact that each has his sights set on Daenerys to be his wife and ultimately Queen of Westeros. 

Asha, Victarion, Aeron and Euron Greyjoy

We also now know that Dorne wishes Daenerys to come into power and destroy the Lannisters, and with Quentyn Martell also on his way to bring the Khaleesi back to Westeros.  Add to that the fact that the mighty Citadel does not wish Daenerys to return; they accuse the Targaryens of sorcery, and will do anything in their power to ensure she fails.  I am positive the Daenerys chapters of A Dance With Dragons are going to be extremely gripping.

Nymeria Sand
(one of the so-called Sand snakes) 

Speaking of Dorne, we also get to visit Dorne this time around, where we also meet several new characters, of which the so-called Sand Snakes (the daughters of the Red Viper, Oberyn Martell) are my favourites – despite having very limited action. 

I look forward to reading the next instalment, A Dance With Dragons; having said that, I doubt I will read it before next year sometime.  Besides, the one after that, The Winds of Winter, does not even have a publication date yet.   In February, Martin confirmed to have written 200 pages out of approximately 1500.  Also keeping in mind this is the first draft, if Martin stays true to the time-frames of recent history, we are quite possibly looking at a release date of 2017.   

Product information:
Title: A Song of ice and Fire: A Feast For Crows
Author: George R.R Martin

Number of pages: 1104

Publisher: Bantam

Year: 2005

ISBN-10: 055358202X

ISBN-13: 978-0553582024 

* Note: The drawings featured in this post are beautiful fan art found on the web.  I am not responsible for creating these wonderful works of art.  All credit goes to their respective creators.  

REVIEW: A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: A STORM OF SWORDS 2 - BLOOD AND GOLD ~ GEORGE R.R MARTIN

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage as violently as ever, as alliances are made and broken. Joffrey of House Lannister sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the land of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Stannis Baratheon, stands defeated and disgraced, the victim of the jealous sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. But young Robb of House Stark still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Robb plots against his despised Lannister enemies even as they hold his sister hostage at King's Landing, the seat of the Iron Throne. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons still left in the world.  But as opposing forces maneuver for the final titanic showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost line of civilization. In their vanguard is a horde of mythical Others--a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords...

The battle for the Iron Throne is taking its toll on all the Kings.  Queen Daenerys might be taking on more people than she can handle, King Robb has lost the North to the Iron born, King Stannis is growing old and frail at a frightening speed, and King Joffrey… well, he doesn’t really care enough to be affected, now does he?  Early on in the book we learn that King Balon Greyjoy has died, leaving one less King vying for the power seat of Westeros.  Joffrey still continues to be the annoying little boy king we know him to be, preparing for the spectacle of a wedding with Margaery Tyrell.  Stannis must find a way to win the people of Westeros to his cause after the disastrous Battle of the Blackwater.  Robb Stark must first reclaim the North before he can march on the Lannisters.  Daenerys’ army grows large in numbers, but can she trust them? These are only the issues surrounding the royals.  The “lesser” characters face troubles of their own.  

Arya Stark just cannot seem to reach her family – something always gets in the way.  Sansa Stark, still virtually a prisoner at King’s Landing, must find a way to escape the Lannister clutches once and for all.  Bran, along with Meera and Jojen, must make their way North of the wall, which is sure to be attacked by Mance Rayder and the free folk at any moment.  Jon Snow must return to Castle Black, prove himself a true Black Brother and convince the Night’s Watch that he is not a turn-cloak.  Brienne of Tarth will stop at nothing to complete her mission to return Jamie Lannister to his Lord father and return the Stark girls to Lady Catelyn, but the most terrible of unforeseen circumstances makes her task impossible.

George R.R Martin’s A Storm of Swords 2: Blood and Gold is, hands down, my favourite book of the A Song Of Ice And Fire series, so far.  I read this instalment about twice as fast as any of the previous ones; I just could not put it down!  Action follows action on every page, and there are surprises around every corner.  We finally learn who sent the dagger to kill Bran, who really killed Jon Arryn and why, and what became of Barristan the Bold after escaping King’s Landing.  Tyrion Lannister must again answer for a crime he did not commit, and learns a truth that might finally cause him to re-evaluate his misplaced loyalty to his conniving family.

This instalment of ISOIAF literally made my jaw drop several times.  I got so mad at Martin that I threw my book down, unwilling to read any further.  Of course, I picked the book back up almost immediately and continued reading.  There are a whopping 8 significant character deaths in this instalment!  This book truly delivers shock after shock, and where the ASOIAF series will go from here on out is anyone’s guess.  Martin’s writing is utterly unpredictable.  Nothing is for certain and no character is safe.

I have already bought A Feast For Crows, but after all the action I need a little vacation from Westeros before diving into this next one.  Besides, after reading this brilliant piece of literature, I fear that the upcoming instalments might not live up to the epicness of A Storm of Swords.  I so hope my fears are unfounded.  

Product information:
Title: A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords 2 - Blood and Gold

Author: George R.R Martin

Number of pages: 656

Publisher: Bantam

Year: 2000

ISBN: 9780007447855

ISBN-13: 9780007447855

My final A Storm of Swords tweet

Warning - when reading this book, do not occasionally "pop in" to the #AStormOfSwords topic, some readers drop major spoilers!  Luckily I only checked on what others were saying when I was already through with the book.

REVIEW: A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: A STORM OF SWORDS 1 - STEEL AND SNOW ~ GEORGE R.R MARTIN

A Clash of Kings left us with some major cliffhangers, and in the author’s note preceding the first chapters, author George R.R Martin makes mention that A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow does not so much follow the events of A Clash Of Kings, but the events occur more simultaneously with the battle of the Blackwater at the end of A Clash Of Kings.  In A Storm of Swords 1 we follow the people of the realm as they deal with the aftermath of the Battle of  Blackwater.  We pick up with Catelyn Stark pressing a sword to Jaime Lannister’s heart, Arya Stark fleeing Harrenhall with Gendry and Hot Pie, Sansa Stark awaiting her fate after her engagement to King Joffrey is called off, Daenerys Targaryen finally moving to return to Westeros, Bran and Rickon Stark fleeing with the help of Meera and Jojen Reed, the Night’s Watch deciding to attack Mance Rayder and the wildlings rather than wait for them to reach the wall, and Jon Snow posing as a turncloak, unbeknownst to his black brothers. 

Where do the Kings find themselves?  King Stannis is recuperating after the failed attack on King’s Landing, King Joffrey prepares for his wedding to King Renley’s widow, an unexpected turn of events causes King Robb to lose some of his greatest bannermen.  The Ironmen weren’t mentioned this time around, so who knows what King Balon is up to?  Queen Daenerys is finally, slowly but surely, coming ever closer to battling the Kings for the iron throne that is hers by rights.  Her journey is quite eventful and managed to even have me break out in sweat once.  No kidding.  With her army she is finally on her way to Westeros. 

As for the others, Bran and Rickon part ways so that Rickon will be safe as Bran searches for the three eyed crow to better understand his abilities, and some of the Stark children must even part from their direwolves.  Can all be well in the realm when everyone is separated from their loved ones?  Jon Snow must pose as a turncloak joining the free folk, but true to his cause, can  he convince the wildlings that he is one of them?  How much of himself is he willing to sacrifice to the play the game?  Sansa must still navigate the games in King’s Landing as Arya must navigate the dangers of being on the run.  As Tywin Lannister takes up his position as Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister must deal with being sidelined after his success at the battle of Blackwater, and named Master of Coin, Tyrion is left with the task of getting King’s Landing out of debt.  Quite a mission.  Added to this Tyrion must hide Shae from his father’s loathing eyes, find proof that Cersei ordered him killed, and lastly take a step nobody in the Seven Kingdoms could ever have seen coming. 

There weren’t as many new characters introduced this time around, and my favourite has to be Lady Olenna, Margaery Tyrell’s grandmother.  What a delightful old lady!  Painfully honest and unwittingly hilarious, I wish there had been more of her in the book. 

A very interesting phenomenon is how Bran, Arya and Jon seem to slip into their direwolves’ subconscious; I’m very excited to see what this might mean in future.  Of course I’m still clinging to hope that Nymeria will return to Arya at some point!  Another fascinating aspect of this story is how very close the characters come to one another this time around, without knowing it.  At one point Arya is two days’ ride away from Robb and her mother, and Bran and Jon are only mere meters apart.

A Storm of Swords 1: Steel and Snow is an action-packed read no less exciting than the previous books, and sure to keep you captivated until the end.  Every character's journey is unique and dangerous, and Mr Martin does a fabulous job of keeping everything straight.  Many times I was very impressed thinking just how finely he must have plotted everything before he even started writing - the A Song of Ice and Fire series is a literary masterpiece. 

Product Information:
Title: A Song of Ice and Fire: A Storm of Swords 1 - Steel and Snow
Author: George R.R Martin
Number of pages: 688
Publisher: Bantam
Year: 2000
ISBN-10: 9780007447848
ISBN-13: 9780007447848 

The HBO television Series Game of Thrones has been renewed for a third season, which will be based on A Storm of Swords 1.  To my delight Lady Olenna Redwyne, the Queen of Thorns will not be omitted from the series, and Meera and Jojen Reed will finally make their appearance! Other characters who will also make it to the Season 3 screen are Mance Rayder, Beric Dondarion, Edmure and Brynden Tully.  I quite like the Tully’s so I’m happy to finally have them join the tv series. King Stannis’ family, Lady Selyse and Shireen will also be cast for Season 3. 

Speaking of the television series, season 2  of Game of Thrones was quite different from the book (A clash of kings).  My favourite new characters (Meera and Jojen) were left out, Arya served Tywin Lannister, Shae served Sansa, Dany’s dragons were stolen, Ygritte trapped Jon… the list goes on.  The changes didn’t bother me too much as the story still flowed nicely, and the major outcomes remained the same.  Parts of book 3 were already introduced in Season 2, probably because book 3 is so action packed.  The battle of Blackwater more than makes up for other slights.  It was brilliantly done, and even more spectacular than what I had imagined reading it.  Apart from more completely unnecessary nude scenes, I am very happy with Season 2.

The Wildfire explosion at the battle of Blackwater

Filming of Season 3 will commence towards the end of the year, and Season 3 will premiere on 7 April 2013.