A Dance with Dragons

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

Length: 48 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Dubbed the American Tolkien by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the number-one New York Times best-selling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series - as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again - beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times 3,000 enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

To the north lies the mammoth Wall of ice and stone - a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Nights Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon reignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all.

Enchanted? Check out the rest of George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series.

©2011 George R.R. Martin (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

"Filled with vividly rendered set pieces, unexpected turnings, assorted cliffhangers and moments of appalling cruelty, A Dance with Dragons is epic fantasy as it should be written: passionate, compelling, convincingly detailed and thoroughly imagined." (The Washington Post)

"Long live George Martin...a literary dervish, enthralled by complicated characters and vivid language, and bursting with the wild vision of the very best tale tellers." (The New York Times)

"One of the best series in the history of fantasy." (Los Angeles Times)

A great story read plainly.

I enjoyed this book. It's greatest strength is it's characters. I also enjoy how well-developed the world is. This is one of the best fantasy book series ever written. It's a shame that the audiobooks were performed with such mediocrity. The narrator makes female characters sound like sqealing pirates. Especially Aria and Daenyrs.

If you enjoy this series and need something to read while waiting for the next, check out some of these series: Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson; Red Rising, by Peirce Brown; A Raven's Shadow, by Anthony Ryan; Cold Magic, by Kate Elliott.

Why aren't the chapter divides... by chapters?

Is there anything you would change about this book?

It's a very strange and large problem that the chapter divides on the audiobook do not correlate to the actual chapters in the book. I never know how long until the end of any given chapter.

Was A Dance with Dragons worth the listening time?

Yes.

Awesome

Sweet definete read great read read it twice in a row waiting to long to complete the story thought been waiting for years now will continue to re read series though

Amazing but confusing at times

Great book, confusing at times but keep reading and it all ties together. All the stuff happening in and around Meeren can easily throw you off.

Heavy reveals in the book getting me super stoked for the next book.

Roy Dotrice is amazing as always. knows how to capture the mood and feelings in every scene.

Irritating female voices.

Thankfully already read books. Peevish accent used for Daenerys was irritating and would have affected my perception of her character had I not already been reading the stories for years. Purchased audio version to listen as a refresher for the loooong anticipated release of Winds of Winter. Hard for a man to read a female character but this was particularly distracting. Love this story.

Loved it

You don't even realize you've been sitting still listening to this book for hours! Great

Great continuation of the Fire and Ice Saga

This audio book is worth your monthly credit. At nearly 50 hours, the audio book will take time to get through, but the story is worth the long listen. The performance is good, and the reader changes his voice for each character. That is impressive considering how many different characters are in this series of novels.

I enjoyed all of the fire and ice books

I really enjoyed all of the Fire and Ice books. I liked the narration, and felt like I was hearing different people speak.

great story

character voices seemed different but still a great story. can't wait until the next. hope it comes out soon.

Good fantasy but anoying voices...

What made the experience of listening to A Dance with Dragons the most enjoyable?

The story is well told and the scenery very lively described. I got this far, that says a lot.

How could the performance have been better?

I was thoroughly annoyd with the attempt to make different voices... most of them made the characters sound uninteligent and annoying - excpecially Daenerys who sounded like an old crone...