It’s been 11 years (to the day) since this mammoth novel arrived right before my family vacation.  I was thrilled and plowed through it in no time.  Sadly, the series remains unfinished, and readers anxiously await its conclusion. 

There was a lot of disappointment in Martin’s 4th book, A Feast For Crows, which involved a ton of setup for what is to come (I still thought it was mostly excellent and has some truly standout scenes). A Dance With Dragons on the other hand was incredibly engaging throughout. At some level, much of Dance was also set up for the sheer awesomeness that I imagine awaits in the final two novels (whenever they arrive), but it was very good setup where a ton happened, much of which left me sitting there pondering “What the hell?”

A Dance with Dragons starts off dealing with the plots that were unaddressed during A Feast For Crows though eventually, those plots begin to merge. The chapters involving Dany were probably my favorite, but the ones at the Wall were great as well. I found Theon Greyjoy’s chapters more interesting in this book than in prior books (though in a very dark way).

When I reviewed this book on Goodreads years ago I concluded by saying:

“There are so many questions at this point and so many characters who we do not know exactly what is going on with and yet we know are in really interesting, crazy situations. I have no idea what to expect but I am thrilled to be going along for the ride. Just another fascinating read.” 

            Thanks to the tv show I have plenty of ideas on what to expect, and certain things I’m confident in, but there are plenty of plot threads the show never got to, that I hope to revisit in the not-so-distant future.  (Hey, I can dream)

(Felan’s Rescue Available in all formats August 19, 2022. E-book Preorders Available now)