Comments | pinkpolarity: REVIEW: A Dance With Dragons

pinkpolarity

REVIEW: A Dance With Dragons

Oct 14, 2011 06:56

Haven't posted anywhere in a million years, hopefully this will change.

Warning: Some of this is spoilery.

I like GRRM for his systematic demolishing of fantasy tropes that really, when you think about it (if you think about it) don't make a lot of sense. This remains, IMO, this book's best strength. ( So here's the scoreboard, as I see it )

books, asoiaf

Comments 6

suslikesturtles October 16 2011, 07:27:03 UTC

I agree with pretty much everything here, and you've said it so much better than I could. (I still haven't done my goodreads review because I just don't know how to.)

Melisandre took me completely by surprise! And Mance Raider is way too awesome.

Not sure what you mean by lampshading the mysogyny? It was actually much, much worse for me in this book than in any of its predecessors. Although that could be because, 5 years ago, I was blissfully unaware of casual sexism and mysogyny, so I think I'm more tuned into spotting this sort of thing these days. But if I never see the word 'whore' again it'll be too soon...

pinkpolarity October 16 2011, 10:34:39 UTC

Thank you ( ... )

suslikesturtles October 18 2011, 11:56:09 UTC

Hell yeah re: Azor Ahai. And I hope like hell it's not Dany.

Whoa re: greenseat vs the Other. That hadn't even occurred to me, but it makes a lot of sense!

I forgot to say in my earlier comment: YE GODS IF YOU-KNOW-WHO'S DED I WILL BE DISAPPOINT. My friend said something along the lines of "About time he killed off another major character"...but not him! Damn it all.

Thinking about it more, maybe you're right. There certainly is a bit of in-gameuniverse commentary on the mysogyny - but that also made it a bit harder for me to ignore it. I actually thought Cersei's walk of shame was gratuitous. We all wanted her to get her comeuppance I think, but that wasn't the right way for me. Same with Ramsay Bolton's methods of torture. And Asha's sex scene, what good did that do the story ( ... )

suslikesturtles October 18 2011, 11:56:53 UTC

Damn. I hit the wrong reply button. This was, of course, in reply to your above comment! Dammit.

pinkpolarity October 20 2011, 10:32:00 UTC

I love that I get to talk about All The Thoughts with *someone*! (I finally come back to this place, and it seems like everyone else has scarpered too ( ... )

kitrinlu October 24 2011, 02:28:53 UTC

I'm hoping that many of the problems with ADWD were caused by needing to move the characters around so that whatever's going to happen in the next books can happen. It really felt like moving pieces on a chessboard a lot of the time. I'm hoping that the next book will get things back on track and actually have some stuff happen/resolve some plot lines. Then again, I seem to regard this series with unnatural optimism, so who knows what will actually happen!

Definitely agree with wanting more Arya and Mel. I could've done without so much Reek, too, but other people seemed to like it, so. Tyrion is still deliciously snarky, but I hope he gets over himself and stops wallowing in his man-pain in the next book, because that got old pretty quickly. And if [spoiler] is actually dead, I'll probably keep reading, but I'll be Really Unhappy >:(