My Summer of Reading "A Song of Ice and Fire"
I finished A DANCE WITH DRAGONS about 2 days ago and have wanted to blog about it ever since. It certainly destroyed reading any other books for me as I have been immersed in George RR Martin's universe for nearly 3 months, as I reread the entire series from start to finish.
This was my 3rd read of the first three novels in the series and my second read of the 4th: A FEAST FOR CROWS. My opinion of FFC totally reversed. I was so disappointed by it when I read it five years ago. I had reread the first three for the second time, but allowed myself to skim past chapters that I wasn't as interested in, especially the Jon Snow parts. Plus, it was a couple months before I got a chance to read FFC so had time to forget all the nuances that turn out to be very important. Or at least make the books more enjoyable if you are connecting the dots. Honestly, I had no idea how much of FFC had been foreshadowed until this second read. My confidence in Martin's story returned ten-fold, as I accepted that he is in control of the story and didn't just wander farther afield.
A lot of the reactions to DANCE seem to mirror my initial reactions to FEAST. So I was doubly glad I spent the summer in immersion because I'd have felt the same if I hadn't. And even so, DANCE is slower moving than the first three books. What really put me off at the beginning was that it goes back in time and starts off where FEAST began as far as timeline. I understand why this is so, because many of the characters were missing from FEAST, so they had to be caught up, so to speak. Yet I think it was a mistake for Martin to have divided the books by characters since it gives the reader a sense of lost progress, after waiting ten years for some of these story points.
I had a good head of steam with all the material fresh in my mind, so I was able to pound my way through the entire book (besides, I'd borrowed it on my sister's Kindle and she wants it back) but found myself skimming nearly every chapter's beginning section. There seemed to be a pattern in Book 5 that I hadn't really noticed earlier. I've always noticed that the chapters end with a hook, and that the subsequent chapter nearly always opens with dialogue. In DANCE, the characters at the start of chapters seem to drift into reminiscing and provide a drawn out flashback. Frequently the flashbacks are about the Targaryen family, but a lot of history is planted in this book, more obvious than every before. Whereas I used to enjoy the way Martin interspersed his exposition, this is the first time I felt awash in info dumps.
After pages of overly-described setting details and flashbacks, the tension starts to ramp up for that particular character. Matters would come to a head and then the chapter would end with the crisis. Then off to another point of view, although sometimes then next chapter would be in the same situation/place so at least that particular plotline would continue.
I also felt like I was picking up on clues that I never used to, thanks to rereading in part, but also due to reading various other blogs, articles etc about the series. I "saw" Sandor Clegane in fact, but won't spoil it here. As for the Mountain, I don't believe that Martin can be as obvious about him as it seems. Melisandre's struggle to read the flames seemed too obvious to me as well, but it will be another 5 years no doubt before I know if I'm right.
One thing that I enjoyed in this extended read was the epic class warfare that is being carried on, which I'd not really noticed before. I read the books orginially as a typical medieval fantasy with a monarchy as an absolute. My eyes were opened to the inequity of the class system and how complicit even the "honorable" Lords are in causing mass starvation, destruction, murder, and rape as they wage their power struggles. At the same time, Martin does not glorify the masses by any means. The movements that rise in reaction are frequently radical and destructive forces as well.
I think I am damning the fifth book with so faint of praise. I enjoyed it quite a bit really and didn't want it too end. At the same time, I did skim a lot but I figure I'll pick up a lot of details when I reread it, which I most certainly will do when book six comes out (assuming that happens in my lifetime.) That isn't really a joke either, I am not so sure I'll outlive Martin, or that he'll live long enough to finish it. Even unfinished, the series has given me enough pleasure that I don't fault him too much for taking so long.
Meanwhile, I keep my fingers crossed that HBO will continue the series, although I think they'll have to start splitting the books up across more than one season. I'm not looking forward to the gritty graphic sex scenes either. Oh, and another bone to pick with Mr. Martin: Can a character bite into a piece of meat and NOT have bloody juice run down their chin or beard? This is the kind of thing that can be like fingernails on a blackboard when you read five books in a row.
So that was my summer reading program. It took me a couple months rereading the first 3 books, but I didn't allow myself to skim anything. Then I flew through books 4 and 5 because I started reading in the afternoons and not just at night. And now I am struggling to change my focus to something else and having little luck.
This was my 3rd read of the first three novels in the series and my second read of the 4th: A FEAST FOR CROWS. My opinion of FFC totally reversed. I was so disappointed by it when I read it five years ago. I had reread the first three for the second time, but allowed myself to skim past chapters that I wasn't as interested in, especially the Jon Snow parts. Plus, it was a couple months before I got a chance to read FFC so had time to forget all the nuances that turn out to be very important. Or at least make the books more enjoyable if you are connecting the dots. Honestly, I had no idea how much of FFC had been foreshadowed until this second read. My confidence in Martin's story returned ten-fold, as I accepted that he is in control of the story and didn't just wander farther afield.
A lot of the reactions to DANCE seem to mirror my initial reactions to FEAST. So I was doubly glad I spent the summer in immersion because I'd have felt the same if I hadn't. And even so, DANCE is slower moving than the first three books. What really put me off at the beginning was that it goes back in time and starts off where FEAST began as far as timeline. I understand why this is so, because many of the characters were missing from FEAST, so they had to be caught up, so to speak. Yet I think it was a mistake for Martin to have divided the books by characters since it gives the reader a sense of lost progress, after waiting ten years for some of these story points.
I had a good head of steam with all the material fresh in my mind, so I was able to pound my way through the entire book (besides, I'd borrowed it on my sister's Kindle and she wants it back) but found myself skimming nearly every chapter's beginning section. There seemed to be a pattern in Book 5 that I hadn't really noticed earlier. I've always noticed that the chapters end with a hook, and that the subsequent chapter nearly always opens with dialogue. In DANCE, the characters at the start of chapters seem to drift into reminiscing and provide a drawn out flashback. Frequently the flashbacks are about the Targaryen family, but a lot of history is planted in this book, more obvious than every before. Whereas I used to enjoy the way Martin interspersed his exposition, this is the first time I felt awash in info dumps.
After pages of overly-described setting details and flashbacks, the tension starts to ramp up for that particular character. Matters would come to a head and then the chapter would end with the crisis. Then off to another point of view, although sometimes then next chapter would be in the same situation/place so at least that particular plotline would continue.
I also felt like I was picking up on clues that I never used to, thanks to rereading in part, but also due to reading various other blogs, articles etc about the series. I "saw" Sandor Clegane in fact, but won't spoil it here. As for the Mountain, I don't believe that Martin can be as obvious about him as it seems. Melisandre's struggle to read the flames seemed too obvious to me as well, but it will be another 5 years no doubt before I know if I'm right.
One thing that I enjoyed in this extended read was the epic class warfare that is being carried on, which I'd not really noticed before. I read the books orginially as a typical medieval fantasy with a monarchy as an absolute. My eyes were opened to the inequity of the class system and how complicit even the "honorable" Lords are in causing mass starvation, destruction, murder, and rape as they wage their power struggles. At the same time, Martin does not glorify the masses by any means. The movements that rise in reaction are frequently radical and destructive forces as well.
I think I am damning the fifth book with so faint of praise. I enjoyed it quite a bit really and didn't want it too end. At the same time, I did skim a lot but I figure I'll pick up a lot of details when I reread it, which I most certainly will do when book six comes out (assuming that happens in my lifetime.) That isn't really a joke either, I am not so sure I'll outlive Martin, or that he'll live long enough to finish it. Even unfinished, the series has given me enough pleasure that I don't fault him too much for taking so long.
Meanwhile, I keep my fingers crossed that HBO will continue the series, although I think they'll have to start splitting the books up across more than one season. I'm not looking forward to the gritty graphic sex scenes either. Oh, and another bone to pick with Mr. Martin: Can a character bite into a piece of meat and NOT have bloody juice run down their chin or beard? This is the kind of thing that can be like fingernails on a blackboard when you read five books in a row.
So that was my summer reading program. It took me a couple months rereading the first 3 books, but I didn't allow myself to skim anything. Then I flew through books 4 and 5 because I started reading in the afternoons and not just at night. And now I am struggling to change my focus to something else and having little luck.