No spoilers please but I need to know.....

[Pedro Del Mar]

.... if ADWD is any good?

Please no spoilers as I don't want to ruin my read of the book but I'd just like to know if it's been worth the wait?

 

[Tansy]

its entertaining and lots happens but the story doesn't progress as much as I would have liked, its definitely worth getting though

 

[IlliferThePenniless]

I'd second that. It's better than AFfC, but has sone if that same sense of GRRM needing to get pieces into specific places for what is to come.

 

[Koopa]

I'm almost in the half of the book, so i can't make a final judgement yet.
I like the book well enough but honestly for a book so long in the making it should have been edited better. Somes lines, sentences, thoughts are repeated too often. There are too many seemingly pointless descriptions, and many things could have been written in less pages. Also GRRM makes a bunch of characters make not-so-smart decisions which given their normal dispositions seems rather strange. Like he made too much of certain characters and need to bumb them down now. (Does this sentence count as a spiler? if so i apologize).

So far, and this can change with the second part of the book it's the least of the series in my opinion. Then again i liked A feast for crows ( even though not much happened i found that book well written). So what do i now.

One thing the book does do is give you a improved view on the world. It's my belief that GRRM world is now fully fleshed out, almost completely revealed. We get to full envision the free cities, we get a better view of what the north in truth is like (beyond the honourable starks). The magic side of it all is getting a proper shape. That and more is very interesting. (again if this counts as a spoiler i'm sorry)
However this book, like AFFC so far has been more like setting up the stage for the end of the story. The story does progress yet at the same time in some ways it progresses too slow for the liking. like GRRM is fine-tuning the stage for the endgame. All in all i don't know yet. The verdict still out. The second part of the book will be the decisive factor. I'm hoping GRRM will deliver, like Erikson usually did with his book of the fallen. i must confess though that in many ways i liked the mistborn book that i've just read more, even if Brian Anderson tale is one full of clichés.

 

[Tansy]

my view is that he should have combined both books and stopped halfway, I felt like the story didn't really progress, but that could be because we'd already got to the same place in the previous book if that make sense, then for the last quarter the book advances past the point

 

[Boaz]

crooksy, A Dance With Dragons is a part of a larger story. If you've liked the first four parts and you trust the author to bring home a killer ending, then you must read ADWD.

Do I like some of the turns the story has taken? Yes and no. Did this book give us all the answers to all the theories floating around? Definintely not... in fact, we'll have more crackpot theories now.

I don't know if you want to base your decision upon our first impressions... positive or negative. You might wait for people to state their opinions after their second read. Personally, I was much more favorable to AFFC after a second read... I think I slowed down and got over the fact that Tyrion was not in the book... and I really enjoyed Brienne's POV.

Tansy, it finally sunk in why GRRM divided the books as he did. Not counting the prologues or epiloges, the POV's numerical breakdown is as follows...
AGOT: 8
ACOK: 9
ASOS: 10
AFFC: 12
ADWD: 15

You'll notice that GRRM carries the story through fewer POVs earlier in the series. It is much easier to remember what happened in the last Arya chapter in AGOT when there were only seven other POVs to deal with. Some of the AFFC and ADWD POVs are the same. BUT if AFFC and ADWD were combined, then AFFC would have had TWENTY-TWO concurrent POVs! I'm sure even Wert (who received a thanks from GRRM at the beginning of ADWD, Congratulations, Wert!) would have been hard pressed to remember what Arya was doing with twenty-one other POVs in between. I know I'd have been flummoxed.

 

[Tansy]

I can see why he did it Boaz - I think my reaction after reading was well we're not much further than we were, I still enjoyed it and I think the next book could be the best in the series

 

[Boaz]

Tansy, I knew why he did it.... but it really struck me how confusing it might have been... at least for me. And yes, the more plots, stories, situations, and characters to which we get answers and closure will make for a satisfying book. By the way, I was wondering if you liked the addition of Victarion's pets?

 

[soulsinging]

AGOT: 8
ACOK: 9
ASOS: 10
AFFC: 12
ADWD: 15

How many of these were new to the book in question?

 

[Bazza]

I was the same way, I disliked AFFC crows the first time I read it. It didn't have Jon, Bran, or Tyrion in it, some of my favorite characters. The second re-read I realized that these characters were very important to the coming events down the road so I paid attention more and gave them a chance. I ended up liking it much more.

I think I have the same gut-reaction to this one. GRRM had split half of the characters into AFFC and half into ADWD. The ones who didn't appear in AFFC appeared in ADWD's first half to fill the gaps. It had focus, things seemed to move along. I loved reading my favorite characters. Those chapters were incredible, some of it knocked my socks off. But some of the bigger plots like the fabled Mereenese knot that delayed the series, I was not as impressed with.

I don't think the argument that "nothing really happens" "or nothing progresses" isn't true. Yes some of the big plots did not progress, but the smaller subplots that have been weaned are moving along. As are significant events that happen in these characters' lives. But the statement that this has set up a lot to happen in the next book is very accurate.

Crooks, Just read it, you won't regret it! But make sure you read the other ones first. This is a very long and in depth story!

 

[soulsinging]

I don't think the argument that "nothing really happens" "or nothing progresses" isn't true. Yes some of the big plots did not progress, but the smaller subplots that have been weaned are moving along. As are significant events that happen in these characters' lives. But the statement that this has set up a lot to happen in the next book is very accurate.

Robert Jordan called... he said he wrote seven books like that already.

 

[Pedro Del Mar]

Thank you all, very interesting to hear what you've had to say.

Personally, I've read all the previous novels and have just listened to all the audiobooks, and now almost finished listening to AFFC again. So really am up to date on events prior to ADWD.

Just need to finish reading The Passage by Justin Cronin (totally amazing by the way) beofre I can pick it up, not far to go now so shouldn't be long.

Thanks for your all views, and thanks for not spoiling things for me!

There was never any doubt about me reading it, just was very interested to hear from real fans and what they thought about it and to see if it was as good as I'd hoped - which by your views seems to be.

One last question - how many books are left for GRRM to write in this series? Is it one or two? I was under the impression there were two left?

Cheers
Crooksy

 

[Tansy]

2 but it may now be more

 

[Brian G Turner]

.... if ADWD is any good?

Please no spoilers as I don't want to ruin my read of the book but I'd just like to know if it's been worth the wait?

I've been quite vocal in being critical so far - A Game of Thrones was a great novel, but it seemed to get weaker and lose focus after, underlined by A Feast For Crows.

However, A Dance with Dragons sees things starting to come together again, and to be honest, I think it's the best of the sequels so far, not least because of the focus on main character POV's, with minor POVs added for context rather than focus.

 

[TK-421]

To my friends on the Chronicles:

I am still Dancing and will be for some time. I am a slow reader and soak it in. I also have a crazy schedule that doesn't lend to long periods of idle time.

Anywho, almost 1/4 through now. Loving it. Have not anything here and avoiding this place like the plague. Hope to be back sometime in mid-August.