193 replies to this topic

[tom_saxon]

^^^^  I like intrigue and political manuevering AND action etc.  I just don't like chapters that are made 40% longer because of entirely unnescessarily descriptions of how someone is dressed or what kind of meal is being served or the background of some character that is just going to die and/or never be mentioned again after the unnescessarily long background.

[Thor The Andal]

I agree, the whole game intrigues me from the action to politcal manuevering. I honestly don't mind reading all of the background and details that aren't really important. My biggest gripe is simply that the books tend to drag on for the first half and then really pick up in the second half of the text. asos really shocked me with how much happened after about the halfway mark. I'm only about 130 pages thru affc so I am expecting much of it to drag on with learning more about the new POV characters... I have high hopes for Jamie's chapters.

[tom_saxon]

I am sure when I finish adwd I will go back and savor all of those highly detailed chapters that I detest so much now.  I am about as far in affc as you are (the first Arya chapter) and have already had some zomg moments.  This book doesn't seem to have as much drag as the others so far, which is about the opposite of what most others seem to be saying lol.

[YuvalTheVal]

Thor The Andal, on 11 December 2012 - 03:53 PM, said:

I agree, the whole game intrigues me from the action to politcal manuevering. I honestly don't mind reading all of the background and details that aren't really important. My biggest gripe is simply that the books tend to drag on for the first half and then really pick up in the second half of the text. asos really shocked me with how much happened after about the halfway mark. I'm only about 130 pages thru affc so I am expecting much of it to drag on with learning more about the new POV characters... I have high hopes for Jamie's chapters.

It's exactly the same with AFfC and ADwD, especially Crows- this one gets really good from about the halfway point. keep reading.

[direwolf_of_white_fangs]

YuvalTheVal, on 11 December 2012 - 06:25 PM, said:

It's exactly the same with AFfC and ADwD, especially Crows- this one gets really good from about the halfway point. keep reading.

I would say the very end of aFfC is good, the Cersei chapters...Dance for Dragons is way superior to aFfC ( to the readers relieve), especially the Theon and Stannis chapters; one of me most emotionally charged stuff I have read. As a matter of fact I consider the Theon chapters in aDwD amongst the best stuff I've read in ASOIAF.
So keep reading aFfC and count yourself lucky for still having Dance to read while most of other fans are waiting for winds of winter.

[Thor The Andal]

I am most definitely savoring these books because I know a long wait will be ahead for winds of winter. I am about 270 pages through affc now, and i do agree with tom_saxon, this one seems to be moving a bit quicker than the others. It is still a lot of setting up for what will tanspire later in the book, but I am now not having much trouble reading. I don't like cersei at all, but i don't mind reading through her POV. I am liking the interplay with Jaime, and i am always looking forward to his chapters after asos.

[wildlingrose]

Hi, newbie here.  I am just about done with AFFC, and I really enjoyed it.  I heard it was slower than the others but didn't find it so.  I really enjoyed Cersei's POV chapters and getting to see some of the woman behind the madness, so to speak.  My favorite character is Sansa, so the Alayne chapters were a bit heartbreaking, but also very interesting.  I'm looking forward to seeing what GRRM has in store for her in TWOW and beyond.  

Though I do miss the Wall.  Jon chapters are always favorites of mine.

[ghost23]

While I was very apprehensive when I was reading through the book about it's pace and structure, I think it's better off that the series slowed down a bit. After how high pace aSoS was, it would almost be impossible for GRRM to match or outdo the pace. I do appreciate how this book set up a lot of plot points which I hope will come to fruition in aDwD and later on.

[tom_saxon]

I was hoping the "slowing" of pace in affc would involve a period where things are pretty settled to give characters a chance to mature- especially the younger characters.  I enjoy affc but to spend all of this reading-time covering the same exact period of time covered elsewhere, only from a different perspective, could be a little frustrating.  It stikes me as funny that it takes GRRM several years to write a years worth of story.  You realize that asoiaf has taken 17 years so far to write less than a few years of story.  To me this makes things appear a little predictable.  If the rest of the books only cover another year or two, it severely limits what can happen with certain characters that are too young or seem too young-  Bran, Arya, Rikon etc etc etc

I would hate to have it end on one of those notes where there are some epic battles etc and then just "fast forward ten years" and this is how things turned out for these characters.  Echoes of a disappointing lack of closure.  We'll see.

Edited by tom_saxon, 14 December 2012 - 01:14 PM.

[Thor The Andal]

I'm almost 500 pages in and this is where I figure things will begin to happen rapidly. I liked Brienne's last chapter, her earlier chapters had slowed my pace in reading the book.

[LordofSunspear]

AFFC was a major disappointment for me. First I tried reading it properly, but Brienne made me want to die, so I started skipping her chapters first. Then I realized that I started skipping more and more. Samwell, Ironborn, Sansa, even Arya in the end. I just did not care about some completely irrelevant assassin training in the other end of the world, a boring journey from north to south or the mini-Game of Thrones the Ironborn are playing ( Sansa's chapters could have been interesting, if she wasn't in them. I hate her too much).

I think I could've lived with these boring/irrelevant/uninteresting chapters, if they were mixed with POV chapters from those who I actually care about. I'm willing to go through any POV (other than Brienne) if I know that the next chapter is Tyrion, but not if it's some random dude.

I enjoyed the Jaime and Cersei chapters very much and I don't know why, but I found Dorne interesting too.

All in all, yeah, I had difficulties reading the book. Most of it didn't entertain me at all (which is what I'm looking for when I'm reading these books). Reading it felt like a duty, so that I can enjoy the next one...

[Thor The Andal]

I'm a little over half way through and I'm not totally disappointed with Brienne's latest chapters. The first few were slow going for sure though.

[Lord Bored]

I know I'm in the minority here but I loved FFC. Much more engaging installment than both Clash of Kings and Dance With Dragons combined.

Cersei's rise/downfall was hilarious and entertaining to watch unfold, Jaime and Sam are great as always (the latter is suuuuch an underrated character), Asha quickly became one of my favorites within just one chapter, and the Iron Island subplot itself is very intense and intriguing (I feel similarly with the Dorne subplot, but to a somewhat lesser degree).

Best of all though, no Dany to bog anything down! Honestly, after GOT, I found myself skipping most of her chapters, even in Storm of Swords. I just....haven't been able to find it in me to care at all about what's happening with her.

[Thor The Andal]

I have stagnated at the reaver's first chapter a little over 600 pages in. I just haven't had the desire to pick the book up in a couple of days. I think I will dive in tomorrow. I also don't mind not having any Dany chapters, I'm not sure why I've never invested emotions into her as a character. I do miss Tyrion's POV tho, but so far I've had no complaints in what I've read.

[lannistr]

It was the opposite to me, I read it in about 2 days. I'm sure it was because I enjoyed having Cersei and Jaime chapters.
On the other hand I found Iron Islands and Brienne chapters a little bit boring, and I did miss most of character's POV
But GRRM made it all very clear with that note at the end. Great book.  
(Anyway when I finished I realized AFFC is my least favorite book so far, and ASOS that took me sooo long is my favorite)

[Thor The Andal]

ASOS only took me a couple of weeks to finish, and so far it is my favorite book of the series. I am having trouble really getting into AFFC. I have not found myself reading over 100 pages in one sitting since the first half of the book. I really wish I could get into this book more, but I am keeping high hopes that the second half of the story will pick up and be a little more entertaining.

[PuzzleTime]

AFFC is a reset.  

   With SoS we had the crescendo of the first act of a large Opus; really the first act has finished with the closing of SoS.  GRRM, with AFFC, is setting the stage of the next crescendo, if not, finale of the entire series.  A few new characters and plot lines to tie in and wrap up over the next 3000 or so pages.  Silly to think GRRM could just carry that volume for another 3000 pages and not stop to build it up for us again.

• Quote
  
• MultiQuote
  
• Edit

[jesm86]

I've just finished AFFC and i have to say that i really liked it. At first i was a bit worried because of all the negative reviews and reports I read online but all in all I really enjoyed the book. The Dorne, Cersei and Jaime  chapters were really good.

Edited by jesm86, 07 January 2013 - 04:06 PM.

[Thor The Andal]

Very good point PuzzleTime. I think this book is neccessary and good (I'm still slowly getting through, about 700 pages in). I think our standards are extremely high because of how exciting the previous books were, especially the finale feeling of asos. I do want to clarify that I do not dislike what I've read, but I am experiencing some troubles in reading through big chunks at a time because the story doesn't hold my attention and excite me for long periods of time like the others did. I think as I finish and go on to adwd I will appreciate this book more because it is necessary for such a large and expansive world there would need to be some setting up and introduction of new characters and political situations.

[Mother of Mini Dragons]

This one is slower and I don't mind it. ASofS was a pretty traumatic, action-packed book and I have found with other book series that I have read that when you have that type of book, the next book is usually a slower pace where you are dealing with the fall-out and the trauma of the previous book, as well as sort of catching your breath.  AFFC seems to be that type of book in this series.

There are things that I'm really enjoying in this book, such as Cersei's POV, and I really like Sam and of course, Arya/Cat. I will admit though that I am dragging myself through the Ironborn chapters as I truly do not like any of them and find it hard to get engaged with characters I don't like or find to be completely boring. I only slightly find Asha mildly interesting, but the rest of the Ironborn can go fall off high cliff as far as I'm concerned. I'm also not invested in the Dorne stuff either, but I can see that both of these stories are providing information/background that will eventually join in with the larger story so I'm gutting my way through them. I also hope Drogon eats Euron Greyjoy.