Sections
A Dance with Dragons, the fifth volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, despite being one of the more concise volumes in the series, containing virtually only three main plots – which helps to move the narrative forward –, still suffers from the remnants of the bad planning surrounding the previous book, A Feast for Crows.
A Dance with Dragons follows stories that take place in two main locations: the North of Westeros, especially around the colossal wall of ice, focusing on the characters of Jon Snow and King Stannis; and the continent of Essos, with Queen Daenerys.
The stories of Daenerys and Jon [...]
A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in A Song of Ice and Fire, was released five years after A Storm of Swords, following a troubled writing process. George R. R. Martin first decided that the plot would jump five years in time, which would allow the children and dragons to grow. However, long after he had produced enough material, he abandoned that idea, noticing that more than half of what had been written was in the form of flashbacks. Martin then decided to start again from scratch, picking up the story from where the third volume left off. After some time, he also realized that this new novel had become too long, with more than one thousand five hundred [...]
The third volume of A Song of Ice and Fire, A Storm of Swords, is the most climactic novel in the series so far: its narrative is permeated by major events that brutally modify the political structure of Westeros and the life and personality of its inhabitants. However, the book slips up precisely on the portrayal of some of these exciting scenes.
The story still follows the war for the Iron Throne, interspersing it with Daenerys’ search for power on the neighboring continent of Essos, and with the Night’s Watch’s resistance in the north, as they try to investigate and stop the advance of some frightening supernatural [...]
“In a room sit three great men, a king, a priest, and a rich man with his gold. Between them stands a sellsword, a little man of common birth and no great mind. Each of the great ones bids him slay the other two. ‘Do it’ says the king, ‘for I am your lawful ruler.’ ‘Do it’ says the priest, ‘for I command you in the names of the gods.’ ‘Do it’ says the rich man, ‘and all this gold shall be yours.’ So tell me – who lives and who dies?”
This riddle, proposed by lord Varys to Tyrion Lannister, summarizes the main question of A Clash of Kings, the second novel of The Song of Ice and Fire: what legitimizes power? With the war for [...]
A Game of Thrones, the first volume of the A Song of Ice and Fire series presents a vast and intricate world, with a rich array of fascinating locales and characters, and focuses on how their troubled relationships help deconstruct the concept of honor.
The plot follows Eddard Stark, the lord of Winterfell in the north of Westeros, who receives news of the incoming visit of his close friend and king, Robert Baratheon. Robert is traveling to Winterfell to propose that Eddard assume the position of his adviser as Hand of the King, since the last one, John Aryn, died. Eddard’s wife, Catelyn, however, quickly receives a letter [...]