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)

Winter is coming

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

I would definitely recommend this audiobook, as much for the story as for the telling. GRR Martin liked Roy Detrice's performance so much that he gave him a role in the series on HBO. I've read the books, and now decided to listen to them, and the story just gets better and better.

What did you like best about this story?

The characters are amazing, complex and fascinating... Tyrion remains one of my favorite out all the books I've read, and that's quite a lot.

Have you listened to any of Roy Dotrice’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to all five books of Ice and Fire, and I find him to be perfect for the job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Rare are the authors who can make you utterly dislike a character at the beginning of his story, only to end up getting rather found of the guy in the middle. This is a book where (without giving away the plot) you have to take a break from reading to be able to digest the twists and turns of the story.

Any additional comments?

Be warned though, tome 6 is not finished yet, and GRR Martin is notoriously slow in finishing his books.

Khaleesi Messiah

Queen Daenerys needs to win the overall game with all three Dragons unscathed. Glad we still have all three in play, we need more to return reigning supreme. Khaleesi is Christ!

Not the performance I was looking for

I hate to speak ill of the dead, but the voices were all over the place throughout his narration of this series. The voices of various characters changed without reason, and many of the voices didn't fit their descriptions and/or were somewhat offensive when you imagine them as people and not caricatures. His voice when he was simply narrating actions and not voices was wonderful and rich, but the voices he chose to use often detracted from the characters they portrayed.

Good book, except for the narration of characters

The change of some of the character's voices from the 1st 3rd books was awful, otherwise the narration and book was good.

story awesome, narrator....ehh?

the story as always, awesome..the narrator inconsistent in voices. made it confusing at times to follow.

great book good reader

very long but well worth it. reader is great. I can't wait for the next book!

Wonder Book, Terrible Narration

What happened to the voices. Daria sounds like a old hag. Book 4 was narrated by John Lee, who is much much better. Doltrice did a good job in the first 3 books, but this time he's voices almost ruined the book.

Repetition

I love the narrator. The story has a lot of repetition. The he focus on main characters seemed to be lost. Overall, it wasn't the best in the series.

Decent Book

It was refreshingly better than A Feast For Crows (which I personally did not enjoy), but it was still not quite as strong as A Storm Of Swords. I am really crossing my fingers that book 6 ahead gives me the same feels that A Storm Of Swords did!

stellar

This was really great. Excellent narration. I can't way for the next one to come out.