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vavocado's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Gore, and Death
bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
I first started reading A Song of Ice and Fire years ago, when only the first three books were out. I loved them at the time, devouring them eagerly, and then I kind of forgot about them, due to the long lapse between books three and four. When book four came out, I kept putting off reading it because it had been so long I knew I'd have forgotten a good part of what happened. When the series began airing, I started watching, got hooked again, and finally decided to reread the first three books before venturing into this one, all because I wanted to know what was going to happen before the HBO series could spoil it for me.
This series is a funny thing. I love it, get so caught up in the many, many plot threads and that phenomenal characterization, yet there are some things about it that annoy me too. Sometimes I have to drag myself through passages, all the while wishing I could get back to reading about the characters I care about. Given how many wheels are in motion, I get why Martin feels he has to tell the story from so many perspectives, so the reader can see all the pieces as they move, but that doesn't mean I always like it. This book is no exception. Some spoilers to follow.
I'm not one of those readers who was disgruntled about only reading about half of the characters. That was okay with me, as about half the characters I like were in the book and the other half will be in the next. Yes, it was a bit annoying at times, particularly when I'd read something from Sam's perspective and be left wondering what was going on in Jon's head, but for the most part, I was fine with how the book was constructed.
What did annoy me, though, is the sense that this book is more bloated than it needs to be. I think a textbook examples takes place during the Iron Islanders' kingsmoot, during which the reader is treated to something like 1.5 pages of a character blowing a frickin' horn. Yep, that much page time, devoted to florid descriptions of the sound of the horn, and the face of the guy blowing it. It probably goes without saying, but this wasn't my idea of scintillating reading. Due to the millions of plot twists in this series, the books are going to be long, and that's fine. But I really object to things like this, which just slow down the narrative and annoy me. I felt like the entire kingsmoot could have been done justice in a few paragraphs. Ditto with the extensive detailing of the heraldic devices of every last house in Westeros, no matter how small and insignificant to the story. I don't care, I really don't. All I need to know is that Lannisters use a lion, the Starks have a direwolf, the Baratheons fly a crowned stag, and the Targaryens have a three-headed dragon. Done. I don't need to know about Green Apple Fossoways versus Red Apple Fossoways, and flayed men, etc., etc., etc. It becomes mind-numbing after a while. Martin is also given to repetition, with his repeated detailing of the chains of the maesters serving as one example. Editing is a good thing. Editing keeps the story moving and minimizes the draggy parts that annoy readers. Embrace the editing, George R. R. Martin!
I'm also annoyed by the Iron Islanders. They just feel like a superfluous complication to me. There's enough going on with the intrigue in Dorne, the machinations of the Lannisters, the plight of the Starks, the drama at the Wall, and Stannis to make things plenty complicated without bring the Iron Islanders into it. I don't find them interesting, I'm not invested in any of them, and I just plain don't care about them. Whenever I have to read about one of them, it's like a chore, like having to read a textbook for some boring pre-requisite college course. Maybe it's because the Iron Islanders don't feel to me like they have any shades of gray, and because I don't find anything with which to sympathize. I can sympathize with the Hound. With Theon or Aeron or Asha or Euron, not so much. Go away, kraken, so I can get back to reading about Arya's fascinating journey.
Fortunately, Martin's knack for characterization and for examining the many ways people undo themselves and others saves the book from being dull. I don't always feel like I need to read about all the characters Martin chooses to write about, but I can't help but be in awe of the way he can create such a vast, vast cast of characters and make every one of them feel unique. It's a talent that I think every author should envy.
There are so many things that happen in this book that shocked me, disturbed me, and made me cheer. One of the best, though, was witnessing the way Cersei brings about her own downfall. I've always despised her character, so I enjoyed reading about her destroying herself. She likes to think she's a female version of Tywin, but it couldn't be more obvious that she's nothing like her father.
My favorite in this book, though, was Brienne. It was so satisfying to see her character more fleshed out and to get insight into her. The other thing about her character that I find so enriching to the series as a whole is the way her relationship with Jaime contributes to his development. Sometimes I love Jaime and sometimes I can't stand him, but nothing has done more to bring out his humanity and make him a more interesting character than his relationship with Brienne and the ways it changes him. She provides such a valuable lens through which to view him. I'm not sure what to make of her journey in this book, though I have some suspicions about what might have come to pass in her last chapter, and it'll be interesting to see if there's anything to my speculations.
Another aspect of the book that I found so fascinating was seeing how the house of cards is beginning to collapse now that Tywin has been removed from the equation. It's striking the extent to which he was the glue that held not only the Lannisters, but much of the realm together. I knew when he met his fate in book three that it would leave a power vacuum, and it was so interesting to see what happened as a consequence. It's almost as if the Westerosi are working hard to bring about their own downfall, and Tywin was the only one who could save them from themselves--as disturbing as that thought is, given how much I loathed Tywin.
Equally fascinating, though, is Littlefinger. I can't quite see where he's going with all his scheming, but I'm beginning to think he may be the one to win in the end. For as much as Varys seemed like the dangerous one, it's now so obvious that Littlefinger was the one of whom everyone else would have been wise to be wary. I think Ned Stark suspected this, but it seems like he was the only one. Since there are so many characters in this series who conquer by sword and blood, it's interesting to read about how Littlefinger users subtler tools--persuasion, flattery, deception--to achieve the same ends. As of now, the only character who I think is a match for him as far as brains and wits go is Tyrion.
All in all, I found this book a satisfying continuation of the ASOIF saga. The book clearly moved the narrative on to the next stage of the story, and it feels like things are starting to come together, for better or worse. I'm moving on to A Dance with Dragons and only hope I won't have a long, long wait for book six, as having to reread the first five books before tackling the sixth would be a monumental task indeed.
This series is a funny thing. I love it, get so caught up in the many, many plot threads and that phenomenal characterization, yet there are some things about it that annoy me too. Sometimes I have to drag myself through passages, all the while wishing I could get back to reading about the characters I care about. Given how many wheels are in motion, I get why Martin feels he has to tell the story from so many perspectives, so the reader can see all the pieces as they move, but that doesn't mean I always like it. This book is no exception. Some spoilers to follow.
I'm not one of those readers who was disgruntled about only reading about half of the characters. That was okay with me, as about half the characters I like were in the book and the other half will be in the next. Yes, it was a bit annoying at times, particularly when I'd read something from Sam's perspective and be left wondering what was going on in Jon's head, but for the most part, I was fine with how the book was constructed.
What did annoy me, though, is the sense that this book is more bloated than it needs to be. I think a textbook examples takes place during the Iron Islanders' kingsmoot, during which the reader is treated to something like 1.5 pages of a character blowing a frickin' horn. Yep, that much page time, devoted to florid descriptions of the sound of the horn, and the face of the guy blowing it. It probably goes without saying, but this wasn't my idea of scintillating reading. Due to the millions of plot twists in this series, the books are going to be long, and that's fine. But I really object to things like this, which just slow down the narrative and annoy me. I felt like the entire kingsmoot could have been done justice in a few paragraphs. Ditto with the extensive detailing of the heraldic devices of every last house in Westeros, no matter how small and insignificant to the story. I don't care, I really don't. All I need to know is that Lannisters use a lion, the Starks have a direwolf, the Baratheons fly a crowned stag, and the Targaryens have a three-headed dragon. Done. I don't need to know about Green Apple Fossoways versus Red Apple Fossoways, and flayed men, etc., etc., etc. It becomes mind-numbing after a while. Martin is also given to repetition, with his repeated detailing of the chains of the maesters serving as one example. Editing is a good thing. Editing keeps the story moving and minimizes the draggy parts that annoy readers. Embrace the editing, George R. R. Martin!
I'm also annoyed by the Iron Islanders. They just feel like a superfluous complication to me. There's enough going on with the intrigue in Dorne, the machinations of the Lannisters, the plight of the Starks, the drama at the Wall, and Stannis to make things plenty complicated without bring the Iron Islanders into it. I don't find them interesting, I'm not invested in any of them, and I just plain don't care about them. Whenever I have to read about one of them, it's like a chore, like having to read a textbook for some boring pre-requisite college course. Maybe it's because the Iron Islanders don't feel to me like they have any shades of gray, and because I don't find anything with which to sympathize. I can sympathize with the Hound. With Theon or Aeron or Asha or Euron, not so much. Go away, kraken, so I can get back to reading about Arya's fascinating journey.
Fortunately, Martin's knack for characterization and for examining the many ways people undo themselves and others saves the book from being dull. I don't always feel like I need to read about all the characters Martin chooses to write about, but I can't help but be in awe of the way he can create such a vast, vast cast of characters and make every one of them feel unique. It's a talent that I think every author should envy.
There are so many things that happen in this book that shocked me, disturbed me, and made me cheer. One of the best, though, was witnessing the way Cersei brings about her own downfall. I've always despised her character, so I enjoyed reading about her destroying herself. She likes to think she's a female version of Tywin, but it couldn't be more obvious that she's nothing like her father.
My favorite in this book, though, was Brienne. It was so satisfying to see her character more fleshed out and to get insight into her. The other thing about her character that I find so enriching to the series as a whole is the way her relationship with Jaime contributes to his development. Sometimes I love Jaime and sometimes I can't stand him, but nothing has done more to bring out his humanity and make him a more interesting character than his relationship with Brienne and the ways it changes him. She provides such a valuable lens through which to view him. I'm not sure what to make of her journey in this book, though I have some suspicions about what might have come to pass in her last chapter, and it'll be interesting to see if there's anything to my speculations.
Another aspect of the book that I found so fascinating was seeing how the house of cards is beginning to collapse now that Tywin has been removed from the equation. It's striking the extent to which he was the glue that held not only the Lannisters, but much of the realm together. I knew when he met his fate in book three that it would leave a power vacuum, and it was so interesting to see what happened as a consequence. It's almost as if the Westerosi are working hard to bring about their own downfall, and Tywin was the only one who could save them from themselves--as disturbing as that thought is, given how much I loathed Tywin.
Equally fascinating, though, is Littlefinger. I can't quite see where he's going with all his scheming, but I'm beginning to think he may be the one to win in the end. For as much as Varys seemed like the dangerous one, it's now so obvious that Littlefinger was the one of whom everyone else would have been wise to be wary. I think Ned Stark suspected this, but it seems like he was the only one. Since there are so many characters in this series who conquer by sword and blood, it's interesting to read about how Littlefinger users subtler tools--persuasion, flattery, deception--to achieve the same ends. As of now, the only character who I think is a match for him as far as brains and wits go is Tyrion.
All in all, I found this book a satisfying continuation of the ASOIF saga. The book clearly moved the narrative on to the next stage of the story, and it feels like things are starting to come together, for better or worse. I'm moving on to A Dance with Dragons and only hope I won't have a long, long wait for book six, as having to reread the first five books before tackling the sixth would be a monumental task indeed.
broken_shady's review
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
novelette's review
2.0
We are getting closer and closer to the end of the story. Hopefully, Mr. Martin can give us the end we need.
NEED.
NEED.
josotros's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This series is gonna need 10 books at this pace
vlnntnn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.25
zingloir's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
teganms's review
4.0
I think this was a really good book! I enjoyed the different POVs, and the way the symbolism was interwoven with the story was amazing.
The reason I gave it four stars is bc I took a long break in between and forgot some stuff in the book haha.
Will be rereading the series next year.
The reason I gave it four stars is bc I took a long break in between and forgot some stuff in the book haha.
Will be rereading the series next year.
eceaydin94's review
5.0
It was one of the best fantasy series I've ever read.The only negative thing about the series is that it's too long :DDD
hissukissu's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Felt quite slow and very different than the tv series