A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) Mass Market Paperback – September 26, 2006

Expectations were without a doubt going to be high coming off of what many people (including myself) considered to be the best novel in the series: A Storm of Swords. Perhaps the expectations were impossibly high. Too high for any author to meet, including George Martin. With some of the decisions that Martin had to make for this book to come out at all, there was likely to be some vocal backlash from certain fans. (In an attempt to not regurgitate a summary of A Feast for Crows, which many of people have already done. I will focus on how the novel compares to previous books, and try and quell reader's fears.)The problem proved to be what most people predicted at the end of A Storm of Swords: the series got too damn big. Although there are many fantasy series out there with more books in them. I mean look at Robert Jordan, his novels have managed to span fourteen volumes, not including the prequel novel, and a companion book. I'm pretty certain that he is in large part the reason for deforestation. Not to mention the likes of Piers Anthony (whom I am very fond of) and select other authors who don't seem to understand the word "ending". However, unlike many other fantasy authors that seem to fill half of the novels with mere bloating tactics, while their ongoing plot arches are paper-thin and miles wide. Martin develops A Song of Ice and Fire, with a scope that is unmatched by any author. If you want depth, you're looking at the Mariana trench of fantasy sagas. It is safe to say that A Song of Ice and Fire didn't just raise fantasy's literary bar, it became the standard for which everyone else must try and match.With A Feast for Crows, Martin found himself faced with the insurmountable odds of tying in characters and story lines, which after half a decade of buildup, ended up with him cutting it in half. The unfinished storylines and their characters were simply held off until the next book in the series, A Dance with Dragons. Feast's length is closer to that of A Game of Thrones than Storm, which might make some people disappointed after such a long wait. But I think it was a better choice for the story - or to put it more aptly, this installment of the story. Considering that Feast was originally supposed to be two times longer, its most impressive quality is that it flows so smoothly together, and how concise the narrative remains.As the story opens, the reader is introduced with a flurry of new characters (a necessary device, considering that most of the characters from the first three novels are now dead), some minor characters are now prominent figures, and several chapters that detail the relative calm across the land following the calamity of war. The best part, for me anyways, is that some of the new point of view characters recap key plots that may have slipped many readers' minds over the series.Some readers might be disappointed that we don't see much of the bloody and violent action of previous volumes in Feast. There is a lot of exposition, as Martin has to bring us up speed on not only characters we remember, but also on the new ones he's introducing. Martin obviously has a skill for worldcraft with compelling storytelling that remains virtually unchallenged in fantasy, but it also comes with, what many consider a down side. Many of the characters have lengthy discussions of politics, both present and historical. Like I said, many people believe this to be the worst part of the book. However, I felt that it was the most interesting. There is something to be said for the level of painstaking detail of history that Martin placed into his novel.If A Feast for Crows is only a transitional volume in this gigantic saga, it is still a story told with as much passion and humanity as Martin has brought to any previous volume. And it adds much detail and texture to an already rich and layered world. The choices of what to cut and what to hold back obviously were not easy ones, considering the book's long and frustrating gestation. But readers who have managed to avoid building up unrealistic expectations will find that Martin has brought his story to a necessary, believable, and appropriate pass. In the aftermath of catastrophic war, in the endless, vain and violent quest for power and more power, no matter whose banners are flying at the end of the day, there are no real winners. Except the crows.Five StarsP.S. I know that many people have written about how you could skip the Cersei chapters. DO NOT DO SO!!! You would be doing yourself a great disservice. She is without a doubt the most interesting character in this particular novel.

A Feast for Crows is likely the most divisive part of the ongoing A Song of Ice and Fire series of books. In developing the sequel to the widely loved A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin realized that he wouldn't be able to do the five-year time skip he originally envisioned because there was just too much plot in this deep series. However, because he wanted the fourth book to be shorter than A Storm of Swords (which was the longest book yet, an accomplishment of its own given the door-stopper length of these books), the fourth book in the series would need to be split into two more: A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. Each needed its own complete story, though, so George R.R. Martin decided to split the plot of the books on geographic location: A Feast for Crows would follow King's Landing and the Riverlands, while A Dance with Dragons would follow the North and across the sea in Essos. This meant that each book would have different point of view characters, and many of the fan favorites ended up in A Dance with Dragons, such as Tyrion, Danaerys, and Jon. However, although some of the fan favorite characters are missing, A Feast for Crows is still definitely an entry in this amazing series, and a worthy one at that.A Feast for Crows follows directly from the end of A Storm of Swords and follows many point of view characters on the south end of Westeros as the War of the Five Kings winds down. Cersei and Jaime are dealing with the loss of their father and taking care of the kingdom, Brienne is sent through the Riverlands to search for Sansa Stark, the Iron Islands lose their king and must find a new one, and Prince Doran in Dorne is also dealing with the loss of his brother in the events of the prior book while other machinations are occurring under his nose. With the expansion to Dorne and more detail in the Iron Islands, a large amount of new point of view characters are brought into play in those areas, though most take up only one or two chapters. Other recurring characters like Cersei and Brienne are now given their own chapters as well, further developing their characters. The plot moves forward in its own way, though it is apparent that this is a middle book. There are no big twists like previous books (the big death of the first book or the Red Wedding of the third), and the plot does often feel like build-up. However, those who enjoy the characters of the series will still enjoy their arcs over the course of the book, while the latter act of the book does build up to some thrilling final chapters that set up the forward progression of the series nicely.Where A Feast for Crow proves that it is still a worthy member of the series, even if not the best, is its characters: they are still deep and wonderfully written. A vast amount of characters exist in this book, but all of them are rich and believable, from point of view characters to side characters like Robert Arryn, Genna Lannister, or Septon Meribald. The point of view characters are well-developed, often in ways that give us new insight into their characters. For example, we get a better idea of Brienne's upbringing and life back home, and we finally learn what goes on in Cersei's head as she rules the kingdom. Cersei is a highlight of the book, not just because she has the most chapters, but because we learn a new perspective on her and learn why she is the way she is, but in a way that still takes care to keep her as unlikable as ever, if not more so. Character interactions and relationships are also still strong, especially the growth of Jaime and the way his relationship with Cersei develops, or breaks, over the course of the book. The deep characters are one of the series' greatest strengths, and that doesn't change here.Another of the series' strengths is strong writing and excellent world building, and both are here. A Feast for Crows continues to have well-written dialogue. Martin is a master at crafting wonderful monologues that hit hard and scenes that close out a chapter leaving us wanting more (only to have to wait until the next chapter from that character). The prose is great as well, whether it is describing drool-inducing meals, gorgeous fashion, or imaginative locations. The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is rich in a way that takes the best cues from Tolkien, but understands what it was that made Middle-earth such a beautiful setting without just cloning Middle-earth. We get new developments about Westerosi culture, from Dorne to the Iron Islands, and even a little bit across the Narrow Sea. This cultural development also continues the intelligent themes and motifs of the series while focusing on some new ones. A Feast for Crows delves into how a medieval society treats women and the roles it puts them, religion, the mystery of magic, and the ever-present politics in ruling a kingdom ("the game of thrones").This is a hard book to rate and review, because many may still have different feelings. Mechanically, the pieces are still there, the characters and the world are still well developed in a truly Martin way. However, the absence of characters like Tyrion, Jon, and Danaerys and lack of or minimal progression on some of the overarching story lines of the series (such as the Wall or Danaerys' journey back to Westeros) may leave this book as "that one you have to get through" for some readers. However, those willing to wait for those characters, and take in this book as it is, will still find a book that is definitely a part of the series and well worth a read.