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. 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.
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 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. 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.
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.
It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes . . . and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.
Con questo tomo si concludono le vicende di Approdo del Re. Il libro sembra "fermo" e alcuni personaggi sono scomparsi, ma la spiegazione è molto semplice e la troverete proprio in fondo al libro. Non demordete, perché la saga è ben lungi dal terminare. Aspettatevi però un libro più lento dei precedenti, che si ferma ad approfondire solo una parte del racconto, lasciando a "A dance with dragons" il compito di raccontarvi la parte mancante.
Worst of the series so far. At the end of the book, Martin points out that this is only half the story, or rather the story of half the characters. Unfortunately, it's the boring half. No Tyrion, very little Jon Snow or Arya, and way too many ironmen and random Dornish nobles. If it weren't for the Jamie chapters, where he goes from being a total douche to being a more well-rounded douche, this book would almost be unredeemable.
Review of 'A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
I read early that this was the full story for half the characters rather than half the story for all the characters due to the length (and probably his publisher pushing him to get something out). I think I would have rather had half the story for all the characters because I am left wondering if the other book will delve backwards quite a ways into this one. Also, because of the nature of this series, even at the "end" you still wonder what is going to happen to the characters (except those that truly meet their end -- I guess Martin and Carey have something in common with killing off characters.)
I will admit to reading Arya's chapters all in a row, skipping everything in the middle, which is probably not the best way, but as she is my favorite character, it is hard not to do that. As …
I read early that this was the full story for half the characters rather than half the story for all the characters due to the length (and probably his publisher pushing him to get something out). I think I would have rather had half the story for all the characters because I am left wondering if the other book will delve backwards quite a ways into this one. Also, because of the nature of this series, even at the "end" you still wonder what is going to happen to the characters (except those that truly meet their end -- I guess Martin and Carey have something in common with killing off characters.)
I will admit to reading Arya's chapters all in a row, skipping everything in the middle, which is probably not the best way, but as she is my favorite character, it is hard not to do that. As for Brienne, all I can say is no, no, no! I am enjoying the growth of Jaime from boy-warrior into an actual man. I missed the Imp in this novel, as he was so prominent a character in all the previous books.
This book is shorter than the previous books at 700 pages. Also, a friend and I commented that it seemed that the trade paperback edition rather than the mass market paperback edition were what was available when we got it. I am not size careful, so it didn't bother me, but apparently it bothered her to have a different size than her other books. Plus, it is a bit unwieldy at that size.
An 8 hour drive back from a conference in Breckenridge, CO to Lincoln, NE is what allowed me to finish this book that I had been working on for almost 2 months. It seemed I could only ever read one chapter at a time. Despite the time it takes to read these books, I am fervently waiting for the next one. I still haven't totally decided what I think of the series, but this book I liked less than the previous books.
The first three books in the series were just so strong, but this book was a huge letdown for me. The previous books had very strong plots, with tight narrative arcs, but this book just meanders and ends, feeling like a waypoint between the previous books' events and events yet to come. The characters are are mostly unrelentingly unlikeable, and there are so many of them they are becoming hard to keep straight. Similarly the politics are becoming confusing; the complexity was a strength in earlier books but I feel like it is spinning out of control now. I'm honestly not sure how GRRM can tie up this series, especially at the rate at which he's writing the books, and I find I'm losing interest. Yeah, I'll probably read the next book when it comes out, but I hope it redeems the mess in this one.
Gah, George Martin! I'm really conflicted about this series because the story and all the intrigue is just wonderful. I just wish that he didn't feel that the best way to achieve that end is by making the reader fall in love with a character just to have them beat up, shoved in a barrel and set on fire.
With this book in particular, I gave it 2 because not only were my favorite characters variously beaten, blinded, and hanged, but the story was bit more meandering than usual and felt pointless at times.
Quatrième volume de la saga A song of ice and fire, cette suite nous laisse sur notre faim tout en nous distillant l’action parcimonieusement. On suit les péripéties de quelques personnages seulement, et les chapitres nous dévoilent peu à peu une conclusion inattendue. Les personnages sont toujours aussi intéressants, les coups de théâtre toujours présents, et les complots et autres mesquineries royales mènent à des issues qu’on soupçonne fatales. Si on se demande souvent où certains chapitres nous mènent, il faut garder à l’esprit que tout ce que raconte Martin a une raison d’être et l’ensemble des volumes déjà parus ne sont que l’introduction d’une vaste histoire. On ressent de plus en plus la tension qui monte, on pressent des événements encore plus déterminants et les 4 premiers volumes donnent l’impression de n’être qu’un préambule. Le suspens est donc à son comble à la fin du volume.
Le quatrième tome de la saga A Song of Ice and Fire n'est pas mon préféré, sans doute parce qu'il ne suit que la moitié des personnages, et que ce ne sont pas forcément mes préférés. On note également un dispersement des intrigues et un ralentissement du rythme. Cela reste tout de même de l'excellente fantasy, bien au-dessus de la moyenne.
