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)

Need the next book ASAP!!

I have absolutely loved this series of books!
It’s been really nice to compare everyone’s story lines with the show I had watched first.
What I did not like as much about this last book, is the side stories that seemed to go on and on and did not lend any meat to the main storyline it’s self.
Also, when the series 1st began I thought I really loved this narrator. What I have come to realize, is that I don’t like his accents. In his defense, this is a very difficult book to narrate. All the different continents and languages, it’s a lot of different accents to have to portray. But it seems like certain characters he has changed the accent for from book one to book five.
Overall I highly recommend this series to anyone looking for an epic fantasy to dive deep into.
Love the ending cliffhanger of this book! But with no idea when the next book is supposed to release, it leaves your mind running wild with what kind of ending the author will choose for their books given that this TV series has already chosen one.
I certainly hope they have a more thoughtful ending than the tv series did. I felt like the series did not do Dani justice, and left way too many open endings. Like it was in a rush to end it.

So disappointed

Narrator keeps changing the voices for the characters. There is no consistency throughout the novels. It is confusing, frustrating and very annoying. It removes the pleasure from the story. I cannot stand to listen to Daenerys speak who is also my favorite perspective in the novels. I truly hope they find a different artist to create the voices for these cherished and beloved characters.

AMAZING.

loved it! nararator wasn't the best, but the story was amazing! I'm so sad though that we don't know when the next book will be out.

Great Storytelling as Usual BUT

Why did the narrator change the voices of the main characters? Some of the main characters sound nothing like they did in the first couple of books. This was true in Feast for Crows also but some characters had no lines in it at all and I'm just hearing their voices. Same narrator, why not same voices? Why didn't a director or producer of these audio books not ensure continuity? Now the Dragon Queen sounds like one of Craster's wives Jilly or something, a commoner or low born from some peasant village. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Continuity is possible; listen to the Harry Potter series US version I can vouch for and the British claim that version is better than Jim Dale though I can't imagine it.

ending

A great last book (so far) I want more. Hopefully soon. I enjoyed the series.

Marvelous

I only wish GRRM would write the Winds if Winter faster. until then, it's amazing

Wonderful story, dwindling performance

The reader forgets which voices go to which character. It's very annoying. However the plot and is to die for.

Good story, lousy narrator.

The narrator can't keep his voices straight. Half the time, he gives Sam and Daenerys the same voice. He stumbles over names, like calling Joffery "Jeffery" and stuff like that

Great book, inconsistent narrator

Obviously a great book, considering GRR is an incredible storyteller. My main issue is with the narrator, who cannot keep his voice assignments consistent.

The characters voices should be consistent

Roy Dotrice is an excellent narrator however, his voicing for the various characters has changed in this volume from the first three. this was terribly directed.