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)

WHEN DOES THE NEXT ONE COME OUT???

Georgey boy what in tarnation are you doing?? Release the next book already for god’s sake!! I’ve been waiting 8 years! I’ve reread every one of the other books dozens of times and listened to the audio books 5 times each!! When will the waiting end????

So much still hanging!

I sure hope the next book come out quickly...I already miss the story & characters!
I love the narrator but wish early on that he had recorded a "master" of pronunciations and voices that went with characters...it is distracting trying to figure out who someone is when the reappear after a long absence when their voice & name have changed!

A Dance With Dragons

Wish their was a woman handling the women characters, other than that it was great !!!

Getting back to the good stuff

As slow as AFFC, but redeeming in the end. Sets the stage for a HUGE comeback in Winds of Winter. The twists in the end earned this the 4th overall star...

Why did Roy Dotrice change his character voices?

If you could sum up A Dance with Dragons in three words, what would they be?

The story is interesting as it goes back in time from the ending of Book 4 and explains in greater detail what actually happened. The momentum isn't as great as Book 4 but overall a good long read.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Roy Dotrice?

I would cast someone who can keep their voices consistent. In book 4 and especially in book 5 not only did Roy change his voices on main characters, but also changed the pronunciation of their names or words in the books. As someone who has listened to all the books in his voice it's quite distracting and noticeable.

Book number makes us want more

This was a long book but continued the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series very well. Can't wait for book 6 (Winds of Winter) to finally be published

Performance is lacking,

I;ve read the entire series, In the early books, Roy Dotrice is magnificent but in this novel, he seems to be limping along. Characterizations so crisp in the earlier books are less clear. Still a good reader, Mr. Dotrice appears to be aging..

Mr, Martin needs to write more quickly if he wants Mr. Dotrice as the reader for subsequent books,

What can I say.

When I'we reached book five in anything I feel like it is a review in its self.

Theres no need to sell this book. Either your interested ore not. If you are then good for you! Cos I loved it!

Game of Thrones Book 5

Where does A Dance with Dragons rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Being a huge fan to the series I was looking forward to this book. I have read/listened to all books and this is probably the 3rd best of the 5. The first book is #1, the third #2 and this the 3rd.

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

There are so many. There is always a twist that is going to happen. Just when you think something is going to go one way, it makes a 90* turn.

Which scene was your favorite?

Its hard to pick one. I enjoy all the story lines. I especially love that Sersai gets what is coming to her, and I hope more comes to her!

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

Oh John Snow. "you know nothing John Snow" is so not true!

Any additional comments?

Great book, amazing series and the Actor that reads is absolutely amazing! This still leaves you wanting more! I have to know what happens and I really would love some closure on many of the story lines. I hope to get 6 soon, please continue writing George!!!

I love GRRM Good stories.

narrator is a little raspy and all the dany voice is slightly disturbing otherwise he did lots of things really well. Jons voice is the best!