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How To Read A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons Together


Three-Fingered Pete

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Hello! I signed up here awhile ago, but this is my first time posting. Great site!

I looked around a bit, but I didn't see anything like this posted, so I put this here. If it is in the wrong place please tell me or move it to the proper forum. I came up with this myself, but if anyone else has done something like it please point me to it. I'll be happy to answer any questions. Thanks in advance for reading.

 

 

How To Read A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons Together


This method of reading A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons at the same time relies upon the author's own system of character POV rotations and the precedent set where the reader rewinds the timeline at the beginning of A Storm of Swords to cover events happening around the same time at the end of A Clash of Kings. The first sections of reading in A Feast For Crows and A Dance With Dragons follow this pattern and the events chronicled in them happen, for the most part, concurrently with each other. After that, the timeline becomes fairly continuous with the normal adjustments for narrative time frame.

 

 


*READER'S CHOICE: SAMWELL'S FIRST CHAPTER IN A FEAST FOR CROWS

 

Because of the way that the story was published as two books covering much the same time frame until the end of A Feast For Crows, the very first Samwell chapter is effectively redundant. While the chapter does contain some new information and character insight, none of it could be considered crucial to the story. The relevant information revealed there is presented again, with even more information, in the second Jon chapter in A Dance With Dragons. The reader has three choices as to what to do with this first Samwell chapter:

1) Omit reading the first Samwell chapter in A Feast For Crows entirely. (Recommended for readers who have multiple readings under their belt and know what they are missing)

2) Insert the first Samwell chapter in A Feast For Crows into A Dance With Dragons and read just before the second Jon chapter. (Recommended for first time readers and those who just enjoy it)

3) Read the first Samwell chapter in A Feast For Crows concurrently with the second Jon chapter in A Dance With Dragons. (For the nutters): Save Samwell's first chapter until you reach Jon's second chapter. Begin with Samwell and read until he goes to meet Jon and then read Jon until Samwell arrives. Read both chapters at the same time during their dialog and then when Samwell leaves, read his chapter to the end, followed by Jon's to the end.

 


NOTE: THIS LIST IS CORRECT! So, if it tells you to read multiple character rotations in one book before moving on to the next book you are meant to do so. This is usually done to correct issues with the narrative time frame. The page numbers indicate the last page of reading for that rotation. The pages listed are for the U.S. (American) Bantam hardcover (AHC) and paperback (APB) initial print run editions. Rather than list all available sources, interested readers can check this link for other page number references to inform their reading experience: https://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Chapters_Table_of_contents

 

 

READING ROTATIONS:

 

Read AFFC until you reach the 3rd Cersei chapter.* (AHC-p171, APB-p243)
                         (rewind timeline)

Read ADWD until you reach the 4th Tyrion chapter.* (AHC-p178, APB-p195)
                (timeline is now continuous)

Read AFFC until you reach the 4th Cersei chapter. (AHC-p237, APB-p337)

Read ADWD until you reach the 5th Tyrion chapter. (AHC-p231, APB-p253)

Read AFFC until you reach the 5th Cersei chapter. (AHC-p343, APB-p489)

Read ADWD until you reach the 6th Tyrion chapter. (AHC-p275, APB-p301)

Read AFFC until you reach the 6th Cersei chapter. (AHC-p409, APB-p583)

Read ADWD until you reach the 7th Tyrion chapter. (AHC-p350, APB-p384)

Read AFFC until you reach the 8th Cersei chapter. (AHC-p528, APB-p753)

Read ADWD until you reach the 8th Tyrion chapter. (AHC-p433, APB-p475)

Read AFFC to the END.

Read ADWD to the END.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi again!

It occurred to me that page numbers might be helpful, so I added them to the reading list. I only have access to the original Bantam hardcover and paperback edition from the U.S., so if anyone wants to list or PM me the pages for other editions, I would be glad to include them. Just make sure you indicate which version it is so I can make up an acronym.

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  • 3 months later...

I will have to try this. Thanks for this.

So one theory that has always stuck out in my mind (especially as I read feat then dance and never at the same time) is the Euron/Daario theory. Does this reading disprove/approve it? Just kinda curious. 

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1 hour ago, btfu806 said:

I will have to try this. Thanks for this.

So one theory that has always stuck out in my mind (especially as I read feat then dance and never at the same time) is the Euron/Daario theory. Does this reading disprove/approve it? Just kinda curious. 

The timing of one going and the other coming is suspicious IIRC, but I see no direct link yet.

To be honest, my intent was to improve the narrative and dramatic flow a little, so I wasn't paying too much attention to individual items that didn't seem to have a concrete place in the narrative so far and strict chronology was only truly important to me when a character had to finish their chapters in AFfC before jumping over to ADwD. I fully expected for the reader to rewind the timeline locally as it were to adjust for each chapter rotation's effective timeframe if needed.

I was pretty good at making sure I didn't mess up any major events timeline-wise, but if I missed some small detail that makes something nonsense I would be glad to hear about it.

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1 hour ago, Trefayne said:

The timing of one going and the other coming is suspicious IIRC, but I see no direct link yet.

To be honest, my intent was to improve the narrative and dramatic flow a little, so I wasn't paying too much attention to individual items that didn't seem to have a concrete place in the narrative so far and strict chronology was only truly important to me when a character had to finish their chapters in AFfC before jumping over to ADwD. I fully expected for the reader to rewind the timeline locally as it were to adjust for each chapter rotation's effective timeframe if needed.

I was pretty good at making sure I didn't mess up any major events timeline-wise, but if I missed some small detail that makes something nonsense I would be glad to hear about it.

Nah I gotcha, I was just curious is all. 

Like I said, I will give this a go sometime and hopefully report back on it in somewhat reasonable time haha.

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3 hours ago, btfu806 said:

Nah I gotcha, I was just curious is all. 

Like I said, I will give this a go sometime and hopefully report back on it in somewhat reasonable time haha.

No worries. I don't plan to reread the whole thing myself until GRRM puts out another brick.

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  • 1 month later...
17 minutes ago, Rufus Snow said:

I'll give this a go, too. Just starting out on 6th or 7th reread now (yeah, lost count already...)

Cool! You sound like a candidate for Samwell Option 1. Let me know what you think (or if I really messed up an important sequence of events or something like that).

I guess I should point out that the first Samwell chapter is out of chronological order even in original published form. It really throws off the timeline. It really should be in the third set of chapter rotations in AFfC (counting the prelude and two chapters before Cercei gets going as the first rotation), but that would set it too close to the fourth rotation where Sam is already at sea beyond Eastwatch. so they jammed it in there knowing that people would be reading the books years apart.

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10 minutes ago, Trefayne said:

Cool! You sound like a candidate for Samwell Option 1. Let me know what you think (or if I really messed up an important sequence of events or something like that).

I was leaning more towards option 2 or maybe even 3, because, well after 6/7 re-reads I'm now firmly of the opinion that you never know what you're missing :cheers:

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6 minutes ago, Rufus Snow said:

I was leaning more towards option 2 or maybe even 3, because, well after 6/7 re-reads I'm now firmly of the opinion that you never know what you're missing :cheers:

I cannot argue with that approach. Sam is in the library to begin with and then does have some interaction with Maester Aemon IIRC after meeting with Jon. There may be a nugget there that I overlooked in my zeal to downplay the chapter's importance.

Option 3 is fun to do at least once, but I think Option 2 is the most ergonomic for those of us without a photographic memory.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 months later...
On ‎8‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 5:54 AM, btfu806 said:

I will have to try this. Thanks for this.

So one theory that has always stuck out in my mind (especially as I read feat then dance and never at the same time) is the Euron/Daario theory. Does this reading disprove/approve it? Just kinda curious. 

 

You know, I guess I really wasn't registering what you were asking here at the time. The answer is it definitely disproves this (not that it needed to).

Euron is mentioned as being in Westeros by the first full POV chapter of AFfC (Aeron) and Daario is still in Essos until Dany's fourth chapter in ADwD. The way I reckon the timing, Euron was in Westeros before the end of ASoS since the first three chapters in AFfC have to happen before Cersei's first chapter which starts the next day after Tywin is shot.

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