Posted 23 November 2005 - 07:57 PM
Just finished it...
SPOILERS hidden:
I enjoyed it, but am left looking for the kaboom. Where, oh where, was the earthshattering kaboom? No finale, not really. No Red Wedding. No Blackwater. No Oberyn v. Clegane type duel. It really felt a bit like a 'slice of life in Westeros' novel.
And come on, George, three literal cliffhangers... Cersei, Arya, Brienne, all left mid-action. That's weak, and not at all how previous books have been concluded. Especially given that the next book won't address these characters at all. Robert 'Mat stuck under the wall for four years' Jordan, i expect that sort of crap from, but not GRRM. Weak, just weak.
On the bright side, i thought Jaime's chapters were excellent. Arya continues to develop and while Sam dragged at times, i did find his perspective interesting. Brienne was more interesting for the events around her than her actual perspective - the Catelyn Stark/Thoros/Beric plot and Cat's new status and how she got there were just awesome to read.
The Ironmen storylines were interesting, as were the Dorne ones, altho they seemed mostly to serve to show how events were going to tie back to Dany and her dragons. Neat how events on Dany's side of the world are prompting actions in Westeros before she even gets there.
All in all a worthwhile read. Some points which make it weaker than earlier books imnsho, but enjoyable, satisfying, and worth the money i paid for a hardcover, albneit discounted from Amazon.
- Abyss, actually found Illyn Payne to be interesting.
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