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)

Read them first, then watch.

I never thought I would finish this series but now that I have, I immediately want to reread them all again. Amazing. And though the show is visually stunning, the books are so much more complex and multidimensional.

What happened?

Daenerys sounds like she is 90 years old instead of a 14 year old high born queen. Fix this.

awesome

loved everything about it! great story and great narrator. loved the entire series. wish there were 100 books!

Character voices

Very annoying that character voices change from past books. This is not Roy Dotrice's fault, but the producer needs to do a better job reminding him how each character sounds. Otherwise, amazing!

name pronunciation

some of the names were pronounced differently then they were in past the books.. it was kind of strange and a little bit confusing at times

Horrible Narration

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator made all of the women sound like Irish senior citizens. Even Daenerys who is supposed to be a beautiful young girl. It was very distracting especially after having watched the HBO series and put faces to the voices.

I cannot believe...

I cannot believe I have no book or show to watch. Will book 6 ever finish?!

great story, unpleasant narration

The latest addition to the Game of Thrones series is just as compelling as the books that came before it. The story follows an expanding number of characters to unexpected places.

My enjoyment of the story was tempered by my frustration with the narration. I'm not sure why Roy Dotrice felt the need to create various accents for the characters. I'm also not sure why most of those accents are British. Certain characters sound as if they are toothless and speaking with a mouthful of marbles. I found most of the voices to be distracting and irritating.

Really?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

No, Martin didn't finish it. He left everything hanging. I realize that's how life is, but there were just too many characters left and nothing was concluded. Really? I spent how long listening to this series and then there is no ending? OMG! What a waste of time.

Has A Dance with Dragons turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, just Martin's.

Which character – as performed by Roy Dotrice – was your favorite?

Therian. Not sure of the spelling.

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

The end. It really made me mad.

Any additional comments?

I guess I would have liked to have known that the last book was the way it ended. I wouldn't have bothered with any of them. Now, I probably won't watch the HBO series because there is no conclusion.

Trogdor berninating the countryside

i got thus audible because when im home im doing other things so i wanted to listen to it while i droned on at work. This turned into heavily anticipating work to listen to more. The narrators voice is amusing and keeps you interested. the last 60 secs of the story is mind blowing.