Tag Archives: authors: george r.r. martin

A Dance With Dragons

fiction December 6, 2014 Leave a comment

Kiss me, I’m Italian

– done reading all released books in George R.R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series!

Honestly, this is why I don’t do t-shirts for a living.

As per usual, I am withholding final judgment of the series until all the books are out (so about 37 years from now?) and I’ve read them all (40ish years from now, based on Martin’s schedule of release dates –  “whenever” – and the number of books he plans to write in this series – “however many I feel like”).

It took the better part of a year to read this book between studying and other things I want to read, but I did finally make it happen. Since this is the newest book (and maybe others will have been as slow as me in getting to the end), I will not spoil tooooo much here.

I appreciated a couple of things about this book that didn’t happen in previous stories – aka stuff actually happened and people weren’t just wandering around aimlessly in the woods/desert/snow/under the sea.

Daenerys actually developed into a person and not just a Mary Sue (more on her in a minute). Tyrion got shit done. Theon tried to get his balls back. Arya is on her way to becoming a full-fledged assassin. Jon was showing signs of becoming a pretty decent leader (future lord of Winterfell?) before he, uh, wasn’t allowed to do so anymore. Jaime and Brienne are together again!…probably going to be killed by Zombie!Catelyn, but I’m willing to overlook this. Bran was mostly absent (hooray!).

We had some new perspectives in this book – Barristan Selmy (who I really like especially now that he’s a political schemer) and (I think) Asha Greyjoy (who I also really like).  Quentyn Martell too, although he didn’t make it to the end, and I felt really sorry for him.

Can I make a complaint though? George R.R. Martin gets all this praise for writing women very well, and in a lot of cases, I agree. Cersei, Arya, and Asha are all gutsy, well written, interesting. Sansa…eh, she’s getting there.

Then there’s our dear Khaleesi. She has her moments, I grant you. When she freed the slaves and had the dragons burn the slave masters? I shivered a little.

HOWEVER.

She’s about 13 when she is first introduced. By the end of this book, she is about 15.

How much sex does a 15 year old girl REALLY think about having? Or actually have?

Was I unique in not having ridiculously elaborate sexual fantasies in my early teens? I don’t know. But Daenerys seems to be much more sexually developed than most girls in their early teens seem to be, even in this fantasy series. I get she’s a queen and yada yada, but Sansa and Arya were also in their early-mid teens by the end of book 5 and didn’t have these same things.

Further, I was relieved that some stuff started going wrong for her. I like her, and in my own way I’m kind of rooting for her, but who conquers the fucking world without encountering a problem doing it? Especially as a teenager. I KNOW she has dragons, but until recently the dragons weren’t good for much except making kebobs.

Anyway, I had the same problem I have with the last couple of books. I don’t see where the story is going. Granted, I’ve read some really elaborate theories online – this Song of Ice & Fire/Norse Mythology theory being one of the best thought out and complicated – but it feels like we’re not really getting anywhere. I would like some definitive event where I say to myself, “OH, I GET IT NOW.”

There MAY have been one at the very end, but it’s hard to tell. I’ll say this though: I like Lord Varys a lot and always have.

Excited about the next one.

A Feast For Crows

fiction July 12, 2014 Leave a comment

So I made my way through the fourth book of George RR Martin’s epic fantasy series.

I have had trouble evaluating each book as a book because, unlike Harry Potter, there doesn’t seem to be much that distinguishes one book from another (at least through the first three books). Scheming/politicking, fighting, wandering around in the woods on or off horseback, rinse, repeat.

The biggest difference in A Feast For Crows is that we see some different character view points, the most awesome of which is Cersei, who progressively deteriorates through the book into a paranoid lunatic. By the time the book ends, she has been arrested on all kinds of charges, but prior to that was coming up with ways to kill everyone but her immediate family members minus Tyrion, who she is trying to kill actively.

AND SAM GOT LAID! HOORAY!

That said, new character view points at this juncture are troubling. It’s not that Martin is introducing new characters, but a lot of this is beginning to feel like filler. I’m not one of those people who likes to tell authors how to do their work, and I don’t expect any author to cater to any of my demands except that they entertain me with their story, but this series is very long and doesn’t really seem to be going anywhere. In fact, if what I read is true and the real conflict of the series is humans vs. the white walkers, not humans vs. other humans, we’re nowhere near this conflict at all. The white walkers haven’t even made that many appearances. They’re barely mentioned by anyone who isn’t on The Wall or beyond it.

Martin’s writing pace also isn’t what you’d call speedy. It was 5 years between A Storm of Swords and A Feast For Crows and 6 years between A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons, which my mom still complains about, and he seems in no rush to get The Winds of Winter out any time soon. 3 years since the last installment, there is still no publishing date (or even a vague estimate) for the next. While it is tasteless for fans to speculate about Martin’s health and obnoxious to demand he be writing instead of doing other things, it IS irritating to wait the better part of a decade between volumes. He complains that fans are afraid he’ll die before he finishes? WHAT ABOUT FANS, GEORGE? THEY MIGHT DIE BEFORE YOU FINISH. Anyway, yeah, he’s touchy about people who ask he write faster.

Plus, there are rumors that maybe there will be MORE books (rather than the planned seven).

So maybe I’ll be 40 when they’re finished. Sigh.

Anyway, yeah, while A Feast For Crows was good, I continue to have reservations about the series as a whole. I will, of course, hold off final judgment until the series is over, but while I’ve enjoyed the political intrigue thus far, it’d be nice if we had some indication of where this series is going.

A Storm of Swords

fiction September 2, 2013 Leave a comment

I finished A Storm of Swords some weeks ago but life got in the way of my commenting on it ’til now. Here we are.

Ho-ly. SHIT.

Spoilers, people-who-only-watch-the-TV-show.

A Storm of Swords totally made up for the wandering through the woods that A Clash of Kings was. I knew about the Red Wedding and Joffrey’s death, but Joffrey’s death was particularly satisfying, since I think he might be the most hated character in books and on television of all time.

Reading the Red Wedding was particularly bad. It was uncomfortable, mostly because you had the distinct feeling that something was wrong. Walder Frey was too accepting of their apology, things were going too well. The worst part is what they did to Grey Wind. I love the direwolves.

I really liked Tyrion killing his father, and I couldn’t believe Shae betrayed him. I mean, I can, but I didn’t entirely understand how she was discovered. I did feel bad about Bronn leaving, though.

But his father’s death amused me. Finding out that Tywin Lannister did not shit gold was not something I really needed to know but was great all the same. Additionally, I was pretty sad Tywin is gone, but since his main use for me was to tell off Joffrey, once Joffrey was dead it didn’t matter.

Poor Tommen though! He’s going to become a huge target. I like him, he’s a cute kid, so I’m hoping for the best for him.

I also enjoyed that Tyrion tried to protect Sansa from the worst of Joffrey’s and the rest of his family’s cruelties. I might have said this before, but I’ve heard the claim that the TV show really favors Tyrion and makes him look good, but I haven’t found that book!Tyrion is much different than TV!Tyrion, except that we know what’s going on inside his head, but maybe I’m just one of those horrendously jaded people who never really thought that what was going on inside of Tyrion’s head was any different than what was going on inside anyone else’s. He’s smarter than most, not less willing to survive.

One of my favorite parts of reading these books (up until this point) has been comparing the TV adaptation with the books. The relationship between Jaime and Brienne has not disappointed in either adaptation. I thought maybe the TV was overdoing it, but it’s almost exactly the same and I immensely enjoy my favorite duo’s adventures on the page as much as on the screen. The whole thing with the bear? Love it.

Arya is one of my favorite characters in the series, but I feel like she is wasted a lot, wandering through the woods. Her relationship with the Hound in the book is far more developed than it is on TV, and I really like it much better. While she is always secretly scheming to kill him, she never actually goes through with it, and when she finally gets the opportunity, she doesn’t do it. The Hound himself has become a fascinating character – while he claims that he protects Arya (and earlier, Sansa) for money, he never actually gets around to selling them off. What’s even more interesting is that he seems to express remorse to both of them, which is strange, since he spends a lot of time claiming he doesn’t care. He seems to both like and despise Sansa, and he seems to understand Arya better than most people understand Arya.

I’m sad Arya’s relationship with Gendry is over. I thought maybe that wouldn’t be the case, but unfortunately, it is.

Jon’s story with Ygritte is finally done. That took entirely too long. I’m amused at Jon’s shock that he’s been selected Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch. Seems like Winterfell is, indeed, a thing of the past.

Bran’s storyline also needs improvement, as far as I’m concerned. Lots about dreams, not much about anything else. I did like the story the Reeds told him about his father, his uncles, and his aunt at the tournament. Lyanna Stark is the catalyst for everything that happened before the series takes place, and I’d like to know more about her, but  given everyone who knew her is dead, that doesn’t seem likely.
One aspect I’m finding the TV series is really neglecting (as far as I’m concerned) is the Stannis – Davos – Melisandre side of things. On the TV side, I understood nothing of it, now at least I get what’s going on. Melisandre is a lot less annoying in print. I don’t think it has anything to do with the actress, and more to do with the fact that they don’t really explain clearly on TV what’s going on, so all she does is lurk and say things that sound scary.

Finally: Daenerys. Does anything ever go wrong for her? At any point? Yeah, her husband died and her baby died, and since then she has been Mary Sue-ing her way through the East. I hear things start going south for her in A Feast For Crows, which is good because I don’t buy that a 14 year old is going to conquer the world without any problems. I’m also amused how the TV show glossed over that whole thing with her and Jorah Mormont. I guess that’s one thread they decided wasn’t important.

As I said, I finished this book some time ago, but life got in the way of my updating this blog about it. I was in the middle of another book, but it was a sequel that hasn’t captured me anywhere near as much as the original, and so I’m putting it down. I haven’t started A Feast for Crows, and for the moment I think I’m going to move on to The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King.

A Clash of Kings

fiction July 1, 2013 Leave a comment

I finished George R.R. Martin’s A Clash of Kings about two weeks ago.

I really enjoyed it.

My favorite part of it was the ongoing plotting of Cersei and Tyrion against each other, but I was super happy that this book explained why Melisandre supported Stannis, which either wasn’t made clear in the HBO adaptation or I didn’t pick up on it.

The Battle of Blackwater Bay was also really great. The books have really made me like Davos better. He doesn’t get enough screen time in the TV adaptation to really get to know him, and I thought having the battle from his perspective, rather than Stannis (which is where I thought he was going to go with it) or just Tyrion and Sansa.

I also liked Sansa a bit more in this book, actually showing some strength rather than being a little mouse. The Hound’s fascination with her has always interested me, but I still don’t get the point of their bizarre interactions, which mostly include him yelling at her for being nice.

On TV, I feel like Jon Snow’s plotline was easily one of the least interesting, and that continues as I read the book. The whole thing with Ygritte bores me to death, and honestly, enough of the Wildlings. I liked Qhorin Halfhand, and was sort of pissed Jon had to kill him. I like Jon, but his storyline is killing me. Best character north of the Wall: Ghost.

Daenarys trip to Qarth ended less spectacularly in this book than on TV. On TV, she locks Xaro Xhoan Daxos in his own empty vault as punishment for being a lying douche, but here one of her dragons just burns down The House of the Undying. Unless this is part of the third book that I haven’t gotten to yet, I was a bit disappointed with how this went down.

Catelyn Stark continues to be both tremendously wise and seriously dumb. I don’t understand how she figures out all the right pieces and all the right things, and somehow manages to do the dumbest possible thing EVERY.SINGLE.TIME.

Bran’s story isn’t very interesting in this book except for how he’s a Warg and doesn’t know it. At least he wasn’t murdered as Theon claimed. I hate Theon a lot. He’s both more sympathetic in the book and more completely a bitch. I almost feel sorry for him, because I know what’s about to happen to him, but…eh, you did this to yourself, dude.

Arya is probably my favorite character in this series, and I love her relationship with Jaqen H’ghar so I can’t wait for the point in the series where that comes full circle. I know from Wikipedia she eventually joins The Faceless Men, but I hope she meets Jaqen again (and that her skills as an assassin help her get revenge in Westeros).

Finally: I always thought Renly Baratheon was an idiot and man, he really is. He has no legitimate claim to the throne except people like him. He’s so hilariously dumb about the whole things that I’m sort of glad he gets murdered.

I’ve started A Storm of Swords and the TV show has covered up to the first half of that book, so I’m excited I’m finally going to read something I haven’t already seen on TV. Looking forward to it.

A Game of Thrones

fiction May 14, 2013 Leave a comment

I read A Game of Thrones this past month. The whole experience has been a saga.

I actually knew about George R.R. Martin’s ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series before the TV show first started airing in 2011. My mom is a big fantasy reader, and since I was a child I’ve been regaled with tales of a Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Store in Manhattan that I’ve never been to and I think has since closed. An article from last August cites that “the first” science fiction book store has opened in NYC… the author probably doesn’t know this isn’t the first of its kind, but it’s obviously the first in long enough that the author isn’t aware that it isn’t the first of its kind.

Anyway, I’ve known about ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ for quite some time. My mom has been bugging me to read it for years, and my two best friends have as well. After about a year of yet another friend insisting I watch the show, I finally did, watching seasons 1 and 2 in quick fashion, since they were both out by the time I got around to it.

It’s a really good show.

So as the third season started airing, I decided that I was going to read the series. I finally got around to reading the first book, A Game of Thrones, this past month. Part of what held me up was the book’s size. My mom has them all in hard cover, and they’re enormous. When I was younger it was the length of the book that scared me off, but this time what I found so intimidating was the actual size of the copy of the novel. It’s not exactly a book you can carry around discreetly in your purse. It’s heavy and requires its own car seat.

I finally cracked and bought the five book bundle on Kindle for $40, which is $10 less than if I’d purchased them separately on Kindle or purchased the cheapest paperback editions.

My favorite part of the book is how much more detailed the story is for me now. I had to do a lot of background reading to help understand the show, while trying to avoid the really huge spoilers. It always helps me if I understand about the houses and their histories and stuff like that.

I get they couldn’t fit all that into the show, but I loved learning it in the book. It’s fantastically detailed and clear. I naturally expected the book to be more detailed, but I was a bit afraid that due to the show cutting a lot of stuff out/changing a lot of stuff or an author who writes particularly dense, uninteresting prose.

I really enjoy how Cersei is somehow even more unlikeable in print, although nothing matches my loathing for Joffrey.

The only thing I don’t like much about the book, and it’s a weird thing, but I can’t help it: the great detail Martin goes into when describing food and feast sequences. I don’t care what the lord commander of the Night’s Watch eats for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or what Robert Baratheon stuffs his face with, or the type of wine Tyrion prefers, etc…

And even if I do care about those things, I only care about them once. I don’t care about them described a billion times. Really, it might have been a billion times he went into it.

Still though, I really enjoyed this book. Eddard was way better, although I continue to mostly dislike Catelyn.

This might be one of those series that I have to evaluate as a series, because you get almost no answers to any questions in the first book. I do like the idea that the series will be that complicated, but it makes it hard to evaluate each book when you haven’t read all of them and all of them aren’t available.

I’ve started the second book, A Clash of Kings, but I’m in no rush to finish – the sixth and seventh books aren’t out yet, and George R.R. Martin can go 5 or 6 years…or more… without releasing one.

He better not die.