All reviews of A Dance With Dragons: A Song Of Ice And Fire: Book Five

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  5

  1

  The plot inches forward ...

  by Crista

  5 months ago

  It took me entirely too long to get through this book. I kept putting it down in favour of something else/new, and then finally went back to it and plowed through. Thank goodness I did! As other reviewers have mentioned, this book doesn't advance the plot as much as its 1000+ pages would warrant, but it was still really good. The last 20% or so make me keen for the sequel, which I hope isn't as far off as all have predicted. When the characters of Westeros told their narratives, I was enthralled, and when we crossed over to the free cities (Meereen etc) I was completely confused by all the characters and alliances. Those sections were a bit unwieldy, and to a large extent, unnecessary as far as I can tell for plot development. However, if you are a fan of this series, every book is a "must read" ... and this one is no exception.

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  6

  2

  A LITTLE LONG WINDED

  by Christine L

  • Most Helpful

  6 months ago

  The seven Kingdoms are still in a very precarious state. Closing in are all the players vying for the Throne of Swords. They are all closing in but seemingly are not getting any closer. Everyone is in exile, in prison or too far away and too busy staying alive to take a clear foothold. I liked the book and it pains me to post what amounts to a negative review, especially since I have been a fan of this series from book one, but this one just dragged things out a little too much. I enjoyed the sections of the book dealing with Tyrion and Reek and it was wonderful to see Cersei get a much needed come-uppance. Those parts are what redeemed the book in my eyes. It’s one thing to write an epic saga, but one has to know when to pull the various factions in just a little bit tighter. I also felt that towards the end of the book things were becoming a little too comic-book-ish. I certainly could have done without the lengthy descriptions of Tyrion riding around on his pig. Another excellent series where I felt this happened was the Left Behind series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. As things progressed, rather than becoming tighter with more anticipation it sank into cartoonishness. Interestingly enough, it also involved a pig. Ever since Fonzie tried to “jump the shark” that has become a catch-phrase for television shows that have no where else to go. Maybe “riding the pig” could be a catch-phrase for epic book series that are not winding up quickly enough?

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  I've only ever done the fox trot but what the heck, let's dance with some dragons

  by A.R.P. Nicholl

  7 months ago

  A Dance with Dragons is the fifth novel in the seven planned novel series of A Song of Ice and Fire. The fifth novel builds and expands on where the rest of the series has left off, with unexpected twists and turns. A Dance with Dragons just helps stoke the fires for wanting the sixth and seventh books to come out even faster. Great novel, I loved it just like the first for four novels. Check out this series. Don't be intimidated by there size, they will grab hold of your imagination and keep you turning page after page.

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  1

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  A real masterpiece

  by Ashley Mowat

  8 months ago

  Mr. Martin has managed to have me fall in love all over again. The fourth book was a bit of a disappointment but this brought me right back in. This is the most real life fantasy there is. So many story lines and characters it's hard to keep up sometimes but of course there's so many characters! He's created an entire world and enough culture to fill it. Absolutely awesome.

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  11

  Tedious.

  by Natasha

  9 months ago

  Loved the first 3 books. 4 was still good. Book 5 is painful. Do we really need to add new characters and subplots to the point that I feel I need to take notes while reading. I read for pleasure. This book has been a lesson in pain.

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  3

  0

  A Dance With Dragons

  by Robert DICKERSON

  10 months ago

  I cannot even begin to fathom how Mr Martin keeps track of all the characters and bloodlines in his books but I must say it is sure fun to read about all the inner workings and political machinations that he puts into his story. Can't wait to see where he take it from here.

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  3

  0

  Awesome read

  by Terri Slaunwhite

  12 months ago

  I've now read the first 5 books of this series and absolutely love them, can't wait for The Winds Of Winter to be released. George R.R. Martin is a great author ands leaves you craving more, the way he writes his characters can have you love them and then hate them. Awesome read so addicting!

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  2

  4

  Worth the Wait :) :)

  by Anisa Erwin

  2 years ago

  I think this book was the best in series so far. I can't wait until the next book is released and I am hoping it isn't too far in the future. I suppose I'll have to get my Game of Thrones fix through HBO for now :D

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  9

  31

  A disapointment

  by Line Trépanier

  2 years ago

  I have enjoyed reading the series of books. The last one was too confusing for me. It took a few chapters to begin making sense of the plot. The author tried to put too many characters in the story. After so many pages, the end is a disapointment; I feel we are no closer to understand where every little stories are going than at the beginning of the book. Too many references to legends the reader is unable to understand. Better luck with the next Mr Martin!

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  9

  1

  And people called me crazy...

  by Forgotten Realms Queen

  2 years ago

  I jumped on the Song of Ice and Fire bandwagon about 5 years ago, just after Feast for Crows came out. I loved the series then, and I love it now, especially with that awesome new television adaptation which is fabulous and I hope continues to be so! I have waited five years for this book, and many of my friends thought me crazy for hanging on so long to wait for the fifth of seven novels. Well I must say it was worth the wait. I loved it! I was so glad to see these old friends after so long! Granted the first few chapters were a tad confusing as I was trying to play catch up after five years hiatus, but that's to be expected. We're brought back to Westeros, Braavos, Pentos, the Dothraki Sea, along with some well remembered and loved characters. All the major player come back: Dany, Jon, Tyrion, Cersei, Jaimie and Bran, along with some supporting characters from previous books and interesting new ones. One of which has made me reconsider the highly speculated path of one much beloved Crow. Some of the character chapters also made me reevaluate my opinion of the featured character, which is always a good thing as it depicts writing skill and character development. Not all characters though. Some are still jerks. Something I thought was quite interesting that I think is a first for these books is the chapter names. Usually, the chapters are named after characters: Jon, Cersei. Sansa, Arya, Eddard, etc. And while that tradition continues in Dance with Dragons, I think a new tradition has been introduced alongside it. I noticed that some chapters weren't the character's name, but rather that character's perception of them self. For example in one chapter someone goes briefly to Winterfell, and repeats this mantra to themselves: "There are ghosts in Winterfell and I am one of them". Then sure enough the next chapter for that character is entitled Ghosts in/of Winterfell. I thought that was really nifty. Be warned however: The last character chapter is a cliffhanger. If you don't want a cliffhanger ending for anyone, hang on a bit before you read Dance with Dragons. It might make you angry. Made me angry, but in a total shock and "oh my God that did NOT just happen!" kind of way. But no matter how you slice it, Dance with Dragons is a must must must must read for any SoIF fans. Enjoy.

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  5

  2

  Well Worth the Wait.

  by Sol O Rielly

  2 years ago

  It was 6 years ago, that I found A Song of Ice and Fire and have been waiting for this book. Perhaps that is why I never gave up, or despaired. It is a book that leaves more questions than answers, but there is plenty of action unlike Feast, which in my opinion dragged on too much. It drastically sets up the last two novels in the series which will hopeful be coming quicker down the pipeline.

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  10

  2

  Outstanding

  by Cody Malach

  2 years ago

  George R. R. Martin has done it again.

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  23

  15

  THIS WILL BE AWESOME!

  by Stacey Day

  2 years ago

  People, relax. It takes time for a master writer to create an epic work of fiction, which this obviously is. I finished the fourth book just recently, and cant wait for July 12. All those who are freaking out about how long its been between books, RELAX! All long series are like this. I've been reading another series since the beginning, and its 3 or 4 years between books! A Song of Ice and Fire is so detailed, with so much going on, of course its going to take a long time! Martin won't let us down!

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  65

  *sigh*

  by Travis Weir

  2 years ago

  Read the first four books, very quickly, and loved them. That was YEARS ago. I now am not sure if I really give a tinker's damn about this series anymore, and that is saying quite a bit. And the very weird part is this past week, I was in Northern Ireland for a family member's funeral. I happened to be in one of the bookstores in Belfast International Airport. This book is in mass market paperback there. I almost had a heart attack. Can someone explain this to me ?

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  Just So We're All Clear...

  by Deformity

  2 years ago

  I absolutely love Martin no matter how many more years I have to wait for this bloody book, but please keep in mind that he does more than sit and work on a single story all day. He edits a ridiculous amount of things, he writes other stories, he goes to conventions as a guest speaker, and he's working on the HBO series. The man has a lot on his plate, so it's understandable for the books to be taking a long time to be released. That being said, Feast for Crows and Dance with Dragons were written as one book, which had to be split into two due to publishing constraints. Feast for Crows came out in 2005, and we're still waiting for essentially the second half that should have been out 6 years ago. Thus, the anger is definitely understandable, and the book should have come out either at the same time as Crows, or a few months after. But, he keeps going back and fixing/changing things in the plot. Arya, Cersei, Jaime, Sansa...none of these characters will be in Dance with Dragons, as Feast for Crows held one half of the characters' chapters, and Dragons will hold the second, so we won't be getting plot points cleared up from the end of Crows for another decade or so. Suffice to say, the man is extremely busy outside of writing this series, and I'd be more understanding if the book wasn't supposed to be out around 2005/2006. Go check his blog if you want information straight from him on the progress of the novel, but in the meantime, start a new series. As someone above said, the Malazan series is excellent if at times confusing. Goodkind's Sword of Truth is also consistently excellent. So be angry, but be constructive with the anger, and start another series. The book will come out eventually, and hopefully Martin won't die before the series is done.

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  12

  44

  Oh what a tangled web...

  by J.J. David

  2 years ago

  It seems quite obvious to me that this book is either (a) not written at all at this point or (b) is such a mess that it needs to be re-written; either way, it's going to dissappoint. That is a ridiculous release date (Christmas 2012) and I am sure is "subject to change." Perhaps at one point there was a plan to this story but the threads have either unravelled, tangled or broken. IF it ever gets done, I'll read the mass market edition - maybe. This is quite a disservice to his loyal readers who deserve much better, so I am not sure I want to give any support to this sham. I've moved on to Steven Erikson and his 'Malazan Book of the Fallen' 10 volume series which I think are better written and have been published at regular intervals with a consistent level of excellent quality. For those of you who have given up or have say two years to kill, maybe give "Gardens of the Moon" a try.

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  74

  Completely DISGUSTED!!!

  by Rob Powell

  3 years ago

  I was...and I repeat WAS a very big fan of George...but sadly I must say that I am done with him and have told many others of his lack of true devotion to his fans. Lies and excuses are no way to keep your fans. I will not be supporting George by purchasing any more of his books. I have enjoyed them...but I am now actually angry. It is not even a matter of patience any more. It has gone totally beyond the realm of ridiculous. Bye bye George!! Maybe someday when the series is completed I will consider reading it again...IF I LIVE THAT LONG!!!

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  6

  10

  Just be patient

  by Gena Slatnik

  3 years ago

  I think everyone just needs to sit and relax. The book will get here when it gets here and there's nothing that we say right now that will make it come any faster! Being a writer has to be a tough job, I can't imagine thinking of all the things he has, with all the varying plot lines, and still know where I'm wanting everything to head. I will gladly wait out the time for the book to be released, and last I saw that would be 2012; however, many books can be bumped up in their release date, so everyone please relax and keep your eyes peeled for it! I know I will.

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  27

  I'm sorry but I missed the point...

  by globalgirl

  3 years ago

  I, like the others commenting, am waiting for the fifth book in this series. Thankfully, I have only come to this series recently, so the wait for me should (according to the current release date) be manageable. My dilemma is this. I don't know that I care what happens next. Most books, in my extensive experience, have a point. Have a purpose. Make you yearn for a specific ending. Conflict is generated to make that specific outcome uncertain. But this series has gone in so many different directions with so many different characters that cohesion of any kind has been lost. Even if, in book 5, we find out that Bran has turned into an ice giant and started communing with the Gods of Old directly, it will in no way affect whether Daenerys makes it across the sea to retake the Seven Kingdoms. And I speak of two of the only three characters that I am at all interested in. The other being Jon Snow. When I first picked up these books, I assumed (wrongly) that these were going to be about the Starks and about Daenerys. I understood that the Baratheon/Lannister storyline was important back/co-story but I had no idea it was to become THE story. I am disappointed. Very disappointed. To start with a complex family relationship and a clear threat to it (ie. Dany) and fracture it is frustrating. As the Starks have been killed off, MORE focus should have been put on the remaining members. Not less. My last point of complaint is about the introduction of characters that "seem" to have some importance in late book three and book four. Was it necessary to introduce us to the knight that is protecting Myrcella, give him a back story and then kill him off rather pathetically within the same HALF of a novel? Where is the fun in that? I will end my commentary here. I have written more than enough. And sadly, could write more. Will I read this book? Yes. Will it give me any kind of satisfaction? That remains to be seen but I'm not confident of a positive answer. Sadly done Mr. Martin. Poorly done. Perhaps, as another commentatory mentioned, you should have stuck with one thing at a time.

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  5

  Getting frustrated

  by Danielle Searle

  4 years ago

  When I started this series a few years ago, I read all 4 books back to back, I couldn't put them down. I read them not realizing that it would take YEARS to get the next installment. I wish someone would have warned me before I even picked up the first book. I will be warning anyone I know that wants to read them to wait until a definitive, realistic release date is set. They are amazing books, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Why does it have to be delayed yet again? I really would like to know what the problem is.