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)

Still Many Questions, but That’s Okay

A Dance with Dragons was a little more of a spread out story than the previous books. Even though this is the 5th of George R. R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series, it is still good as a stand alone book with proper reminders of past events as told, sometimes, from different perspectives.

Roy Dotrice returns as the narrator with about the same level of performance as in the previous installations. Brienne (of Tarth) is pronounced Bryan. Mr. Dotrice pauses in the middles of many sentences as though it’s the end, and then continues on surprising you that there’s more to say. Characters who had one voice at one section, have a different voice later on. But the performance is still not bad enough to ruin the story, and listening experience.

I recommend a Dance with Dragons for the plain enjoyment of the story, and also for those who watched the Game of Thrones series and would like to know how much different the two are.

Best book in the whole series

Title says it all. Wonderful book! Great performance, outstanding story, very well written. Definitely recommend!

A Masterwork

We will never see the likes of Mr Roy Dotrice again. This man breathed life into Game of Thrones. I loved every second of this book.

Poor Dany’s voice

Another great story with great narration but apparently Dany Targaryen has turned into a squeaky leprechaun.

Pretty Solid. Enjoyed Victarion's Voice

The Victarian chapters were kick ass and easily my favorite stuff in the whole series. I'm glad Danerys got to suffer a good bit at the end there, she was acting like a stupid bitch for almost the entire book. Hopefully she has learned her lesson and will start to be the ruthless chad queen we want. Rip Jon. When he didn't even feel the last blade, I felt that. I could really feel his maturity and leadership growing, in a way I feel like his arc was the most personal and relatable. Bran chapters were pretty interesting, but I needed more. Also needed more Euron. Theon's Reek arc was solid. I also enjoyed Roos Bolton. Tyrion chapters were stellar as usual. Same with Jamie and Cercei. Very worried about what is going to happen to Jamie in the next book. Same with Dario; I would be extremely shocked and upset, but not disappointed, If they were both dead by the start of the next book. The anticipation and suspense is figuratively killing me. I really enjoyed Aria and the Faceless Men, getting a good look into the way they do things was so interesting. I hope she really dives deeper into that world. Looking forward to the next book, whenever that may be.

Roy did well. Thank you Roy.

Thank you GRRMartin. Don't die on me now.

Sad that it's over but such a great book

Amazing piece of work with intricate character. Wonderful story and I love Roy, he's wonderful as the voice of everyone. Here's to hoping I may enjoy the rest of the books.

Much better than the show.

The HBO series differed quite dramatically from the book. Especially in this volume I didn't realize how much of the show I didn't like until the book demonstrated it. The characters stay interesting and plots don't get lazy. I really hope Martin finishes the next two books at some point the HBO series really butchered it and would like to not have their ending be the way that it stays.

my favorite thus far!

Cannot wait for the next installment! This one started a little slow but definitely picked up and ended up being my favorite! Great writing and narration!

great

i loved this book and can't wait until the next one comes out and the narrator is very good

A long time ago, in a Kingdom far, far away

To dance with dragons is to get lost in words. In a flurry of sentences, characters, plots and schemes you wish for the downfall of some and scream out in anguish for the rue of others. Mr. Dotrice brings a life to the Song of Ice and Fire series, so much so, that I can’t imagine the series without him in it. Waiting for the day where the Winds of Winter may grace the ears of the seven kingdoms to start again on this listening journey.