Tag Archives: Trilogies and Series

Spoiler Edition: A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5)

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Synopsis:
Tyrion becomes a slave, Dany pines for Daario while marrying someone else, her dragons eat children and incinerate a prince, Jon Snow upends 8000 years of tradition, a couple of no-goodniks get baked into a pie, Stannis can haz teh dumb, Theon Greyjoy lives the worst version of a Lifetime movie thanks to the Bastard of Bolton, Arya kills time, Ser Barristan the Bold displays mad skillz, Davos is not dead, Victarion rows his boat, Asha picks the wrong fort to defend, Cersei and Jaime don’t get back together, everyone eats something called “neeps” and Bran turns into a tree.

Review:
My second read of A Dance with Dragons was the audio version, narrated by the no-longer-incomparable Roy Dotrice. Unfortunately, he turned Daenerys into a ninety-year-old Irish crone and gave Cersei almost the same voice as Tyrion. But I forgive him because he still brings incredible thespianship to his reading and I was definitely excited to take any chance I could get to listen.

Many have complained that Dance is just A Feast for Crows part two, complete with aimless wandering and annoyingly resurrected characters. However, I forgive Martin, too. I am too invested in this world to give up now. When we get to the end is when I’ll decide if it was worth it. For now, I’ll just assume that it is.

Oh, and I am in love with A Podcast of Ice and Fire.

Taliesin by Stephen R. Lawhead (The Pendragon Cycle, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
A princess of Atlantis flees to ancient England where her paths cross with a mage-in-training whose parentage is unknown.

Review:
I was drawn to Taliesin (which I desperately want to be an anagram of Atlantis, but it’s not) because it’s a retelling of the King Arthur legend with historically accurate place names and details, and with the Christianity an important, unoppressive element. Several major characters are converted to Christianity in episodes that are emotionally and spiritually powerful, but Lawhead doesn’t make that the happy ending. He understands that the Christian life is filled with drama and conflict, both inner and outer, and Lawhead doesn’t let his Christian characters have all the answers.

Where I disengaged from the book was with the character of Charis. Charis was proud, fierce, headstrong–all character qualities I normally love–but I think Lawhead romanticized her too much and made her inaccessible. All the men worshipped her but he didn’t give her any qualities that let me identify with her as a woman.

I really liked the character of Lile, the pagan wife to the king of Atlantis. She was a very nuanced character, set up to be the “evil stepmother” but proving to be both friend and enemy to Charis. I really appreciated that aspect. I’m hoping that her daughter Morgiane doesn’t end up being one-dimensional.

As for Taliesin, the bard/mage discovered in a river as a baby, I’m not sure how I feel about him. He’s certainly heroic, but like with Charis I experienced some distance from him. I think he was put on a pedestal by Lawhead and I couldn’t totally connect with his struggles.

I will definitely give the next book a try because these criticisms could just be first book issues. I’ve never read a memorable King Arthur telling so I’m keen to see this one through.

The Luxe by Anna Godberson

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Synopsis:
The death of a society girl in 1899 New York City isn’t quite what it seems, thanks to an impossibly complex snarl of love triangles.

Review:
I guess you would call The Luxe “Gossip Girl” set in Edith Wharton territory, but that makes it sound dreadful when in fact it’s pretty enjoyable. I don’t think I’ll continue on in the series but it was a fun read.

Enchanted, Inc by Shanna Swendson (Katie Chandler, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
An ordinary New York City girl gets recruited by a magical agency precisely because she is immune to magic.

Review:
Cute, light, and fun, Enchanted, Inc. was exactly the palate cleanser I needed after gorging on A Dance With Dragons. I especially loved that Shanna Swendson didn’t feel the need to make Katie klutzy or ditsy. She wasn’t afraid to have Katie be outspoken and assertive. She was my kind of girl and I really enjoyed spending time in her head.

A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5)

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Synopsis:
You really need to read the first 4 books.

Review:
I have never anticipated a book the way I anticipated A Dance with Dragons, not even Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This will be a spoiler-free review. I plan to listen to the audio book next month and that review will be spoiler-filled.

I was thoroughly entertained and satisfied by the book, and loved what happened in the new POV characters, especially Reek. I am impressed by Martin’s manipulative abilities–he is in such control of the reading experience and I love him for it. I loved the Cersei chapters, wanted one more Jaime chapter and was sad that another A Feast for Crows POV was missing from this one. I was totally wrong about the identity of the Ghost in Winterfell. I felt like I was tracking everyone’s location throughout Westeros, the North, Slaver’s Bay, and the Free Cities, which is a testament to Martin’s abilities. I’m also grateful for the hard work of the folks at Tower of the Hand for all their essays that helped me keep all of the houses and politics straight going into the book.

Very happy and very sad right now…

Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb (The Tawny Man)

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Synopsis:
Bastard assassin Fitz is brought out of hiding by King Shrewd’s fool, now living as haughty Lord Golden, in order to find missing Prince Dutiful, believed to have been seduced by a group of outlaws practicing an extreme form of beast magic.

Review:
Fool’s Errand picks up about 15 years after the end of the Farseer Trilogy, with the events of the Liveship Traders books happening in between.

I remember thinking that this series was much weirder than the relatively straightforward Farseer epic. I’m also hoping that certain of her prose tics that bug me won’t stand out so much since I’m reading, not listening. So far I’m pleased by her active plotting and how she’s developing the magic she invented in the first books. I don’t remember many details about where the story goes, so I’m excited to keep going.

Kings of the North by Elizabeth Moon (The Deed of Paksenarrion)

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Synopsis:
A continuation of the story of Kieri Phelan, the newly crowned half-elven king at odds with his elven grandmother, and Dorrin, the female Duke of Verrakai, seeking to use her power to pursue vengeance against her family of evil mage lords.

Review:
I had trouble getting through Kings of the North. It felt like a lot of exposition and water-treading. I love these characters and have been enthralled by the series to date, but just didn’t really enjoy this installment. But will definitely give the next one a try. Elizabeth Moon is so talented a world builder and storyteller that I won’t hold this experience against her at all.

Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 2)

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Synopsis:
Fitz the bastard struggles to be a King’s man and his own man, while dastardly Prince Regal threatens to usurp the throne while King in Waiting Verity is off on a quest to find the mythical Elderlings.

Review:
Royal Assassin marks a solid midpoint in an ambitious trilogy, with all the characters put at great risk from each other and themselves. Antagonist Regal remains too cardboard to feel like a true threat, but overall the characters are solid. I’m not sure the Skill magic totally works for me–at times, it seems like nothing more than Thinking.Really.Hard!!!!!!!!!!11!!!!!!smoke!!!!!!!!!!! But I mostly overlooked the flaws and enjoyed the ride.

Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb (The Farseer Trilogy, Book 1)

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Synopsis:
The bastard son of a prince gets training in the art of deception, eavesdropping, and murder, while failing to master the royal Skill, a sort of telepathy that is the Six Duchies chief weapon against the Red Ship Raiders, who harry the coast leaving only zombies in their wake.

Review:
This is my second read of Assassin’s Apprentice, and it’s been an odd experience. Actually, I listened to the audiobook version, and while I enjoyed the narrator’s performance I was disappointed to find Robin Hobb’s prose to be a little clunkier than I remembered. I got a little tired of “rueful” smiles and people replying “mildly.” The story felt lighter than I remember, too, though I could see the seeds planted for the threads I know the later story will encompass. It was thrilling to see mention of the Rain Wilds, given how largely they figure in later books. I am hoping the rest in the series hold up better.

A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 3)

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Synopsis:
The war of the Five Kings heats up, with intrigue, conspiracy, regicide, betrayal, and black magic abounding.

Review:
First of all, I am outraged beyond belief that Random House couldn’t get Roy Dotrice to perform the audiobook version of fourth installment of this series. It’s breaking my heart that I can’t continue listening to his incomparable narration. His work is masterful, bringing all the intensity of the plot and subtlety of the characterizations to life. It’s really depressing to me.

A Storm of Swords is book three of a proposed 7-part series. As most fans know, it remains to be seen whether the series will be completed, which is a source of great stress. However, I’m all for George RR Martin taking as long as he needs to complete A Dance With Dragons (book 5). This second encounter with the series is proving to me how deeply layered his work is. He stints on nothing. If he needs time to get it right, so be it.

The emotional impact of the key sequences in the story–the Red Wedding in particular–are all the more heightened because I know they are coming and I can see how Martin is preparing the way for the devastation. I’m also able to track the characters so much more easily because the names are familiar to me.

I remember loving Sansa so much the first time through. This time, I’m loving Samwell Tarly in a big way. He’s such a great character, so brave despite his protestation of cravenness.