I finally did it! I read the final ASoIaF book and I’m caught up with the rest of the world. I’ve now joined the legions of fans bitter that the show took a LOT of liberties with what happened after the source material and who are frustratedly waiting for the remaining books while fully accepting that they may not come. I can’t say this is a happy club to have joined.
A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire Book #5)
Other books by Martin reviewed on this blog:
A Game of Thrones (#1)
A Clash of Kings (#2)
A Storm of Swords (#3)
A Feast for Crows (#4)
Summary from Amazon:
In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.
Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.
Meanwhile, to the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone—a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.
From all corners, bitter conflicts reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.
This is a hard one to review. The story itself was great- intriguing and full of fun twists while still moving forward. What I struggle with more than anything is that this seems to effectively be the end. There’s so much that hasn’t happened and it feels like the HBO show is the best I’ll ever get as far as closure and I’m not OK with that. This is a long book and a lot happens. But it’s not an ending and it feels like readers have been sidled with it as the best they’ll get.
Martin draws amazing characters. They’re very unique from each other and have unique values and motivations that make them all stand apart. The fact that he’s able to do this with such a large cast of characters is truly commendable. Just thinking of the difference between Jon and Cercei seems incredible.
Jon has always been my favorite character. I like how decisive he is and how he doesn’t let the opinions of others deter him from what he knows is right. There are times I think he makes brash decisions, but he shows remorse when he is wrong and strength to do what is right. He’s the kind of person I would want leading the Night’s Watch if I was a brother. This book highlighted his relationship with the Wildlings which was glossed over in the show and I enjoyed the deep dive into that.
It’s hard to relate to these characters. Living in a society where violence is so common and war is raging doesn’t resonate with me. Many of these characters are also in places of political influence and power which I have neve been. Despite this, I still can understand their motivations and values which shows how well crafted they are. Jon sees humanity in a group that has been ‘othered’ for years. Cersei wants to protect her son. These are common traits, but they’re magnified because of the position the characters hold.
Image via GeorgeRRMartin.com
I really enjoy Dany’s story in this book. I missed her in the prior book so it was great to see her journey again. She grows from a young girl to a woman in Meereen and I loved seeing her come into her own. She navigates those around her who do not have her best interests at heart and finds allies who can support her. The TV show has her turning into a very cold-hearted ruler but in this book, we still see the tenderness of a young girl starting to fortify with betrayal. I’d love to see how Martin develops her in future books and I hope the show isn’t the best we’ll get.
There wasn’t a part of this book that I particularly disliked, but I’m so frustrated that the end is still the middle of the series that I couldn’t enjoy the last 100ish pages of the book. I had a similar sense of dread at the end of A Feast for Crows thinking I wouldn’t hear from those characters again (and was shocked when Arya and Cersei showed up). It’s a general feeling of disappointment and anger at Martin for not delivering an ending to his fans. I fear for him that his legacy as ‘America’s Tolkien’ won’t endure if he’s unable to finish this series.
The audiobook was narrated by the amazing Roy Dotrice. He has done all the previous audiobooks and I cannot state enough times how amazing he is. With such a wide cast of characters, he finds a way to use his voice to keep them separate and engaging. I’m beyond crushed that Dotrice wasn’t able to finish the series before he passed in 2017. I think whoever picks up this series (should that happen) will have massive shoes to fill and I wish them luck with the comparisons to this behemoth that they will inevitably face.
Many of the characters faced harsh consequences in this book. Cersei was forced to atone for her relationship with Lancel, Jon faced the anger of his Brothers for how he worked with the Wildlings, Dany’s decision to stay in Meereen shook her hold on the region, and Tyrion had to watch his back at all times for what he did to his father. Consequences will catch up with you, no matter where you go. It’s refreshing to see characters brought low by consequences in the middle of a series and show that adversity is a setback, not an end.
Writer’s Takeaway: In the same vein, I think having such major setbacks for his characters in book five of what should be a seven book series shows amazing pacing by Martin. Cersei could be brought low by the High Sparrow, but she won’t let him break her. Her suffering shifts her and develops her, changing her priorities and enemies. It’s an amazing show of character development that needs an epic to achieve. If you’ve made it this far, it’s clear that I wish he’d finish this series himself instead of letting the showrunners wrap up the narrative. I think the rich detail Martin was able to inject into his story would give it a much more satisfying ending than a hurried final season was able to do.
While well written, this book is overshadowed by the fact that it’s the fifth book of an unfinished seven book series. That disappointment can’t be overcome. Three out of Five Stars.
This book will be used to fulfill the 1200-1499 time period of the 2026 When Are You Reading? Challenge as it’s meant to mimic the War of the Roses.
Until next time, write on.
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