A Feast for Crows is WAY better the second time you go through the books. You are so lost because of exactly what you guys are describing but it makes so much more sense on future reads. Just my .02.
Reading Tarzan of the Apes. It's entertaining, and is a very quick read. I agree with those that have mentioned Feast of Crows being better the second time around
Just finished The Talent Code. If you're interested in where "talent" comes from, this is the book to read.
So I slogged through Feast for Crows. Good cliffhangers at the end; I can understand why fans were so ticked about the delay for DwD...particularly as he "hopes" for "next year" at the end of book 4. Overall this one was slow. As for the series...it's presents an interesting dichotomy...on the one hand I really like the "realness" of the story. The theme being hammered home over and over again is that there are no true heroes or, alternatively, that heroism is ultimately very subjective - and my personal outlook totally agrees with this. That being said, for the reader it presents a strange response, IMO. I like the "I don't know who's good or bad per say or who's going to die on the next page" vibe but it makes it very hard to get attached to any character...which makes the reading a bit more tedious. It's a real unique spin on the genre and I like it. But strangely, I find myself having a hard time being excited about the conclusion. As an aside, I read that Martin has told HBO more or less how the story concludes in case he dies. What that also means is that with his current writing pace it's possible the TV series will conclude the story before he does. How hilariously awful would that be? I'm excited for DwD (I'm about 100 pages in or so) but I'm also ready to read something else.
Interesting, I will definitely pick up... May I recommend this movie to you based on the same subject matter??
What am I reading? The best paranormal-based novel that I have read in years. The writing is simply outstanding, and would be considered so in the context of any genre.
Reading the Martin series was something akin to overindulging at Fogo de Chao. I seem to have developed a case of reader's gout for a while. I started and set aside a half dozen books before finally resettling back in with the unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexadre Dumas. It's a simple enough plot. Man is wrongfully imprisoned by his rivals, escapes, and seeks out revenge. But this 1,400 page tome meanders and takes its sweet time getting through those plot points. Dante's betrayal and imprisonment took up the first sixth of the book, and it was probably the most riveting portion of the novel. His escape and the discovery of the large treasure that finances his revenge schemes were well played out. Then things bogged down quite a bit. There was a tenth of the book introducing us to two of the sons of his enemies that dragged out for way too long. I didn't even realize these were the sons of rivals. At times, people are addressed by first names, last names that change, titles, and affectations, which made knowing whom Dumas was talking about difficult at times. Once Dante settled in Paris the plot moved forward, but with nitty gritty plot advancement. The children of his three rivals and his lone benefactor were entangled in love, betrayal, and scheming plots, and his three targets had plenty of vices that Dumas laid out very slowly. The moping love plots were tedious. Even the end when Dante finally gets his revenge felt a bit underwhelming. He took down all three in fine fashion, but the pacing of the overall story left those dramatic scenes as bright spots between a lot of moping. I also had a problem with the long-winded nature of many of the conversations, which make Tolkein seem short and to the point. Still, I'm glad I've finally read this novel. Maybe the unabridged version would have cut down on some of the slow pacing. My understanding is it's half the length, but I wanted the whole tale. Apparently there are Monte Cristo Easter Eggs in the new Carlos Ruiz Zafon book, and I want to be able to enjoy that book to its fullest potential. Up next: The Providence Rider by Robert McCammon. Book 4 of the Matthew Corbett series shipped a month early and showed up in the middle of my Monte Cristo reading. It took a lot of willpower to hold off switching over immediately. I've already read the first quarter in an advance teaser McCammon release and cannot wait to finish one of my most anticipated novels of 2012.
You're very welcome. I love that book. Enzo is one of my favorite characters in literature of all time and definitely my favorite dog. I actually need to reread it for a book club pretty soon.
Some new info on Guy Gavriel Kay's new book: From the Wertzone: I am stoked and have a leading contender for most anticipated novel of 2013. Under Heaven is one of the top few novels of Guy Gavriel Kay's impressive catalog, and I love the thought of returning to this world 400 years later to see how Kay transforms it and develops fresh epic material from the Song Dynasty era.
Chain Reaction - By Ross Goldstein. Cycling Novel. So far, pretty interesting. Warmer upper for Tour de France.
Finished Orwell's 1984 last week. Working on Animal Farm now. Just by coincidence I happened to throw an iTunes mix on my phone as I was running out the door. As I was walking to work RATM's "Testify" happened to come on the mix. I haven't listened to that song I years and I'd forgotten how much it references 1984.
