“A Dance With Dragons” brings back several prominent figures who have not been seen directly since “ A Storm of Swords” appeared in 2000. And there really are a staggering number of characters, many of whom disappear from view for long stretches. A handful of contenders stake their claims to the Iron Throne, throwing the realm into chaos and affecting the lives of every major character in this densely populated saga. (Bantam Books)Īs readers (and viewers) of “A Game of Thrones” already know, Robert dies in what may or may not be a hunting accident, paving the way for a power struggle that forms the centerpiece of the series. ‘’A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five’’ by George R.
Dissolute and increasingly uninterested in the practical difficulties of running a kingdom, Robert commissions the only man he can trust - Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell - to serve as “Hand of the King,” setting in motion a chain of events with enormous and tragic consequences. After successfully deposing the king and scattering or killing most of the Targaryen family, Robert ascends the Iron Throne and finds, as so many kings before him, that power exacts a very steep price. The most recent and relevant historical drama concerns Robert Baratheon’s revolt against the mad King Aerys Targaryen. The plots and counterplots that drive this mammoth enterprise take place against a complex backdrop of history, legend and myth. And, as the characters repeatedly remind us, “Winter is coming.” As the narrative begins, a long, deceptively peaceful summer is coming to an end. A prominent feature of life in the Kingdoms is the protracted nature of the seasons, which can last for years at a time. To the north, a vast wall 700feet high separates the Kingdoms from a haunted, impenetrable forest and from the various terrors, human and Other, that live within it. To the east, across the Narrow Sea, lie a variety of colorful desert cultures featuring, among other elements, a thriving slave trade. The principal setting for all five novels is the continent of Westeros, home to a group of formerly independent realms that have coalesced into a loosely united entity called the Seven Kingdoms.
A dance of fire and ice song series#
The “Song of Ice and Fire” series is a hugely expansive narrative set in a variety of physical locales and told through an array of constantly shifting perspectives. “A Dance With Dragons,” all 1,000 pages of it, is now in bookstores, nearly six years after its predecessor. Well, those impatient souls can finally take a breath. This gap has fueled a flood of carping and sometimes vicious Internet commentary from an assortment of disgruntled readers. Adding to the pre-publication furor is the fact that the most recent entry, “ A Feast for Crows,” appeared way back in 2005. It’s safe to say that no work of fantasy has generated such anticipation since Harry Potter’s final duel with Voldemort. This massive fantasy is the fifth installment in a projected seven-volume epic titled “ A Song of Ice and Fire.” The popularity of the series - powerfully augmented by the recent HBO adaptation of the opening volume, “ A Game of Thrones” - has increased exponentially from one book to the next.
Martin’s “ A Dance With Dragons” is one of the Big Books of the summer, and it comes to us trailing a host of outsize expectations.
0 kommentar(er)
