A Dance With Dragons - Reviewed by Craig

A Dance With Dragons
Song of Ice and Fire #05
George R R Martin

The fifth volume in the greatest epic work of the modern age The future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance. In the east, Daenerys, last scion of House Targaryen, her dragons grown to terrifying maturity, rules as queen of a city built on dust and death, beset by enemies. Now that her whereabouts are known many are seeking Daenerys and her dragons. Among them the dwarf, Tyrion Lannister, who has escaped King's Landing with a price on his head, wrongfully condemned to death for the murder of his nephew, King Joffrey. But not before killing his hated father, Lord Tywin. To the north lies the great Wall of ice and stone -- a structure only as strong as those guarding it. Eddard Stark's bastard son Jon Snow has been elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but he has enemies both in the Watch and beyond the Wall, where the wildling armies are massing for an assault. On all sides bitter conflicts are reigniting, played out by a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves. The tides of destiny will inevitably lead to the greatest dance of all!

Brilliant! What a way to start! And, what a way to end! And more so… dare I say it? WORTH THE WAIT! 1000 pages, or near enough that makes no matter. 75 chapters, 16 POVs, Much ado about… Tyrion, Jon Snow and Daenerys. This is a big book, and because it's GRRM (even after I just reread the whole series) there's a lot to take in. A lot of characters to 'keep in mind'. New directions, unexpected twists, and previous 'background characters' becoming a bit more prevalent. Keep in mind that a large part of this book runs parallel to A Feast for Crows (you'll know when it moves beyond that). I recommend a reread before cracking this open. It's been a long wait and there's a lot to remember, but if you are time limited, there's a few different synopsis out there to refresh your memory! Or ask me, next time you're in, for a quick "now where were we?" -Craig