A Dance with Dragons
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| A Dance with Dragons | |
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| Author | George R. R. Martin |
| Cover artist | Jamie S. Warren Youll |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | A Song of Ice and Fire |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy Novel |
| Publisher | Voyager Books (UK) & Spectra Books (USA) |
| Publication date | to be determined |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | to be determined |
| ISBN | ISBN 0553801473 (978-0553801477) |
| OCLC Number | 191922936 |
| Preceded by | A Feast for Crows |
| Followed by | The Winds of Winter (forthcoming) |
A Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. Although some publishers have listed provisional release dates, Martin has indicated that no release date will be set until the book is finished; in February 2009 he said that he was hoping to have the novel ready by June 2009.[1] On June 1, 2009, he noted on his blog, "It can't be June already. It really can't. Where have the months gone? I am so depressed."[2]
"The Dance of Dragons" is the name given to a civil war in the prior history of Westeros, leading to much speculation that the novel will feature the invasion of Westeros by the army of Daenerys Targaryen. However, at ComiCon 2006, George R. R. Martin said that is not necessarily what the title is referring to.[3]
A Dance with Dragons was originally the title of the second novel in the sequence, when Martin still envisaged the series as a trilogy. Some early US editions of A Game of Thrones list A Dance of Dragons as the forthcoming second volume in the series. The anthology Legends, which features the novella The Hedge Knight from the same universe, lists it as the fourth installment of the series.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
A Dance with Dragons picks up where A Storm of Swords left off and runs simultaneously with events in A Feast for Crows. The War of the Five Kings seems to be winding down. In the North, King Stannis Baratheon has installed himself at the Wall and vowed to win the support of the northmen to continue his struggle to claim the Iron Throne, although this is complicated by the fact that much of the west coast is under occupation by the Ironborn. On the Wall itself Jon Snow has been elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but has enemies both in the Watch and beyond the Wall to watch for. Tyrion Lannister has been taken by ship across the Narrow Sea to Pentos, but his ultimate goals remain unclear. In the far east, Daenerys Targaryen has conquered the city of Meereen, but has decided to stay and rule the city, honing her skills of leadership which will be needed when she travels on to Westeros. But Daenerys' presence is now known to many in Westeros, and from the Iron Islands and Dorne, from Oldtown and the Free Cities, emissaries are on their way to find her and use her cause for their own ends.
Sample chapters are available on Amazon.co.uk[4] and George R. R. Martin's website.[5]
[edit] Characters
The tale is told through the eyes of at least 11 point-of-view characters and, as with previous volumes, a one-off prologue point-of-view.
- Prologue: Varamyr Sixskins, a skinchanger and one of the surviving wildlings north of the Wall.[6]
- Jon Snow, the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
- Tyrion Lannister, a fugitive wanted for kinslaying and regicide, lately fled from the Seven Kingdoms.
- Daenerys Targaryen, sole heir to the Targaryen dynasty who ruled Westeros for 300 years until their deposition 15 years prior to the first novel. Called "Stormborn", "the Unburnt", "the Breaker of Shackles", "the Mother of Dragons", and self-proclaimed Queen of Westeros, now ruling the city of Meereen.
- Lord Davos Seaworth, King's Hand to Stannis Baratheon.
- The Merchant's Man: Quentyn Martell, the eldest son of Prince Doran Martell of Dorne, travelling into the east on a mission for his father.[7]
- Bran Stark, rightful heir to the late Robb Stark, hiding while seeking an old power beyond the Wall, believed dead by his own family.
- Arya Stark, hiding in the Free City of Braavos, where she is also called "Cat of the Canals" and continuing her training by the House of Black and White (The Faceless Men). Meanwhile back in Westeros, an imposter Arya Stark has been betrothed to Ramsay Bolton.
- The Kraken's Daughter: Asha Greyjoy, the niece of King Euron Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, lately fled from the isles.
- Reek: Theon Greyjoy, now imprisoned, tortured and barely sane.
- Lady Melisandre, a mysterious shadow-binder from Asshai and priestess to the red god R'hllor, adviser to King Stannis Baratheon.
- A yet another, presently unrevealed POV.[8]
In a progress update on his website, dated January 1, 2008, Martin said he would add an additional point-of-view, which would be a character featured in the first series of Dark Sword Miniatures who had never been a point-of-view before.[9] The three characters that met these criteria were Sandor Clegane, Melisandre of Asshai, and Loras Tyrell.[10] Martin later ruled out Sandor.[11] On October 17, 2009 he confirmed that Melisandre has (at least) one POV chapter in the book.[12] He also admitted that he had to add another POV character into the book.
[edit] Split in publication
When the fourth novel in the series, A Feast for Crows, was published it did not contain point-of-view sections from many of the main/key characters of the series. This was because the book had become far too large to publish as one volume. Rather than simply split it in half and publish it as 'Part 1' and 'Part 2', Martin decided to split the book by character and location. Thus, characters in the South of the Seven Kingdoms and in the new locations of the Iron Islands and Dorne appeared in A Feast for Crows. Characters in the North and across the sea were held back for A Dance with Dragons, although Arya Stark and Asha Greyjoy will appear in both volumes.
Approximately one-third of the published A Dance with Dragons will consist of material that had been written for the pre-split A Feast for Crows, although much of this has already been rewritten by Martin.[13] Martin has also promised to try to include some 'catch-up' chapters at the end of the novel to reveal what happened to some of that novel's characters after the cliffhanger endings of A Feast for Crows, such as Brienne of Tarth, Jaime and Cersei Lannister, but only if he has enough room at the end of the book.[citation needed] Martin has confirmed that, contrary to earlier statements, Sansa will not appear in the novel. Sansa chapters initially slated for Dance have instead been pushed back to The Winds of Winter, the planned sixth book in the series.[14]
[edit] Delays in publication
Despite original predictions of possible completion in late 2006, Martin has not finished the book by 2009. Martin's blog has featured updates on his progress, and in January 2008, he posted an update on his website claiming his vigilant commitment to finishing the book.[15] In early 2008, publisher Spectra (a division of Random House) announced that A Dance with Dragons would be released on September 30, 2008,[16] but Martin stated this would only be possible if he finished writing by the end of June, before a trip to Spain and Portugal,[17] and he did not meet this goal.[18]
On February 19, 2009, Martin posted on his website, "I am trying to finish the book by June. I think I can do that. If I do, A Dance with Dragons will likely be published in September or October."[19] On June 22, 2009, the author expressed "guarded optimism" in respect to his progress on the book, while still not confirming a publication date.[20]
In an interview with Antonio Díaz with FREE! Magazine, conducted in Tallinn, Estonia when asked how the book is going, Martin stated: "It is going pretty well, actually. I am hoping to finish it by September or October; that is my goal."[21]
On October 6, 2009, Martin stated that A Dance With Dragons has reached 1100 manuscript pages for completed chapters, making it longer than A Game of Thrones and A Feast for Crows. There are "considerably more in partials, fragments, and roughs."[22]
[edit] References
- ^ Blog entry
- ^ Blog entry
- ^ Westeros.org (fansite)
- ^ "An extract from George R R Martin’s A Dance with Dragons". http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_70104465_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000194603&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=special-offers-3&pf_rd_r=01JZFXDJP8Y08EF5BX2E&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_p=201833191&pf_rd_i=0002247399. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "Excerpt from A Dance With Dragons - Daenerys". http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-sample.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ George R.R. Martin's LiveJournal
- ^ http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?showtopic=36573&st=60&start=60#
- ^ http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?showtopic=5960
- ^ Author's update
- ^ Blog entry
- ^ http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Month/2008/04/
- ^ http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php?showtopic=5960
- ^ Fantasy Hotlist
- ^ Not A Blog, Feb 19, 2009
- ^ "The Dance Goes On...And On...And On". 2008-01-01. http://www.georgerrmartin.com/if-update.html. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
- ^ "Spectra announcement". http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780553801477. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
- ^ "Not A Blog: And Speaking of Subterranean". http://grrm.livejournal.com/39629.html?thread=3586765#t3586765.
- ^ "Not A Blog: Made It to Europe". http://grrm.livejournal.com/48068.html.
- ^ http://grrm.livejournal.com/74995.html
- ^ http://grrm.livejournal.com/92848.html
- ^ http://www.freemagazine.fi/content/view/989/154/
- ^ Dance, Dance, Dance
[edit] External links
- GeorgeRRMartin.com - official website of the author.
- The Citadel at www.westeros.org - extensive archive about the series, including detailed thematic notes, timelines, artwork & heraldry, and correspondence from the author.
- Tower of the Hand - A comprehensive treatment of A Song of Ice and Fire with chapter summaries and individual pages for every character, location, historical event, noble house, etc. from the series all thoroughly cross-referenced and hyperlinked.
- A Song of Ice and Fire series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
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