A Dance with Dragons by George RR Martin

[Werthead]

The most eagerly awaited (and most frustratingly delayed) novel this side of A Memory of Light. Well, it looks like we're finally going to get it at the end of this year. Check the details:

 

 

Dubbed "the American Tolkien" by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin's monumental cycle of epic fantasy, "A Song of Ice and Fire," has earned him international acclaim. 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 re-ignite, 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...

 

Time Magazine praised A Feast for Crows: "Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best." "Mainstream readers…have a great treat ahead of them in Martin. A Feast of Crows is a fast-paced, emotionally complex, masterfully written adventure."-Newsday. George R.R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally every since. He's written fantasy, horror, and science fiction. In the mid-nineties he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire." He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he's allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Paris and two cats named Augustus and Caligula who think they run the place.

 

GRRM's website.

 

All the latest info on the book as revealed by, erm, me. WARNING: spoilers containing, including a full 'cast list' of all the POV characters in the book, some of which are meant as a surprise.

[goldeneys]

Meh, good series, but I stopped half way through SoS...seriously, they didn't need that much...erm,  explicit material...lol

[Barmacral]

About time he got it done. Of course, maybe he'll manage to finish it in all of 2 more books now.

[Thorum]

Yee haw!!!

 

Finally good news on the continuing-to-the-end-of-a-series front

[Niamh Sedai]

Great news  :D I'm looking forward to it immensely!!

[Vambram]

Dang it!!! I wish I did not HAVE to wait until towards the end of the year to get Dance with Dragons, because it sure sounds like it will be the most interesting and most exciting book of that series, so far. :)

[el Nynaeve]

Yay!!!! *jumps for joy*

 

Something to look forward to this year, even if it is the end of the year. :D

[Guest leebarr]

Yea good books but not for young teens

[Illiara]

Yes!  I've been waiting forever for this book to come out!!!

[Baldar]

Yea good books but not for young teens

No doubt. My sister has been buying them for my nephew, he's 14.  ??? I tired explaining that they were too mature for him, but she just wanted him to read and she didn't seem to care. What's worse, he won't talk with his parents about certain... things, so he calls me to ask questions regarding the series. I believe the worst was when I had to explain to him why Lollys was so messed up and why Tyrion killed Shae. For a while he was calling me several times a week.

[Orange Fescue]

Yessssssssss! I'm almost finished with "A Feast For Crows". Maybe this one will come out by the time I'm done with my intervening projects ("Gone With The Wind" and some of Young Mr. Sanderson's work).

 

 

[Werthead]

No doubt. My sister has been buying them for my nephew, he's 14.  ??? I tired explaining that they were too mature for him, but she just wanted him to read and she didn't seem to care. What's worse, he won't talk with his parents about certain... things, so he calls me to ask questions regarding the series. I believe the worst was when I had to explain to him why Lollys was so messed up and why Tyrion killed Shae. For a while he was calling me several times a week.

 

Fourteen is at the youngest edge of the spectrum for these books, no doubt. I wouldn't say it's necessarily too young, depending on his education. For example, I knew a fair bit about medieval and Roman history at that age (including the more mature stuff) so I wasn't particularly shocked by anything like that. I wouldn't have any problem with a sixteen-year-old reading the series, though.

[Werthead]

It's a bit on the minute side at the moment and I'll post a pic once the bigger version is up, but:

 

 

Better. Much better than the US cover, in fact. Voyager are also listing a November date (which is more likely for both the UK and US, frankly) and GRRM has said in the comments section of his Notablog:

 

No. As I have said before, when DANCE is done, I will post the news on my Update page.

 

I am trying to finish by the middle of June, however. These announcements are predicated on me being able to do that.

 

If I do not, in fact, deliver the finished before before the end of June, all bets are off.

 

And Amazon pub dates are almost always made of hope and vapor.

 

[Niamh Sedai]

Oh, I like the cover. Very cool!

 

I started reading the books when I was 14 (though I bought them for myself) and I was fine with them. Though I suppose it'd depend on the 14 year old.:)

[Baldar]

Fourteen is at the youngest edge of the spectrum for these books, no doubt. I wouldn't say it's necessarily too young, depending on his education. For example, I knew a fair bit about medieval and Roman history at that age (including the more mature stuff) so I wasn't particularly shocked by anything like that. I wouldn't have any problem with a sixteen-year-old reading the series, though.

 

14, IMO, is a bit young. That's not a blanket statement, there are a select few who are mature enough to handle such content, but the average person of that age is not. My nephew is very bright, but he lacks that maturity. I can tell because he's admitted that certain books have given him nightmares due to disturbing or unfamiliar imagery.

 

I don't think it will scar him for life, but it would have been better if he'd waited until 16 to start reading this type of material. There's no sense in rushing to grow up if you don't have to.

[bearit]

Good news.  I'm waiting to start A song of ice and fire, because I don't want to sit waiting for the next book.  I might have the will power to wait to start reading a little longer.

[dragonashe]

cant wait... :D  I hope that the title is Dance with Dragons for reason....love to see more of dragons in action and interaction whatever...I didnt like the last book A Feast For Crows as much as other books in this series. It was a little boring... :) I have no doubt that Dance with dragons will be much much better ;D

[dragonashe]

 

:D

[AranAlandar]

You know I am very excited about this book. I really like the series, they are well written and exciting. The one downside I have is it is very hard to care about the characters becaue quite frankly I think he gets off on killing just about everyone. Still, very good books. I think 14 might be pushing it also but, it is on a case by case. Now, I have tried to read some of the Terry Goodkind Sword of Truth series...good lord...definately for mature audiences. Don't even get me started on the obvious sad attempts to borrow from Wheel of Time...

[Kravchenko]

Now, I really look forward to this book.  However, I will not get excited until he says it's off to the publishers.  Remember there were projected 2007 release dates as well.