A Feast for Crows

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4

By: George R.R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

Length: 33 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

GAME OF THRONES: A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES, NOW ON HBO.

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy that began with A Game of Thrones. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace . . . only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

A Feast for Crows

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears. . . . With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

©2007 George R.R. Martin (P)2011 Random House

Critic reviews

"Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best.... [He] is a tense, surging, insomnia-inflicting plotter and a deft and inexhaustible sketcher of personalities.... This is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien." ( Time)

"The only fantast series I'd put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings…. It's a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don't read fantasy…. If you're new to the series, you must begin with Book 1, A Game of Thrones. Once you're hooked…. you'll be like the rest of us fans, gnawing your knuckles until book 5” (Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press)

“THE MOST impressive modern fantasy, both in terms of conception and execution, is George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.… A masterpiece that will be mentioned with the great works of fantasy.” ( Contra Costa Times)

small changes in voice?

I love the series and Roy's telling of it. was a little concerned when he changed some of the characters voices like peter balish and even changing the pronunciation of his name from petar to Peter. just a couple things like that but overall still a great story and an excellent telling.

A thrilling telling of a great adventure!

The narrator Roy Dotrice was charismatic and enthusiastic during the entire performance. The only drawback to his performance was the inconsistencies between some of the name pronunciations and character voices (lord Balish) when compared to his performances of the same characters in the other entries of the series.

Yes it's different, but still worth it.

roy dotrice was called back to do this narration by his fans. He is in his 90s, so he probably didn't do this for the money, this was a fan service. Things are much different now, the pronunciations and the accents, but they aren't that different. Dornish still sound like they are from Dorne, easterners still have their accents. Many of the characters too, if only a little off. Ignore the angry reviewers, this was a well done book with a great narrator. If you want to blame anyone for the change, blame the director, but remember that recording two audio books of this size would take a lot of time, and at his age, time is precious. Mistakes are easy to overlook. Totally worth it.

Roy Dotrice doesn't care

Roy Dotrice simple doesn't care about this story. He constantly reads names incorrectly, and will do the wrong voice at the wrong time, mixing up who says what. Also the voices sometime are not even close to what I would imagine these characters sound like. Worst example is Khal Drogo in A Game Of Thrones.

The story is fantastic, and I love the world George R.R. Martin has created. I just wish they could've found a fan of the genre to read this epic series.

enjoyed the book.

the reader sounded different from the first books though. many words were pronounced different.

great

another amazing reading. on to the next book. I'm praying that as this series comes to an end it keeps getting better and better

Great book!

If you could sum up A Feast for Crows in three words, what would they be?

Awesome storyline!

What other book might you compare A Feast for Crows to and why?

Other George RR Martin Game of Thrones series

Did Roy Dotrice do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

He was OK but sounded older when characters were much younger. Jaime Lannister, for example, should sound more commanding, young and strong.

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

The whole series keeps you guessing and provides plenty of unexpected turns!

I loved it!

What made the experience of listening to A Feast for Crows the most enjoyable?

Before i got my hands on the Audio book, I saw a lot of reviews and comments complaining that characters were left out of the book and i was actually a bit doubtful. Fear not! Mr. Martin has done an excellent job and kept us busy enough groaning over the intrigues and games the characters are playing to make us forget that some of our favorite people are MIA. I think this book has pushed this series to the top of my favorite books list!!! The story is so complex and there are so many surprises. You love the characters and hate them at the same time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Feast for Crows?

It's far too early to say that certain POVs were too long or unnecessary; we don't know where Martin is heading and what we'll need to know when he takes us there. Perhaps Brienne will turn out to be the Prince That Was Promised, or we may learn that Jon's parents are Ser Hyle and Taena. Pod, having spent some time in stasis, may be revealed as the supposedly-dead Aegon. (If any of these things come true, remember where you read them first.)

Which scene was your favorite?

When Jaime Lannister-are faced with the crows who descend on this rotten feast, not least among them being the scheming and vindictive Cersei. It's like a car wreck in slow motion -- you want to look away, but you can't. If the previous books were about the lead up to and then the outbreak of war, this is the book about the aftermath, the nasty little bickerings that make the peace look almost as bad as the war and all the while you realize that greater dangers loom which this "feast for crows" will leave the realm ill-prepared for.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Martin has spent 30 years honing his craft and perfecting his narrative skills...

Any additional comments?

There IS one major flaw in this book. And that is: it is only half a book! Martin hides this fact fairly well by writing the full story for half the characters. But, alas, I still felt the lack. I realize that this decision was made for publishing reasons, but part of what made the other three books so great was the immense scope of the story. Because this book has tightened its focus we lose that feeling of immensity.

What happened to the voices and pronunciations?

If you could sum up A Feast for Crows in three words, what would they be?

Epic, Epic, Epic

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The voice actor changed the way he pronounced names, and changed the accents of the characters. Mildly disappointing and confusing. Still a great story in the series though!

Great but least favorite book so far

Book 4 was a great book but it is easily my least favorite book so far. No Jon Snow, Tyrion, or Dany. Quite disappointing but I still love me some game of thrones!