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)

Story good, performance..meh

I loved how Roy Dotrice has done previous books, but this book was a little off. First off, the last book he did was marvelous and had so many different voices for the characters. This one, he only seemed to have a handful and I hated the way he portrayed Danni. I know the fan base is going to demand Roy again for the next books, but I hope he gets some of the spark back that he had before.

Loved it!

Would you consider the audio edition of A Dance with Dragons to be better than the print version?

No, nothing is ever better than print, sorry! But it was excellent and is nice to revisit after you've read the books.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Dance with Dragons?

Too many.

Which scene was your favorite?

Too many.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to sure, but I wouldn't have time for that.

Any additional comments?

Just a great Audible addition every user needs to have in their Library.

I really liked the story telling

It's a epic story, things do happen, lots of characters that Roy was to able to put a voice too. I was really impressed, it was so well done that I could tell who the character was before the text did. So yeah you here Irish but with different reflections. This was my first audio book for this series, so I do not know how well done his female voices had been, but I got over it quickly, just get past that and enjoy the story from a expert reader.

MY FIRST REVIEW

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No Way! No Way! Noway! Nowaynowaynowy! NOWY! I now have my next characters name. Considering that D.B. Martin... if you don't know what D.B. stands for, ask your teenagers... came out with Game of Thrones in 1996, Clash of Kings in 1998, A Storm of Swords in 2000, A Feast for Crows in 2005, and A Dance with Dragons in 2011, The Winds of Winter may not come out for another two years. Who knows when A Dream of Spring will come out. It looks we're headed for another Robert Jordan. He's not getting any younger. I read the books and vowed before A Dance with Dragons came out that I'd boycott George D.B. Martin because of the overly lengthy duration between books. Who wants to wait over five years for another book in a series to come out. He should take some lessons from Brandon Sanderson.

In any event, I examined my vow not to read any more of his books and reluctantly caved and told myself it didn't apply to audio books. I downloaded and listened to this and now I'm in the same place I was in 2005, waiting for another book to come out. The worst is that we know now that it isn't even the end. If he takes 6-8 years between books, and the trend is going up, when will the next book come out? 2025? For the love of HODOR. I now amend my vow never to read or listen to any of his books. Hmm... does that leave wiggle room for watching the tv show? Probably... God darn it. Nowy! Get the T.V. remote, we've got some shows to watch.

What other book might you compare A Dance with Dragons to and why?

George D.B. Martin is in a class of his own here. I have read hundreds of books and listened to thousands of hours of audio books. Never have I encountered an author so willing and committed to developing a character, leading readers to invest real emotion in them, and then brutally killing them with very little meaning. It's as if he had an ending penned, realized that some characters didn't fit and had to find interesting ways of killing some off. And I use the word 'some' with egregious understatement. As a giant fan of Fantasy and Science Fiction, there are patterns that develop. Subconsciously, you believe that main character that you love will be ok. That something will happen or someone will come and save the day. Even after their head is rolling across the cobble stones, you think, "This must be a dream. Some character is seeing a potential future. It's a Princess Bride nightmare." Then you reach the end of the book and realize, it's never going to be ok. So you lay in the fetal position, slowly rocking and ask yourself why? Why Nowy, Why?

good

love the story and for the most part the narrator is fantastic. my one complaint is that I have all five volumes and the narrator tends to change the "voice" of many characters from one book to the next. a small gripe but annoying none the less

Cant wait for more

Would you listen to A Dance with Dragons again? Why?

Yes and its has been done. The performance is so great and the story so gripping

What other book might you compare A Dance with Dragons to and why?

only the other books George RR has wirtten and the wheel of time series are even close

What does Roy Dotrice bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Tones of voice different character voices and just a great feeling like you are right there with him watching it all unfold

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wish i would be a trooper to do that its so long but so good it was a few long sittings

the best book yet!

his was the best Game of thrones book yet! so compelling! most interesting characters! yay

amaze-balls!

I really enjoyed this book. I can't w air for the next book. I'm so sad Roy Dotrice passed.

love the books. hate the reader.

I love the books. but the guy who reads it is terrible. He does all the characters in 3 or 4 different voices. He doesn't keep the character's voices the same throughout the book or the series. He keeps changing the way he pronounces names.

Damn it!

Grate book but now i have to wait for book 6. Awesome awesome awesome awesome.