A Dance with Dragons

A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5

By: George R. R. Martin

Narrated by: Roy Dotrice

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • THE BOOK BEHIND THE FIFTH SEASON OF THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES

NAMED ONE OF PASTE’S BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF THE DECADE

Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series—as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.

A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: BOOK FIVE

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance—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 thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.

Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys’s claim to Westeros forever.

Meanwhile, 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 Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.

From all corners, bitter conflicts 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.

Praise for A Dance with Dragons

“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

Critic reviews

“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

“Martin has produced—is producing, since the series isn’t over—the great fantasy epic of our era . . . His skill as a crafter of narrative exceeds that of almost any literary novelist writing today.”—Lev Grossman, Time

“By turns thrilling, funny, scary, emotionally devastating, oddly inspirational, and just plain grand . . . Grade: A”—Entertainment Weekly

“A taut and relentless masterpiece that reaffirms the reader’s obsession with the panoply of unforgettable characters that Martin has created, and the brutal, glittering, terrible world in which these novels are set . . . Machiavelli, you have met your match in Martin.”—The Daily Beast

great book; not sure about some of the voices

Love the books and excited to be listening to the next installment (finally). But why, oh why, is Roy Dotrice using this horrible, crone-like twisted voice for Daneris Targaryen??? It's awful and it's ruining my enjoyment of her first chapter. Especially bizarre given that he didn't use that voice for Daneris in the first three books (though he did use it for older low-born women characters). What gives?

Home Run Once More...

There is not much I can say about this book that I have not said about the other books. I have not been so enthralled with a novel since my harry-potter loving teenager (pre the movies coming out). This truly is a grown-up version of fantasy with nothing and no one spared. It has it's own form of mysticism and fanaticism but simple reality of human frailty and human's simple desires, biases and all.

The narrator is great, Roy Dotrice is great. BUT... as many have sighted there is a difference in the way he pronounces some names and voices certain character's speech which I still find weird. I'm not going to lie, I do prefer the way he voiced the characters before and the former pronunciation of the names... That being said however, it does grow on you and coupled with the excellent story, it is easy to simply get lost in the story and forget your.... slight 'qualms' (if any) with the narration itself.

George follows his normal trend of sparing no one, or at least seeming to spare no one. We see the characters reaching highs but also falling to great lows in these stories. No one has a spotless, smooth ride. It's one of those stories where the only thing you can be sure of is that some great tragedy is going to unfold... I am excited to see how these books will end and as with all of the books in this series... You are left wanting more and with so many questions....

Finally!

As soon as I read the prologue I knew this was going to be worth the wait. Got the print version before the audible one was available so I had to read it, but thank you for bringing Roy Dotrice back! I don't love all of his pronunciations, but his narration is still enthralling.

Yay long wait but WELL worth it

Excellent as always. Roy is perfect for this and thanks to Random House for listening to your customers and bringing him back!!!
Listen to the series it will be worth the investment of your time and money.

YAY!!! Roy Dotrice is back!!!

Well for some reason Roy wasnt the narrator for book 4...but hes back in book 5. (as well in the HBO series Game of Thornes) He does a awesome job reading for this series. And i am so glad to hear his voice again. im only 4 hours or so into this book so far..and am so excited.... Terrian Lasnister (the imp) is my favorite...and im happy to see him again...and only after 4 hours...im so excited. And i hate to say this...but i cant wait to goto work tomarrow..so i can put my cans on and listen to the rest of this book...almost 50 hours of pure enjoyment im sure. oh happy happy joy joy :o)