Review: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R. R. Martin

4 stars for A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire book 4) by George R. R. Martin.

It has been a long time coming since I get to enjoy a good fantasy series. This fourth book of A Song of Ice and Fire series, otherwise better known as The Game of Thrones series, is a good story even though it is my least favourite book to date.

I am rather surprised that the book takes a different turn from the telling. It is no longer coming only from a single appointed character, but rather, the author chooses to include the perspective of one from a given title or position. We have the Prophet, the Captain of Guards, the Kraken's daughter, the soiled knight, the Iron Captain, the Drowned Man, the Queenmaker, the Reaver, the Cat of the Canals, and the Princess in the Tower. We certainly have to guess who is telling the story though it is easy enough to confirm after a few pages. So, on top of these and those same pairs of eyes that tell the story previously, two new voices - Cersei, the twin sister of Jaime Lannister and Brienne of Tarth - are thrown in for good measure. I am not sure if it is a good or bad thing to have more viewpoints in this instalment. But I know for sure, I do not understand the reason and significance for some of them as they seems more of a filler to me than one of necessity.

In this book, nothing is what we do not know, yet everything is new. There is the rivermen and seamen, smiths and singers, priests and septons, spells and prayers, kings and princes, novices and acolytes of the Citadel, and the forging of chain by maesters. It is very much a story on King's Landing, Highgarden, The Arbor, Oldtown, the riverlands, the Reach, the kingswood, the rainwood, Dorne and the marches, the Mountains of the Moon and the Vale of Arryn, Tarth and the Stepstones.

Old powers waken and shadows stir. The story is still very much about the wonders and terrors upon Westeros and their gods and heroes. There is the old gods of the North, the godswood with a weirwood at its heart. And there is the new gods of the Seven as well as the Lord of Light, R'hllor, to save the people from the darkness. Signs, portents, visions continue to play a major role in the telling of the story.

At first, I thought the crows in the book title are referring to those who have taken the black on the Walls (figuratively speaking), but as I read on, I start to think that the feasts are referring to the dead bodies that the crows (literally speaking) feasted on. I'm not sure what the author has in mind when he writes this story but I sure hope it is not my latter guess.

As the author points out at the end of the book, this 4th instalment tells all the story for half the characters. Even as I am writing this review, I have already moved on to the next book, A Dance with Dragons, to unravel the story for the other half of the characters. Yea.

Review: The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

Did Not Finish The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore.

This post is long overdue. It should have been posted more than two weeks ago. In truth, I am not only reluctant to put this up, I have been all too unwilling to start on this book in the first place. The reason is simple enough; reading this book equates to taking a break from the Song of Ice and Fire series. I am so into this fantasy series that I do not want to read any other books until I have read them all. But then, this is a book club read. I will feel bad if I do not read it in time and before the loan is due. So, here I am with the review.

This book is about electrical energy - how electricity is generated, how a generator works and how it generates current. It is an uneventful story that tells of the history of electricity, the invention of light bulb and the taming of electrical current. One quarter into the story and I already feel like giving it up. The only thing that keeps me going is the law suit case about the infringement of the light bulb patent. I keep hoping something exciting will come along the way.

In the end, nothing of interest appears and I find myself counting the grievances I have against the story instead. For a historical novel, one set in 1888, I expect quotes from people of the same time period, give or take some years, but definitely not something that comes from someone born more than sixty years down the road. While I think it is reasonable to quote James Watson (co-discoverer of DNA, born 1928) and Karl Popper (philosophers of science, born 1902), it just seems so wrong to be quoting Steve Jobs or Tim Berners-Lee or Bill Gates (born 1955).

It is hard to continue reading a story that does not interest me. Still, I struggle on for the sake of my book club discussion. But at halfway mark, I can stand it no longer. The topic in question is too boring for me. I decide that I shall not suffer myself to read on. That said, I find myself wanting to know about the ending since I have invested at least some five days reading half the book. So, I skip everything in between and jump right to the last two chapters. Having read those two chapters, I am glad of my decision to throw in the towel.

It doesn't feel right to say I have read this book. So I am listing it as a Did Not Finish. I will say this is no fault of the writer's but for the simple reason that this book is not my cup of tea.

Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R. R. Martin

5 stars for A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire book 3) by George R. R. Martin.

The first thing I look at in this book are the maps and then the appendix (at the back of the book). I am glad to see that the author has finally provided a map of The Free Cities beyond The Narrow Sea. There is also a bonus map of whatever lies beyond the Wall in the North. It is a bonus to me because I am not expecting it. At all. As usual, due to the extremely small print of my leather-cloth-bound edition, I need the aid of a magnifying glass to read the maps properly. But that does not stop me from consulting the maps as and when needed. Instead, I am oft seen carrying the hand lens around when I read.

Two new voices are added in this instalment. The first is someone totally unexpected. And that is Jaime Lannister, the kingslayer. The second is Samwell Tarly of the Night's Watch. I am pleasantly surprised and very happy to be seeing the world through Jaime's eyes. He is, after all, a Lannister and known to be a formidable character - albeit from afar - since book 1. As for Samwell, I didn't have much expectation of this character, but since his voice is added, I am sure the author has great things in store for him.

As with any good book, each time I open the page to where I leave off, I want to do nothing else but curl up on my couch and devote my entire being to the world of the Song of Ice and Fire. Yes, a great story will do that to you. I yearn to continue the search for the three-eyed crow, to learn more about the first men in the Neck also known as the Crannogmen or mudmen or frogeaters, to discover the secrets of the children of the forest, and to find out more about the greenseers and wargs. The wargs especially; it is said that the greatest of them can wear the skins of any beast that flies or swims or crawls and can look through the eyes of the weirwoods and see the truth that lies beneath the world.

There are fights and battles to win before the kingdom is secure. This book is very much a story on the King of the Trident, the northmen and the rivermen as much as it is about the knights and squires and men-at-arms, lords and commoners, all bound together only by their one purpose. There is also the mystical Others which I am still very much curious about their origins. Another is the mysterious make of weapons and the purpose for their presence - Valyrian steel, dragonglass daggers, dragonglass arrowheads and dragonglass spearhead.

As with the earlier books, there are so many exciting opposites here. There is day and there is night. There is dark and there is light. There is black and there is white. There is ice and there is fire. Bitter and sweet. Pain and pleasure. Winter and summer. Evil and good. Death and life.

Reading this book, this series, is like taking an exhilarating walk in the mountains. Only it is even better. Everything is so welcoming and refreshing. I can never know what is going to happen next. There are not just ups and downs but plots and developments that take me aback totally. The characters are seldom who they appear to be. The author does an impressive job giving life to his characters. They leap out of the pages with a mixture of good and bad traits depending on the perspective of the characters.

Thus far, I like almost all the characters, major or minor, in the book, with the exception of two who constantly get on my nerves. I get really annoyed over this one character who keeps repeating the phrase "You know nothing". Every time I see this phrase, I want to roll my eyes even though knowing my doing so will not stop it from appearing again. The other character which I dislike to the core is one who has a black heart through and through. There is not a shred of goodness in that person. None whatsoever. At the end of the day, what I want to say is, the author does a fantastic job crafting all his characters, no matter the numbers. There is quantity for sure, but there is quality as well, which is what makes all the details so amazing.

This book 3 is the thickest among the five in the series. Perhaps because of that, even as I reach the end of the story, I still find it hard to believe that I have stormed through the entire book. As the saying goes "The problem with reading a good book is that you want to finish the book, but you don't want to finish the book." The consolation is, there are two more books to go before the series wrap up for good. I know I can still continue to live in the alternate world of Westeros for some time yet. I am so looking forward to the next book, to experience the cold that is approaching and the night that never ends. Winter is coming...