Should you buy this book? It’ll be worth your money, considering how long you’ll need to finish it.
Should you borrow this book? Yes but get the soft cover version and remember to extend your loan period!
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“A Dance with Dragons” by George R R Martin is the fifth book in “A Song of Ice and Fire” series (which has five books to its name now, and possibly three more to go). It covers the aftermath of the War of the Five Kings, namely Tyrion Lannister’s escape after Joffrey’s death, and Daenerys Targaryen’ rise to power in the East. It happens simultaneously with “A Feast for Crows” and also provides a conclusion for both books by covering a bit more of the timeline. It’s the longest book yet.
I would make another comment about this book took forever to finish, but given that I said that about “A Storm of Swords” and “A Feast for Crows,” I think that should be expected for any future books in the series. Also, I read the hardcover version, meaning I had to tote around an extra large paper bag for the past few months as I plodded through the book.
While the previous book’s focus was, well, pretty much non-existent, this book actually improved in terms of narrative structure. That’s no mean feat, considering the broad swath of storylines and characters to accommodate and also because this book is so much longer. In fact, it ends satisfyingly, unlike the previous book which felt unfinished and a cop-out to sell more books. Some of the newer characters are actually intriguing, and their actions also have a surprisingly large impact on events that play out in the books.
Suffice it to say that the status quo of Westeros has changed with this instalment, and the next book (if it should come soon), will probably see the meeting of ice and fire as all parties converge upon the Iron Throne.
Highlights
Proper narrative structure, complete with conclusion
After the terrible disappointment of the previous book, it’s heartening to see narrative structure return to this book. It cannot be stated too many times, how important it is to have a proper set up and pay off for all stories, to have the sequence of events flow in a cathartic and logical manner to stir the necessary emotions in the reader. For that is the point of a good story isn’t it? To evoke feelings with the audience. I wouldn’t say that my standards have been lowered, but narrative structure tends to get looser with long series of books, so to see a distinct effort to pull up its socks in this department was a great relief.
Tyrion Lannister’s journey and relationships
Thanks, in part, to the television series, Tyrion Lannister remains one of my favourite characters in the series. Actually, most of the Lannisters are, all of them being magnificent bastards in their own way. So it’s great to see so many pages devoted to Tyrion’s escape and his unlikely friendship with another dwarf, Penny. His possible impending greyscale doom also adds another dimension to his character – while he may have been fairly fatalistic in life, previously, now he really does have reason to maintain that attitude.
Daenerys Targaryen’s rise to power
Yay! Dany! Notwithstanding that she’s immune to fire, it’s always fun to see how she tries her best to overcome her innate naivete of the world to fulfill what she knows is her destiny. Her inexorable march in the east takes a long halt here though, as she tries to navigate the politics of the third city she’s come across. Though she meets yet another lover that proves to be false, she does have a sense of maturity in how she approaches the whole situation. And of course, her conflicting feelings towards the men around her are always a treat to read about.
Dragons!
The dragons have grown up and the book has (sort of) shifted a bit more into high fantasy with their overt appearances and incredible power. Of course, we’re all eager to see how they fare against the White Walkers, when the inevitable clash of the fantasy elements of the series comes to pass. But it was a surprise to see the large part that the dragons played in this instalment (despite the fact that yes, the word “dragon” appears in the book’s title).
Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame
To finally see that her actions have consequences – it’s been a long time coming. I like Cersei though, but it was getting a little tiring and implausible that she could get away with so many things without any repercussions. Character comes from conflict, and to finally see Cersei being tested also grows and develops her as a person, making her more interesting to the reader. She might have lost her bite after her walk of shame, but let’s hope it’s only an immediate consequence, and she goes back to being a magnificent bitch in the next book.
The Bastard of Bolton truly is one
I must confess that I didn’t quite pay attention to Ramsay Bolton when he first appeared, and the only thing that really struck me was how he, of all the bastards in the book, was given the title the “Bastard of Bolton.” And as he becomes are more pivotal character in the story, it’s evident why. He doesn’t have the classy kind of nastiness that the Lannisters exhibit, but more of the spoilt, bratty behaviour that Joffrey (who technically is all Lannister, yes) has. In a way, he’s a reflection of a grown up Joffrey, except with less power and far, far more baseness in him.
Theon Greyjoy’s come-uppance
I never liked Theon Greyjoy, since he came across as a really treacherous, ungrateful brat. So to see him laid low and being treated as less than human was a gratifying punishment for his betrayals in previous books. Although he does recover by the end of “A Dance with Dragons,” he’s a changed man, and has been significantly depowered. Whether or not he’s wiser, however, will be something that later books confirm or deny.
Twist ending
I like the epilogue for this almost as much as I like the epilogue for “A Storm of Swords.” It reveals wheels within wheels as the machinations of the Seven Kingdoms plunge the realm into more chaos. It brings forth the identity of yet another player in their game of thrones, and raises the expectations for the next book. Here’s hoping we finally see a closure to all the plots and scheming we’ve seen in the past five books!
Letdowns
Horribly irregular chapter naming conventions
Sometimes in this book and the previous one, the chapters suddenly stop going by name, and go by aggravatingly unclear descriptors. Things like “Sacrifice” or “The Ugly Little Girl.” It’s not a bad idea, but there are already so many characters to keep track of and not all of them are equally interesting. To put such vague and irritatingly faux artistic titles that break the chapter naming convention just frustrates the reader, who wants to know exactly who he’s reading about next instead of having to guess at it for the next few pages.
Terribly long
It is. And while I recommend you read the paperback instead of the hardcover, the truth is that I don’t know if the paperback will be durable enough to last all 1000 pages of the book. So either you lug around a brick for a while, or you end up with a book that might fall apart into loose pages.
Storylines of the Starks are boring
Yes, they are. The Stark kids, sans Robb (who is dead), are hardly as interesting as their parents, and to see so much time spent on time is really quite tedious at times. Yes, Arya is learning to change her face, Bran is on some spirit quest – but so long as it doesn’t really tie back to the intrigue and mystery of Westeros, it feels like a disjointed, unconnected portion of the story.
Draggy middle portion
I did feel like giving up halfway during the book, because the pacing had gotten so slow, the chapter names were infuriating, and as mentioned above, I didn’t quite care for the plots of the Stark children. Thankfully, it picked up soon after, so keep at it! The ending is worth it.
Stannis Baraetheon & Melisandre feel neutered
One thing I noticed was how depowered the two of them felt. They no longer had that fearsome authority that made them such effective anti-heroes (or would that be sympathetic villains?). As mentioned above, conflict does build character, but in this instance it felt like they were just yielding to their circumstances. Come on, Stannis! What happened to that magic sword of yours that was going to help you rule Westeros?
“A Dance with Dragons” brings about an epic conclusion to a story that took two books to tell. Now that ordeal is over, I have this to say – splitting the story into two books based on characters was one of the most asinine decisions I’ve ever heard of, or experienced. You don’t get to see the full picture of what is happening thanks to the limited perspectives, and whichever book comes first ends up as a half-finished attempt. Splitting it by chronological order may have been the less sexy way, but it would have been the more coherent, sensible way to do it.
In any case, “A Dance of Dragons” is thankfully a good story in and of itself, and lets us see the fates of almost all the favourite characters (since many of them appear in the last portion of the book). I’m not sure if the timeline jump takes place after this book, but it does set the scene for the next stage of the saga of “A Song of Ice and Fire.”
You might also want to read:
- [TV Show Review] House of the Dragon S1 – so gloriously intense I got a nosebleed
- [TV Show Review] ‘Game of Thrones’ Season 8 was epic but ultimately hollow
- [Book Review] “A Game of Thrones” starts slow and ends well, Book 1 of A Song of Ice and Fire
- [Book Review] “A Clash of Kings” keeps tensions high throughout, Book 2 of a Song of Ice and Fire
- [Book Review] “A Storm of Swords” is a mammoth epic of Pyrrhic victories, Book 3 of a Song of Ice and Fire
- [Book Review] “A Feast for Crows” is sprawling but limited, Book 4 of a Song of Ice and Fire
- [Book Review] “A Dance with Dragons” concludes surprisingly well, Book 5 of A Song of Ice and Fire
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