'A Feast for Crows' - Am I the only one that was a bit . . . underwhelmed

[ET Awful]

by it? I mean, it was a decent read, but . . . I'll not say any more until I'm sure others have finished it :).

[LoKnLoD]

1. Took him long enough to write it

It's been so long I'm going to have to go back and reread the other 3 before I read this one. Game of Thrones, Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords were some of my favorite books besides LOTR. Thanks for letting me know it is out.


:bounce:

edit for dumb spelling

[ET Awful]

2. Well the first three are probably my favorite fantasy novels of all time

(yes, even ahead of Tolkien). This one just felt . . . a tad lacking. Still good, but just not AS good :).

[bullimiami]

3. have to finish knife of dreams first.

i really hope im not dissapointed.

[yellowdogintexas]

4. I am just really getting into it at present.

Storm of Swords just had so much going on and in every direction that I think it would be hard to keep that momentum. The splitting of book 4 into two concurrent volumes probably takes some of the edge out of the action.

There is a LOT to catch up on and a LOT to cover. I kind of expected this book to be a transitional part of the story.

When I finish, I will return to this.

I hate having to wait for book 5 for Tyrion, Danerys, Bran, Jon etc.
but I will.

[BreweryYardRat]

5. Well...

It's an "eye of the hurricane" type thing. It's probably going to pick up a little in ADWD, and then go back into full-on death, destruction and chaos mode for books 6 and 7.

[LeftyMom]

6. I'm not quite done yet (spoilers for previous books)

it's not as good as ASOS or AGOT, at least so far. I don't really expect a series-changing moment on par with Ned's execution or the Red Wedding, as this book fills in a space George originally meant to be the gap between ASOS and A Dance with Dragons. I trust that this background stuff will prove important later.

I'm really liking the Dornish and Greyjoy POVs, but all my favorite characters are missing. I guess that means the next book where all those POVs show up will be extra sweet. Even with Sansa in it. ;)

[yellowdogintexas]

7. just finished it yesterday. It definitely grew on me, as I suspected

it would.

The last 5 chapters really had me by the throat.

There are some small details that will prove pivotal in the future I think.....

Refuse to drop spoilers, but I must say a certain person's outcome left me smugly satisfied.

It is going to be a long year until ADOD is released.

The Dornish and Greyjoy POV was very good, I agree.

[LeftyMom]

11. Finished today

and yes the schadenfreude is delicious. I'm a bit miffed that he did yet another cliffhanger dead or alive ending, though.

[Czolgosz]

8. I'm enjoying the book so far (the long break after SoS has caused me some

difficulty remembering all of the details of the on-going plot). I'll forgive Geroge R. R. Martin the delay in light of this interview:

At one point in 2004, you said on your Web site that the results of the 2004 election had left you too depressed to write—

Martin: Yeah, but that was for about three days. Then I started writing again. Though having that statement up for three days got me hundreds of e-mails, either commiserating or cursing me out. So I guess you've got to be careful what you put on your Web site.

Cursing you for your political view, or for not writing?

Martin: A bit of both.

[Czolgosz]

9. For those who missed it, here's Geroge R. R. Martin's 11/3/04 statement:

I write this the day after the presidential election.

A FEAST FOR CROWS is still not finished. Yes, I have written some more pages since the June update. No, the book is not yet done. My August and September schedule was full of conventions, travel, and speaking appearances, which cut deeply into my writing time during those months. Yes, I could have made more progress on the book if I had stayed at home chained to the desk, but I make these commitments years in advance and I take them very seriously.

Also, some of the writing that I have done since June has actually been rewriting. My goal, as I have said repeatedly in these updates, has always been to produce a book that is a good as it can be, so when I suddenly realize that one of my story threads can be made much more powerful and dramatic with some restructuring, I restructure... even if that means going back, tearing up finished chapters, and reworking them from start to finish.

That's done, anyway. A FEAST FOR CROWS will be much better for it, and now I am back at work on new chapters once again... although not today, and maybe not tomorrow, or next week. I am pretty good with words, usually, but no words can express how miserable, angry, and depressed I am feeling this morning over the results of yesterday's election. The exit polling makes it clear: this was a victory for bigotry and fear, a mandate bought with lies. I know from past experience that it is going to take me some time to shake off this depression.

Losing myself in the world of Westeros would probably be the best medicine for what ails me just now, I know full well. There is solace in work, and books -- my own books, and those of others -- have always been a refuge for me during dark times in my life. Today, however, the {fictional} travails of my {fictional} Seven Kingdoms seem pretty unimportant compared to the very real woes that the United States is facing, a future of war and isolation abroad, and division and repression at home.

Winter is coming to Westeros, but it has already come to America.

—George R.R. Martin, November 3, 2004



I'm giving everyone I know who'd be even remotely interested George R. R. Martin books for Christmas. I ask that you consider doing the same.

[JerseygirlCT]

10. Wow.

You know, it's always so good to read that someone who's work you've loved feels like you do.

There was a part of me that said "I don't want to know!" about anything political and Martin.

Whew. Now I know. Good to know.