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)

Roy Dotrice is astounding

What did you love best about A Dance with Dragons?

The voice acting was phenomenal. Roy Dotrice is such an amazing character actor. Virtuosic.

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

Which scene was your favorite?

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Any additional comments?

awesome

This has been an awesome sieries and I look forward to what's coming next. I can see the imagery in my head like I'm watching the show, but better!

amazing story TERRIBLE voices

Roy Dotrice makes the most terrible decisions on voices
makes almost any women in the book sound like a idiotic cockney foul wench.

Not the same as before

Was a good tale, would have been 5 star but the narrator (who I have listened to for the first 4 books) used different pronunciation on commonly used words that he had not before, so it was just odd.

I grieve that Roy Dotrice will not read the rest.

Who will read the last two books? It has to be someone great to keep with the other books.
Maybe Jim Dale?

Come back

I was weary after the last book, but this was a great come back to the series. Quite a few characters did get much time so I'm interested in what happens to them next book.

Well written and well narrated.

Martin really is a master story teller. There are so many different storylines that begin to come together in this book. Some of them are predictable while others (in typical Martin style) are not. There are times where it seems like Martin spends more time describing food, clothing, or entire conversations than he needs to but when it's all said and done that is what makes his books so immersive.
The narrator of this book, Mr. Roy Dotrice, is fantastic! An older classically trained actor, I just hope he lives long enough to narrate the final two books. I will say that from time to time he changes his pronunciation of names or the voices he uses for different characters (especially in comparison with the first few books) but if you can ignore that you'll be just fine.
Finally, this is truly Adult Fantasy. This world as a whole is not a happily ever after type of world and never will be even once Martin concludes writing them. The story is deep, the characters complex and I really don't have any idea how it will all end which is something I can't say for many of the other fiction books I've read.

Roy Dotrice

What's with continuity on the character voices? Melisandre, Dany, Cersei, Arya. The only character I'd wish he'd switch up is Davos.

This story keeps getting better

Martin delivers again. I can't wait for the next book to come out so I can continue the story. This is by far the best series I have ever read and the narrator ads a great voice to the characters. A must read series.

the best GOT book yet!

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

This is a stellar book, so well written. George RR Martin delivers again

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

Roy Dotrice's narrative skills are bar none! He brings the stories to life in your ear.

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

far too long to listen to in one sitting but i really wanted to try