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)

Can't get enough!

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

Exciting, deep, believable!

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

None I've yet read!

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

Personality to each character like I've never experienced!

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

To many to list

Any additional comments?

Must read!

My least favorite of the series

This one gets a little boring and after listening to the first 3, the narrator changes his way a little, which is understandable for the time frame these books were released. It takes a while to get used to it but I was determined to finish this series (so far as to what's out) and I was far to invested to just stop. I still love Roy Dotrice because he still does a wonder

G Martin is the best by far

Narrated superbly, differs from the show slightly. Amazing, must listen for Game of thrones junkies!!!!! Can't wait to get to dance of dragons, hopefully "winds of winter "will be released (next book in series) by the time I finish this!!!!!

Amazing.

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

This story is so grand.

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

I can't answer this without spoiling the story, but what I can say is that everyone gets what's coming to them in this story.

Good book, but not as good as previous ones

Another good book in the series, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous. Two main reasons for this:
1) It was a bit shorter than most of the others -- I was surprised when it ended -- I assumed there would be 6-10 hours more
2) The chapters seemed, on average, longer than previous books. So, instead of focusing on each character for 25-30 minutes, it focused on them for 40-50 minutes.

Together, these two things made it seem slower, with less happening. It also meant that we heard little, or nothing, about some of the characters and, when we did, it was much later

It also seemed like the narrator changed some voices and pronunciations for no reason and seemingly randomly. Arya, in particular, suddenly had a very different voice than she'd previously had. It appeared that the narrator has a dozen or so main voices and simply applied them in alternating fashion or some such, with little logic. For instance, Arya had an Irish accent, while her siblings (who grew up with her) did not. Several other people, from vastly different parts of Westeros also had Irish accents. Meanwhile, Gilly, who had previously had one, no longer did. Overall, the effect wasn't too bad once I got used to it, but it seemed completely senseless, especially since the narrator didn't change.

Roy Dotrice RUINS Game of Thrones 0 STARS!

Would you listen to A Feast for Crows again? Why?

Yes, if a competent reader were assigned the task. The book is amazing, but i had to buy the written version, I cannot STAND the way Roy Dotrice turns the book into a gurgling, hissing cacophany that is an assault to the ears. I literally had to turn it off at times because of his ludicrous "accents".

Who was your favorite character and why?

My favorite character was Tyrion. I felt he was the most complex character, both villain and hero, but Mr. Dotrice turns him into a cockney-ish halfwit with his dismal portrayal. Bad enough the accents did not fit, but they changed from chapter to chapter on the same character.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

HIs accents were mostly ficticous and atrocious, everyone sounded like a dying old man or a guttersnipe old crone, his abysmal attempts to act out the dialogue rather than reading it ruined EVERYTHING, at times making you skip forward just to get away from some offensive or unintelligible accent. I suffered through the first three books, but gave up with Feast of Crows.

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

I could not, the story was over-shadowed to the point of distraction by the unforgivable performance of Roy Dotrice. He may have won a record for the most accents, but that in no way means they were appropriate or good.

Any additional comments?

PLEASE remake the series with a decent reader, someone who will narrate the immense and rich story without trying to interject themselves and their interpretations. There are so many amazing narrators available. I am convinced if you did the series again, people would throw away the Dotrie versions and purchase the saga anew.

Great Story, bad storytelling.

Dotrice couldn't keep his voices straight and usually used the same voice for most characters.

great performance

I've enjoyed listening to the GoT series. I especially love Mr. Dotrice performance. he helps bring the characters to life.

Always wanting for more!

Never disappointed, I'm always wanting more. Why the change in the way the reader says Catlin's name?

Silly perhaps, but.....

The pronunciation of many names was different in this book, from the other 3. Annoying!