First review of ADWD

[Werthead]

So when will we be getting more, actual reviews? Hurry up Lev Grossman!

Edit: we do have more Grossman tweets:

"I forgot what it was like to read new GRR Martin. I can do nothing else. It's GRRMazing. GRRMazeballs"

A few bloggers sound like they'll be getting copies by the end of June. I am currently sacrificing goats to R'hllor in the hope of being added to this list.

[Renasko]

Bloggers will be receiving copies? I thought that wouldn't be the case. Hmm.

[Werthead]

Bloggers will be receiving copies? I thought that wouldn't be the case. Hmm.

I know that Bantam are trying to do something for Pat and that Aidan from Dribble of Ink has said he's hoping to get one at the end of the month.

No word from any other bloggers, but a few other, more official channels are reporting copies are due to appear any day now (io9) or already have appeared (TIME). The Guardian is also due a copy soon, apparently.

[Gaston de Foix]

A few bloggers sound like they'll be getting copies by the end of June. I am currently sacrificing goats to R'hllor in the hope of being added to this list.

R'hllor demands more in the way of sacrifice than that. If you are fortunate enough to get a copy will you please write a spoiler free review? :read:

[I hate Catelyn Stark!]

A NEW REVIEW IS IN!!! (sort of)

David Benioff in a new interview says:

"Benioff: And he's [GRRM] been kind enough to let us read his new book ahead of time, which is great. It's good to be the envy of fanboys."

There you have it. The book is "great". (Or maybe it's just "great" that he got to read it before the fanboys.)

Link is here:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/06/as-game-of-thrones-nears-its-finale-showrunners-david-benioff-and-dan-weiss-talk-about-season-two.html

[Podrick + Arya = Win]

I think he means its great to get to read it before everyone else.

[Ellroy]

Well, I don't believe that David Benioff could criticize the book even if he would :D.

[End of Disc One]

http://twitter.com/#!/leverus/status/81381928871268352

Lev Grossman says ADwD is maybe the best in the series. Not sure if I buy it...don't want to get too hyped up.

[RandAllThor]

http://twitter.com/#!/leverus/status/81381928871268352

Lev Grossman says ADwD is maybe the best in the series. Not sure if I buy it...don't want to get too hyped up.

Thanks, nice catch. To put it in some perspective though, I think he also liked Feast quite a bit. I happened to as well, but I know that his/our opinion isn't necessarily the majority view.

[Bubba]

http://twitter.com/#!/leverus/status/81381928871268352

Lev Grossman says ADwD is maybe the best in the series. Not sure if I buy it...don't want to get too hyped up.

I guess it's safe to say it isn't a colossal mess then. It's always been a fear of mine that GRRM would just lose his touch and the next book would far and away be the worst in the series. Glad this isn't the case. Can't wait for this book.

[Chirios]

Here is the blurb for people who don't want to click the link:

A few images recur in the enormously complex fifth installment of Martin's massively multicharacter epic: the chess-like game cyvasse, small rivers flowing into larger ones, ships and armies battered by terrible storms. These themes suggest that readers should think strategically, be patient as the story grows, and brace for a beating. Martin's fans, however, are hungry for more action and purpose, their appetites whetted by a six-year wait and the recent HBO adaptation of A Game of Thrones. Dance was originally the second half of 2005's A Feast for Crows, sometimes criticized for shifting from battles and intrigue to slow trudges through war-torn, corpse-littered Westeros. The new volume has a similar feel to Feast and takes place over a similar time frame; Martin keeps it fresh by focusing on popular characters Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen, and Jon Snow, all notably absent from the previous book. These three are generally thought the most plausible riders of the titular dragons, but plots within plots abound, and two strong new candidates for those scaly saddles emerge as a powerful enemy threatens Daenerys's captured city of Meereen, Tyrion is kidnapped by slavers, and treachery undermines Jon's command of the undead-battling Night's Watch. More characters are revived than killed off and more peace accords signed than wars declared, but the heart-hammering conclusion hints that the next installment will see a return to the fiery battles and icy terror that earned the series its fanatic following. Even ostensibly disillusioned fans will be caught up in the interweaving stories, especially when Martin drops little hints around long-debated questions such as Jon's parentage.

So George instead of reducing the complexity as the books near the finish line so that he can actually, you know, finish the next few books, is going to add new characters that nobody knows about or cares about to make it even more complicated? Wow, good to know.

[Valmy]

Haters be hatin'

[Podrick + Arya = Win]

Valmy, your avatar is amazing.

[Valmy]

Valmy, your avatar is amazing.

Thanks! :cheers:

[Lord Godric]

Feast is definitely my least favorite book of the series, so the phrase that this has a "similar feel to Feast" definitely has me worried. I'm actually feeling a bit disappointed right now, and I really don't want that to be the case when I've finished the book. I guess I shouldn't judge anything yet, especially since the end of the review was generally positive.

ETA: I'm also not sure I like this phrase "More characters are revived than killed off and more peace accords signed than wars declared, but the heart-hammering conclusion hints that the next installment will see a return to the fiery battles and icy terror that earned the series its fanatic following." Unless Martin gets that next volume out by next year.

[Sword of the Morning]

As many have already reiterated, keep in mind that A Dance with Dragons must do for characters in the North and the East what Feast for Crows did for the South and the West. In other words, by definition, the tone and pacing MUST be somewhat similar.

Luckily that is only for the first half of the book or so. After that, we can again proceed with more forward progress on ALL the characters. Keep in mind again though that when that happens you are by necessity trying to keep up now with EVERYONE and so there will be relatively SLOWER progress forward over that last half of the book.

Personally, I don't really see too many more ridiculously huge set piece climaxes and/or battles. I think the next big climaxes will be ones that essentially finish off the series. So I do expect Dance with Dragons and a good portion of Winds of Winter to be more set up and plot exposition and then the big climaxes near the end of Winds of Winter and of course Dream of Spring.

I think that is a more realistic and accurate expectation of what Dance will offer instead of another Storm of Swords.

Storm of Swords cleared the rubble to make way for the new players. You can't have that happen over and over again. A series where every book is like Storm of Swords would be a disaster. For books like a Storm of Swords and A Dream of Spring to have any emotional resonance, we need the more "boring" set up books like Feast and Dance. They are less glamorous but no less important.

Dennis

[Tall Tyrion Lannister!]

Feast is definitely my least favorite book of the series, so the phrase that this has a "similar feel to Feast" definitely has me worried. I'm actually feeling a bit disappointed right now, and I really don't want that to be the case when I've finished the book. I guess I shouldn't judge anything yet, especially since the end of the review was generally positive.

ETA: I'm also not sure I like this phrase "More characters are revived than killed off and more peace accords signed than wars declared, but the heart-hammering conclusion hints that the next installment will see a return to the fiery battles and icy terror that earned the series its fanatic following." Unless Martin gets that next volume out by next year.

I don't mind too much of a wait, but anything approaching the roughly 10 years since we last saw Tyrion and co is much to long.

I'm also concerned about the first part of the quote, about the reviving of characters , does that mean people thought to be dead, like Davos Gregor(assuming he never died) Sandor aren't, or are they talking some Uncat stuff.

[Été]

I'm also concerned about the first part of the quote, about the reviving of characters , does that mean people thought to be dead, like Davos Gregor(assuming he never died) Sandor aren't, or are they talking some Uncat stuff.

I assume this is "reviving" characters who have dropped off the radar and are presumed dead, most notably Theon. Probably Sandor, possibly some people like Tyrek or Gerion who've vanished.

Not sure if unGregor counts as the same character he was before...

[RandAllThor]

I assume this is "reviving" characters who have dropped off the radar and are presumed dead, most notably Theon. Probably Sandor, possibly some people like Tyrek or Gerion who've vanished.

Not sure if unGregor counts as the same character he was before...

Benjen would also fall into this category, of course.

[Law Lord]

Ahh. Now that would be an interesting character to see live. Think of all that he could reveal after being missing for so many years North of the Wall, no no less a Stark returning to his rightful place on the Wall. Then again i'm not sure i like all these resurrections. I don't like the way Catelyn was revived and all the other characters etc.