The third book in the series amps things up with more maps, more appendices, more characters, and more pages (almost 1200). This infrastructure is nicely balanced with more action, more death, more freaky magic, and more improbable creatures. I'm not sure how Martin turned me into a fantasy lover, but I think it happened. I actually get excited to see the dragons!
I don't even know how to begin describing the plot of this one in a way that would make sense without spoiling things for those who haven't read the other two, so I'm not going to try. It is safe to say that the battle for power over the kingdom of Westeros continues, and no one is giving up anytime soon. Sometimes Martin's creation gets a little big for even him to handle, and some characters were ignored for hundreds and hundreds of pages while the action went on elsewhere. I'm not sure that there is anyway around that when your series is so epic and huge, but it might be nice to check in with everyone a little more often.
Finally: this book made me really like the previously rather evil character of Jaime Lannister, which was unexpected. Also people die. A lot of them. Suddenly and surprisingly. And that never gets old, sweetlings.
Get book #4 ready for me John, because after a little break, I'm going to want to dive right back in to Westeros...
6 comments:
Not only is that book 1200 pages, but it has a smaller font and tiny margins! It's like a Philosophy 101 student at some Ivy League school trying to fit his term paper into a strict page count limit.
Book 4 is much kinder on the eyes and arms.
I will warn you, though, that Books 4 and 5 were originally supposed to be one book so there's going to be a lot of characters omitted from Book 4.
Yeah, the paper was so thin it was like I was reading the Bible! Good to know about Books 4/5 -- it might actually be better to focus in on a smaller number of characters and then pick up the other ones later. Although I know I'll miss the ones who aren't there...
I really should give these a try. I haven't read any fantasy novels since I was in high school, and everyone who has read these recommends them.
I didn't know you were reading these! In some ways, the third book was my favorite so far. Though Brian and I are still working on the newest one, so it might end up being a contender. I'm looking forward to dorking out with you about these in the near future!
I would love to geek out with you in a non-spoiler way Susan! And Nick, I think you really would like these, although they are definitely a time investment.
As far as the monolithic 'epic' fantasies out there right now, George RR Martin's is superior. This third book is so very frustrating, and that makes it worth reading. Martin's treatment of the fantasy genre, the use of fantasy-history, and the political system he has developed in A Song of Ice and Fire transcends him from the banality some of these other authors have seem to find themselves in. The interwoven plot lines are deftly handled and I found only one of the Point of View characters leaving something to be desired.
Comparison to older authors and novels is tricky at best, and I believe that Tolkien, Lewis, White, or LeGuin do not need their works watered down with commentary linked to present fantasy. Neither does George RR Martin need his intelligent and valuable addition to fantasy fiction compared to them. These books are simply better than much of what is being published right now, not that other authors have had inferior ideas for stories, but that this author sticks to his ideas, and doesn't waste time or pages doing it.
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