Author: George R. R. Martin
Published: 2000
Genre: fiction - fantasy
started: Nov.15/11
finished: Jan. 14/11
Previous books in the series:
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
Wow, this took me much longer to read than it usually does but then it is the longest so far of the series. As with the previous books I enjoyed it immensely and found it well written. The war continues and plots are still spun in all corners. Daenerys still travels the lands beyond the desert while dreaming of returnign to Westeros and reclaiming the throne while the noble houses in Westeros play their games and plot for the future and follow their king of choice. The story is complex and well written while not being high fantasy. In fact I personally find it to be, in many ways, almost an alternate version of Europe in some ways.
When Martin starts the next book he changes the points of view or brings in new points of view.
In this book:
for House Lannaster For House Stark Others
Jaime (new) Catelyn Davos Slynt
Tyrion Arya Daenerys Targaryn
Sansa Samwell Tarly
Jon
Bran
As I mentioned before in posts about previous books, one thing Martin is very good at is making characters real and someone the reader might care about but at the same time is not afraid to kill these same characters if the story calls for it and even if chapters are told from their point of view. Another thing I've noticed is that he doesn't kill of characters from whom points of view are told behind the scenes. He has enough respect for his characters to give them a proper death scene even if it may not be clear if they are dead for certain or not and so one can be somewhat certain if rumours of death are flying about among other characters that the "dead" character is likely still alive.
Most of what I think of his writing style has been discussed in earlier entries about previous books. I am looking forward to the next book. Many people died in this one and I suspect even more will die in the next. I am hoping to see more points of view from the Lannisters. Since they are cast as the villains in many ways I would like to see more of their motivations.
What I liked best about this particular book is that I was interested in most of the characters and what they were going through. In previous books I cared less about some of the characters than others...and sometimes not at all and hated having to read through he chapters told from the PoVs of some characters to get to others that I was more interested in reading. For the most part in this book the characters locations were so far from each other and their experiences so different that I was interested to find out what woudl happen next to each of them.
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Dead Kings Kingly characters Dead
Viserys Targaryen Ned Stark
Robert Baratheon Khal Drogo
Renly Baratheon Jeor Mormont
Balon Greyjoy
Robb Stark
Joffry Bratheon/Lannister
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Would I recommend this book? Absolutely yes
Who would I recommend this book to?
(( Please read previous entries for further detail)) Anyone who likes fantasy is likely to enjoy this book however it focuses more on war and intrigue and less on magic. It is not a sword and sorcery type story and so if one is a fan of that particular type of fantasy they may be disappointed but since it is so complex and the characters are so well written I think it is high up there on the list of books fantasy buffs should pick up.
Who would I not recommend this book to?
((Please read previous entries for further detail)) Those who are just starting to develop an interest in fantasy may find this series complex and a bit of a commitment. Not so much of the Wheel of Time but certainly a complex series. This book is over 1000 pages like the book before it and so it may be a bit much for some who are just getting interested in fantasy. There are aspects also that may be offensive to some people. It is not fluff, it is far from fluff and has sex and violence that occur often in the story. Those offended by these things may want to steer clear. It is not pointless sex and violence that occurs in some stories though but it can get graphic at times. I will always maintain though that this series is worth picking up and reading.Next book in the series:
A Feast for Crows
