Tag Archives: fantasy

Dance with Dragons by George R. R. Martin

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I wanted so much more from A Dance with Dragons, I really did. What I got was a rehash of Feast with a tiny nibble towards the end of the book.

The hardest part about reading this book was that I had already read a lot of it. Most of it takes place during Feast so at best it was what someone else was doing and at worst the exact same chapter with the thought bubbles reversed. It wasn’t until Martin caught up with himself that the story started getting interesting again. Of course he does away with the only piece of information in Feast that was worth while. So you could skp Feast and get most of the pertinant information, though it might be worth while to read Arya’s chapters and and the end of Cersei’s.

As for Dance, the profficy continues, I’m not sure whether John is justified or not and frankly, I cheered for Greyjoy when he jumped the wall. There is no doubt that Martin is a great writer, but he can’t seem to separate the wheat from the chaff in his own writing.

Feast of Crows by George R. R. Martin

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I saved reading this book until the next came out and I was warned. And while I remained hopeful, Feast of Crows could have been summed up (and was summed up in Storm of Swords) in much less time. The important points could have been summed up.

I’m on the fence on whether or not they should have been.

Overall, good writing continues. I think we could have had much less of Cersei. I mean, we know she’s crazy and stupid, I don’t need hundreds of pages of reminders. I thought it was funny that the answer to every questions, comment and prophecy was Daenerys. Seems like a tiny bundle though if that’s going to be end of this opus.

Rereading Storm of Swords and Observations on Feast of Crows

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I’ve reviewed Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin before on this blog. I still cried when Sansa made Winterfell; I still hated that the Starks kept missing each other; and I still cheered a bit for Tyrion and Jaime.

Then I finally picked up Feast of Crows. I have been putting off reading this one because I knew he was working on a fifth and now sixth book. If you read my blog then you know that if I have comments on a book I’m not finished with, there are issues.

Martin is missing something. Somewhere along the line, he decided that every minor character must have their say. He’s now giving full chapters to Head of Guards, The Priest, etc. These don’t further the story anymore than one sentence would. Instead of a couple of thousand words from the Head of the Guards, he could have said, “Dorne may go to war with the Lannisters” which he did say in Storm of Swords. Instead of a chapter from the priestly Greyjoy, he could have said, “Now with Balon dead, the ironmen are fighting over their next ruler.”

I’m staring at a 1000 pages of fluff. Stuff that the author knows that we really don’t need to know. Martin isn’t writing a story any more. He’s interviewing characters. We already know that Cersei is batshit crazy, being in her head doesn’t help matters. Martin isn’t answering questions but harping on what we already know from the last three books. I have yet to find any story forwarding material in Feast of Crows. I’m hesitant to say you can skip this book…but I am afraid that when it comes time to review the fourth Song of Ice and Fire book, that I’ll be able to say you can skip this and you’ll never know the difference.

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

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They were already going to war but everyone wanted their own king. I don’t know a better way to sum up A Clash of Kings.  The Seven Kingdoms already have war on their hands against the Lannisters but they splinter inside themselves creating a bigger problem.

We have a few new POVs in this book, but otherwise if the character lived through the last book we still hear from them. I continue to like Tyrion, and Arya. I’m not sure what’s going to happen to the characters next as far as this book goes (pretend this is not a re-read). I thought that reading this book again may change my mind about Catelyn, however she is to blame for most of what happens and continues to be someone I have no sympathy for.

It is a good middle book.  Though I wish it was the only middle book. On to A Storm of Swords.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

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Since A Dance with Dragons came out, I decided to re-read the Song of Ice and Fire series before reading that and A Feast for Crows. I left the fourth book until the fifth book came out but since there is now going to be a sixth book, I figure what they hey.

Let me say first that I love this book and this world. Richly detailed, and great plotting make for an engaging story. I’d love to watch the HBO adaptation but I don’t have HBO.

So to the book! The old/new king is fool, his Queen an incestuous harlot, and the realm is soft after ten years of peace and ten years of summer. The old Hand of the King has died and King Robert wants his old friend Ned for the job. This starts a series of events that may lead to war. At the center of the story is Ned’s family the Starks of Winterfell. The story is told from the families point of view and a selection of various opposition view points. This includes Tyrion the Lannister dwarf and Daenaerys the daughter of the previous king that Robert overthrew.

Did I say I love this book? I do. There are characters to love and characters to hate. Story is very detail oriented and much of the story is description. Martin handles the details well so they do not detract from the story. The world is beautiful and tragic. I highly recommend this book.

Arch Enemy by Frank Beddor

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Arch Enemy continues where Seeing Redd left off. Redd is in retreat after losing her imagination, Wondertropolis is dealing with unimaginative factions taking revenge on those that used to have imagination and Arch is finding out that he has more power now that Redd and Alyss are helpless.

What follows is the bittersweet climb from the ashes. Just like previous books in the series, Beddor delivers such poignant prose even while using nonsense words of Wonderland. I have been so happy with this trilogy that I would be happy to read Beddor’s future works as well. He manages to weave a tale of past mistakes catching up to his characters amid a world of whimsy. I cannot tell you how much I loved this book but it is on par with the last two.

We learn more of Redd’s past and her decent into black imagination. We get to go back to the real world and see the effects of lost imagination. Alyss has to contend with the other royal clans for power when she has none. And, as always, there is Dodge by her side his own turmoil forcing him into action.

The twists and turns in this book are not easy to guess but fit with overall story. I read it over the course of a day and was enthralled until the very end.

The Oak King & the Ash Queen by Anne Phillips

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The Oak King & the Ash Queen tells the story of Aidan and Diana, two English children who get involved in the wars of the tree people over the course of the year. The twins are kidnapped by the Summer tree’s King and Queen on day on a walk in the woods. They learn the magic of the trees and help the Summer trees against the invasive Winter trees.

The story is well-researched, fun to read and holds up well since I read it as a child. Many terms are English, so have an internet connection handy to look them up. Read this book with your child. It’s a great trip through a simple fantasy.

The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton

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I read this book to my daughter recently. I haven’t read it in almost twenty years. Unlike The Dawn Treader, The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton stood the test of time. The story of a displaced family of borrowers is just as endearing now as it was then.

Pod, Homily and Arrietty have lost their home following the events in The Borrowers Afield. They move in with Homily’s sister for a short time until the humans leave and are forced to find a new home.

The story conveys a sense of loss and longing, punctuated by dire events endured by small people in a large world. If you are looking for older children’s books that are as good now as they were then, check out the The Borrowers Afloat.

The Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis

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I saw Dawn Treader a while ago. The movie was fantastic, more so when I went back to read the book. The book is filled with almost no conflict, and snarky off hand remarks at government and other people the author wasn’t happy with.

The book was sappy, incoherent (why are we just forgiving slavery?) waltzes through problems, and very little depth. The move changed the order of islands, Eustace’s time as a dragon (which is barely a footnote in the book) and gave the characters something to fight for as well as dialog to say. Reepacheep in the book is not the likable yet stalwart defender of decorum he in the movie. Instead he’s a rat bastard who is hard to sympathize with at all. Pun intended.

This was my favorite book of the Narnia series when I was a kid. Now, especially in comparison to the recent movie, this is my least favorite.

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

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The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman follows the adventures of Lyra, a child raised by the staff of Oxford’s Jordan College. This coming of age story happens in an alternate universe where souls are manifested outside the body as animals. Lyra and her soul animal, Pantalaimon, are taken by Mrs. Coulter after she spies on her uncle, Lord Asriel’s slides. She is pulled into a battle between Church and Science. She strives to reach her uncle in the Arctic while dodging soul cutters, a price on her head and war between sentient bears.

The story itself was fine. Lyra as a characters though is an empty shell. At one point, Pullman explains this as a lack of imagination on Lyra’s part. She doesn’t think, she acts and takes the consequences. I liked her but found her lacking as main character. She has little power even with the compass, making her a tourist in the story. For a female protagonist it is unusual for such an active character but it kept up the pacing of the book as we learn Lyra’s past along with her.