Synopses & Reviews
Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by
Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1
New York Times bestselling 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 three thousand 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 Night's 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...
Review
"What's A Song of Ice and Fire? It's the only fantasy series I'd put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings....It's a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don't read fantasy." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Reminiscent of T. H. White's The Once and Future King, this novel is an absorbing combination of the mythic, the sweepingly historical, and the intensely personal." Chicago Sun-Times
Review
"Martin amply fulfills the first volume's promise and continues what seems destined to be one of the best fantasy series ever written." The Denver Post
Review
"Riveting...a series whose brilliance continues to dazzle." Patriot News
Review
"Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best. In fact...this is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien." Time
Review
"In 2005 I wrote a review of George R. R. Martin's novel, A Feast for Crows, in which I called him 'the American Tolkien.' That phrase has stuck to him, which is what I meant it to do. I think Martin's fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire is the great epic of our era. It's an epic for a more profane, more sardonic, more ambivalent age than the one Tolkien lived in. Tolkien was a veteran of the Somme, and wrote during Word War II, when it really seemed like the fate of civilization was hanging in the balance. Now we can't even agree on what civilization is." Lev Grossman, NPR (Read the entire NPR review)
Synopsis
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER THE BOOK BEHIND THE FIFTH SEASON OF THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIESGAME OF THRONES
Dubbed the American Tolkien by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his landmark series as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.
A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE: BOOK FIVE
In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance 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 thousands of enemies, and many have set out to find her. As they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind.
Fleeing from Westeros with a price on his head, Tyrion Lannister, too, is making his way to Daenerys. But his newest allies in this quest are not the rag-tag band they seem, and at their heart lies one who could undo Daenerys s claim to Westeros forever.
Meanwhile, 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 Night s Watch, will face his greatest challenge. For he has powerful foes not only within the Watch but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice.
From all corners, bitter conflicts 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.
Praise for A Dance with Dragons
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
"
About the Author
George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons. As a writer-producer, he has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.