A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4) by George R.R. Martin Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4)
Book Review: A Triumphant Return
Summary: 5 Stars
First, an important piece of information to remember about this book is that it does not contain a number of the major point of view characters from earlier novels: Jon Snow, Daenaerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, and Davos Seaworth; these characters will feature in the next novel, _A Dance with Dragons_. Readers opening this book with the hopes of reading about these characters directly will be disappointed, but there's no real reason to be disappointed as this novel is a success.Focusing as it does on events south of the Neck (particularly King's Landing and the Riverlands) and some interludes in the east (that firecracker, Arya Stark, has a few chapters), the novel is thematically the tale of what happens when the centre cannot hold and everything seems to fall into a final, ugly chaos. Those trying to hold the pieces together -- such as Jaime Lannister -- are faced with the crows who descend on the feast, not least among them being the scheming and vindictive Cersei.
The chapters link together in a more subtle way than previous books, as actions and decisions in King's Landing start to have a slow and noticeable effect on the surrounding landscape. Characters are caught up in a tide of events which threatens to sweep them away. Indeed, by the end of the novel, it's almost impossible to guess where the sixth book of the series will go: that much happens to set the realm topsy-turvy.
Are there flaws? Sure, it's the rare book that doesn't have one; some more work could have been to heighten linkages between certain chapters, and there's an interlude which, while rewarding as a reading experience, was not particularly necessary (but that's one chapter among dozens).
To finish up, the important question is, "Is the book worthy of its predecessors?" And the answer is an emphatic, "Yes!"
Book Review: A Triumphant Return
Summary: 5 Stars
First, an important piece of information to remember about this book is that it does not contain a number of the major point of view characters from earlier novels: Jon Snow, Daenaerys Targaryen, Tyrion Lannister, and Davos Seaworth; these characters will feature in the next novel, _A Dance with Dragons_. Readers opening this book with the hopes of reading about these characters directly will be disappointed, but there's no real reason to be disappointed as this novel is a success.Focusing as it does on events south of the Neck (particularly King's Landing and the Riverlands) and some interludes in the east (that firecracker, Arya Stark, has a few chapters), the novel is thematically the tale of what happens when the centre cannot hold and everything seems to fall into a malignant, ugly chaos. Those trying to hold the pieces together-such as Jaime Lannister-are faced with the crows who descend on this rotten feast, not least among them being the scheming and vindictive Cersei.
The chapters link together in a more subtle way than previous books, as actions and decisions in King's Landing start to have a slow and noticeable effect on the surrounding landscape. Characters are caught up in a tide of events which threatens to sweep them away. Indeed, by the end of the novel, it's almost impossible to guess where the sixth book of the series will go: that much happens to set the realm topsy-turvy.
Are there flaws? Certainly, it's the rare book that doesn't have one. Some more work could have been to heighten linkages between certain chapters. There's an interlude which, while rewarding as a reading experience (as it provides a nice dollop of historical information regarding the late reign of the Mad King Aerys), was not particularly necessary (but that's one chapter among dozens).
To finish up, it seems that the important question is, "Is the book worthy of its predecessors?" And the answer is an emphatic, "Yes!"
Book Review: An enjoyable addition to the series
Summary: 4 Stars
After having waited years for this book (while posting regularly on a website of similarly obsessed people), I was afraid that the book couldn't possibly be worth the wait. It is. Feast resolves the cliffhangers left at the end of Book 3 and deals realistically with the increasing chaos in Westeros. While it contains only about half the Point of View characters of the earlier books and moves at a slower pace, it does three important things: it takes time to develop both old and new characters, it shows us the activities of two major groups within Westeros that we have seen little of in previous books, and it takes us to places (in and out of Westeros) that we haven't seen before. Clearly we should expect a lot of action to come. Read carefully if you want to catch all of Martin's hints!Book Review: Where were Jon and Dany???
Summary: 5 Stars
I liked this book a lot. It was very well written, and I found there were a lot of characters that I'm growing more fond of, whereas in the first couple of books it was hard to side with anyone other than the Starks. The world is so well written it was very believable. There are only two downsides of this book for me, firstly that two of my favourite characters (Dany and Jon) did not appear at all, and secondly, that there were so many characters having their own chapters that no one person's story managed to progress very far. Also, too much Cersei!Book Review: A Feast for Lannisters
Summary: 5 Stars
This book has a very select readership- really its only going to appeal to anybody who has already read the first three books in the Song. If you haven't, this review will mean nothing to you- the book does not stand alone, but rather delves further into Matin's well developed world and characters- and I suggest that you check the reviews of A Game of Thrones instead. Better yet, treat yourself to the paperback and make up your own mind- there's alot to make your mind up about.Still reading? Good-oh. The relevant question, then, is this; is the series worth continuing? The close of A Storm of Swords is accompanied by remarkable finality, and Martin has left himself a great deal of work to do in firing up the engine once more. As I've been waiting for A Feast for An Age, I've been folloiwing Martin's updates on his home page, and the ongoing saga of this book's changing form. Originally, Feast was to be set five years after Storm (unconfirmed, from third party sources); this was abandoned, presumably becuase Martin saw the need for continuity without let-up. This decision grates a little though the first hundred pages or so- for the first time in the Song, we have a slow burner on our hands, as the threads of the coming story start to emerge. The themes of this book are autumn and aftermath, but also of learning to be wise, for several of the youger characters in partcular.
The second metamorphosis in this book's development was a bisection. Make no mistake, this is only half the book one may wish for; as the book grew too long, Martin chose to remove the simultaneous narrative threads relating to Daenarys, Jon Snow, Tyrion, and some others, and place them in the next volume, A Dance of Dragons. The result is a book primarily about the Lannister regime in King's Landing- fleshed out further by the introdiction of Cersei as a narrative character. Other material follows Brienne of Tarth, the Ironmen, and -best of all- the Martells of Dorne; although this last feels a little truncated, and it will be a long time before their story amounts to much.
The writing, especially in terms of imagery, is of Martin's accustomed quality. The twists and bites of the plot, however, are relatively tame this time around- with a tendancy to back-twist so that the net change is minimised. This book confirms the deep appeal of Martin's world-building, his characters, and his writing, because it manages to thrill and hold without the major narrative thrust of previous books. This is a book about being in Westeros, but the Song itself appears to be elsewhere. This book is a continuation of the series, but I stongly suspect that a reader in a hurry to finish the Song (in years to come) could skip the contents of Feast entirely.
This appears to be the first review on Amazon by a finished reader, so I have endeavoured to keep spoilers at bay. I've also tried very, very hard to articulate all the tiny imperfections I found in the book- but thats just it. The notion of imperfections imply that the whole approaches perfection.
Just so.