A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5 by George R. R. Martin
The readers can download A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5 Audiobook for free via Audible Free Trial.
Summary
A Dance With Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5 by George R.R. Martin is the fifth book in the popular A Song of Ice and Fire series. The plot opens with Job Snow, who has become as 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s watch. Jon has his work cut out as he is facing difficulties with protecting the wall. He makes an alliance with the Wildings and lets them through the wall to protect them from the White Walkers and to defend the wall. This decision does not go down well with his own people. Determined to regain the north, Stannis Baratheon heads south to fight with Bolton’s forces.
Bran Stark’s vision lead him north to the wall to face the last children of the Forest and a three-eyed crow. He joins with a weirwood tree to connect with his father, Ned Stark in the past and with Theon Greyjoy in the present. Theon Greyjoy has been tortured into insanity by Ramsay Bolton. When Theon Greyjoy hears Bran Stark’s voice he regains his sanity. Meanwhile in Braavos Arya Stark is getting trained as an assassin in the House of White and Black to become a Faceless Man. She is able to pass all her tests and assignments for achieving her objective. She is admitted as an apprentice to the Faceless Men.
Review
A Dance With Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5 by George R.R. Martin comes six years after its predecessor novel in the series. The novel received positive reviews from the critics and readers. The author is able to meet the expectations and the build-up of the readers after this long wait. The mastery with which Martin drives the story forward in the backdrop of complex history and myth. The narrative is fast-paced and completely keeps the readers engaged till the end. Martin has weaved the plot with vast array of characters and readers will be able to related with each of the characters. The novel is an epic fantasy and will be highly enjoyed by the readers of the series. This is a must-read and should not be missed.
I wanted to mention how Roy Dotrice changed Dany's voice in 'A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book 5', as compared to the first three books in the series that he narrated. It seems like everyone else has also noticed this change and has some complaints about it. Let me start by saying that the book itself is fantastic. I had been eagerly anticipating its release for years, and it certainly did not disappoint. However, I do have a problem with one aspect: Dany's voice. In the previous books, Dotrice had a perfect voice for her, but in this one, he gave her the voice of an old wildling crone. It's a bit absurd, especially considering that Dany is a main character. I can't help but wonder if Random House failed to pick up on this issue. Nonetheless, I still give the book a five-star rating because I absolutely adore the series and am a fan of Dotrice. I just had to express my annoyance with this particular change.
I've gone through the whole series either by reading or listening, but this specific installment is just plain boring and awful. It's a real struggle to keep going without hitting the stop button and throwing in the towel on the entire series.
I'm a huge fan of the series and I'm stoked to finally listen to the next book. However, I'm quite disappointed with Roy Dotrice's choice of a dreadful, crone-like voice for Daenerys Targaryen. It's absolutely terrible and it's really impacting my enjoyment of her first chapter. What's even stranger is that he didn't use that voice for Daenerys in the first three books, although he did use it for older, low-born female characters. It's really puzzling to me.
I gotta say, my only gripe after just a couple hours is that Dany's voice, as portrayed by Roy D., is downright dreadful... she sounds like some ancient Scottish lady - super strange, and kinda confusing! But hey, I can deal with it. The story itself is fantastic and I'm over the moon that it's finally back, but I really wish Dany didn't sound like a crotchety old lady!
After trudging through A Feast For Crows, desperately seeking some satisfying moments (with limited success), I eagerly awaited the release of A Dance With Dragons. I couldn't resist staying up late to listen to the prologue, and I was thrilled to feel that sense of familiarity and excitement that was lacking in AFFC.
Of course, having Roy Dotrice back as the narrator plays a part, but there's something more to it. It feels like AFFC was just GRRM tying up loose ends, and now he's finally ready to dive back into the real story. I had to stop myself from getting completely sucked into the Tyrion chapter, knowing that I would lose sleep if I continued.
I'm grateful that if they had to change narrators for a volume, it was for AFFC, so I can leave behind my disappointments. However, I would gladly pay extra to have Roy read that book as well. But for now, I'm looking forward to savoring each chapter and taking my time to appreciate the incredible craftsmanship that went into it. I'm eternally thankful to G R R Martin and have faith that he will continue to invest the necessary time and care into what's yet to come.
I was a huge fan of the first four books in this series, like seriously, they were the bomb! However, I gotta be real, "A Dance with Dragons" didn't quite live up to the hype. I mean, I've been eagerly waiting for this book and when I finally got my hands on it, I was a bit disappointed. It feels like nothing major really goes down for more than half the book, it just keeps dragging on and on.
There are a bunch of fresh faces but they're lacking in standout qualities. The plot doesn't really progress much. It feels like someone trying to make a 500-word essay stretch into 10,000 words. Even Tyrion, who is usually awesome, falls flat. Dotrice didn't put in enough effort to nail the character voices, not even for the jester who consistently yells "I know!, I know!" And despite the title, the dragons aren't given much attention. There's way too much introspection and not enough action. GRRM definitely didn't give it his all. I'm not getting my hopes up for book number 6.
If we were talking about any other author, I would give this book a solid four-star rating. However, given my higher expectations for Mr. Martin, it falls a bit short. The writing style is classic Martin - beautifully sparse with moments of poetic prose. But here's the catch - the plot feels like it's moving at the pace of a wounded snail. Nothing substantial seems to happen, and there's no resolution to any of the storylines. It reminds me of the frustrating situation that Robert Jordan found himself in with Volumes 8 and 9 of the Wheel of Time Series - essentially going nowhere. Mr. Martin could benefit from having an editor who isn't afraid to point out when he's got too many characters aimlessly wandering, withdrawing, and hesitating. I expect more from him. Maybe he should consider getting Brandon Sanderson, who has done a remarkable job finishing the Wheel of Time series, to complete the last two books. Sanderson's writing is as close to Jordan's as it gets, but much faster paced. Seriously, it took Mr. Martin five whole years to write this confusing mess of plotlines.
Okay, enough of my rant. I felt the same frustration as I trudged through the middle of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series, but I was too invested to turn back. Can someone please give Jordan a nudge and remind him that plotlines need to move occasionally? What a letdown. The first three books in this series were absolutely amazing - even better than Tolkien. The fourth book had a slight dip, and now we have this disappointment.
I gotta start by saying that I used to be a huge fan of this series, like the ultimate fantasy lover. It was up there with Lord of the Rings, ya know? But things have changed. The first three books were mind-blowing. I cut Martin some slack with book 4, but after reading A Dance with Dragons, I'm starting to doubt if he can wrap up this series on a high note.
Technically speaking, the writing is solid and on par with the other books. The dialogue is absolutely fantastic and really carries the story. However, the problem lies in the plot. Although it's extremely well-written, it doesn't push the story forward very much. It feels like Martin is purposely slowing things down instead of ramping them up. As the story builds towards its climax, Martin drops the ball. "Hey George, we get it. You're not afraid to kill off major characters. Actually, we're starting to expect it."
As a fan of the series, I have my favorite characters that I root for. But if they keep getting killed off, does it really matter if some new characters introduced in book 5, who I couldn't care less about, are supposed to be the heroes? Does every character with even a shred of honor have to die?
The Daenerys storyline is a complete mess. Out of nowhere, Martin has her making dumb decisions and, of course, she can no longer control her dragons. Because, heaven forbid, she might actually make it to Westeros before book 6.
Meanwhile, all the "Really Bad Guys" are having a grand old time. They're living it up, drinking, hunting, whoring, and taking leisurely strolls through the city.
And seriously, after waiting six years, how do you end the book on a cliffhanger? Do I really have to wait another six years to find out what happens with Jon and Stannis? "Even though I'm disappointed, George, I'll still buy book 6." Come on, throw us a bone and give us a complete book.
I just hope Martin brings back the "dead character" in a similar way to Mrs. Stark. I'll keep my fingers crossed for, let's say, another six years.
First things first, I gotta give props to Roy Dotrice, he really nails the male characters in this series. They're on point. However, when it comes to the women, it's a different story. They just don't hit the mark, unless they're playing some lowly washer woman or old servant. And let me tell you, the way Dotrice changed Dany's voice from a normal, somewhat softer tone to this old lady commoner voice? It's just not right. And don't even get me started on Melisandre. Her voice went from this husky, smokey cool vibe to a high-pitched accented mess. It's disappointing, really. You'd think someone involved in the production would have pointed out that the voices were completely different in the previous books. Did the reader not even bother to listen to his own prior readings? Maybe 11 years has made him forget the whole series, who knows? Honestly, who's in charge over at Random House Audio? They should probably give Steven Pacey a call and let him take over for the rest of the series.
"The strongest trees are rooted in the dark places of the earth. Darkness will be your cloak, your shield, your mother's milk. Darkness will make you strong."
George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons
Loading...
17 comments
Or use one of these social networks