A Dance of Dragons

George R.R. Martin, you incredible man, you’ve done it again! In the fifth installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, Martin has nearly outdone himself with his breadth of plot and depth of character. For those unfamiliar with the series, Martin has created the world of Westeros, a vaguely British feeling medieval land that is embroiled in a massive “game of thrones” as various powerful families and outside forces vie for the Iron Throne and lordship over the vast realm. We’ve followed the Houses of Stark, Greyjoy, Targaryen, Lannister, Baratheon and a host of others as they rebel, defend and die at the hands of each other. Meanwhile, far to the North at The Wall, the first defenders of the realm, The Nights Watch, has begun an assault upon a supernatural force that descends from the haunted forest and frozen wastes inhabited only by murderous and wild clans. Already, you can tell that this book, let alone the series, is not for the faint at heart.

Martin manages to juggle these many plots as they stretch out over time and oceans with a mastery that has linked him to Tolkien many a time. However there is a different feel in these books than there is in Lord of the Rings. People die, characters that I begin to love are ripped away from me and the plot is constantly evolving, never stagnating into the same quest that started way back in book one. Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different character, rotating without any specific order through approximately ten separate points of view. Thus one can jump from battlefield to dungeon to whorehouse in the span of a few pages, becoming enlightened to several new plot developments all at once.

It is hard to write a review like this without completely ruining the plot for other readers, because I had so many moments during A Dance of Dragons where I literally dropped the book, yelled “WTF!” and then had to freak out for several moments before being able to continue on my way. It is a testament to Martin’s skill that I felt so much compassion and connection with a character that is otherwise completely not relatable to a contemporary reader such as myself. Although I’d like to feel closer to a fifteen-year-old exiled queen who just happens to own three dragons and leads an army of a hundred thousand, don’t get me wrong.

While Martin’s ability to rip the floor from under you is certainly admirable and makes for exciting reading early on, there were moments towards the later half of the novel (you know, around page seven hundred or so) where his formula for character arches becomes a bit predictable. After my initial freak out, I was able to realize that I probably could have seen it coming. However, those moments are few and far between, overshadowed by the immense plot lines that weave back and forth throughout the novel.             It is the plot that is perhaps my favorite aspect of A Dance of Dragons. It’s just so good. And I realize that makes me sound like an inarticulate 6^th grader, but it has to be said. At it’s heart, the book is a story of the ambiguity of what is good and right and an attempt to answer questions about who has the ultimate right to power. There is religion, statesmanship, academia, and even the odd romance thrown in along the way to make the human connections between the vast casts of characters compelling while also actually forcing the reader to think a bit. It’s a novel that starts a conversation. I’ve spent evenings with several friends trying to predict what might come next or rehashing our favorite bits or even just laughing over a clever jape made by the soon to be infamous character of Tyrion Lannister.

I say soon to be infamous because many of you are reading this review have perhaps heard of a little television phenomenon called Game of Thrones on HBO. Yes, this is the series that it is based upon. Yes, you should watch the show because it’s tremendously well done and breathtaking to behold. And yes, yes, a thousand times yes you should start reading the series because there is magic to Martin’s words, ideas and entire world that no TV series, no matter how wonderful, can ever hope to attain. So there you go...pick up A Dance of Dragons (after the first four books of course!) and delve into the Seven Kingdoms. Just watch out for rogue dragons and the occasional white knight along the way.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes: The Final Problem

I find it rather ironic that the first Sherlock Holmes story I read is his last, chronicling his death in the pursuit and capture of an exceptionally brilliant criminal mastermind. Perhaps this was the best place to start though, because I was struck by how emotional I became even in just a few short pages. I was shocked, dismayed, and deeply sad as Watson relayed the final events of Holmes’ life with that clinical English stiff upper lip attitude that belies the true feeling below the surface. But don’t think that I was bawling my eyes out here; I did actually enjoy the story for other reasons!

            Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has a distinct style that moves with a rapidity and wit that is highly appealing. I fall in love with Holmes through that quick style, his sarcasm and quips making me chuckle a bit under my breath while I read. Granted that also earns me some strange looks, but what can you do? The writing is straightforward, driven in equal parts by a strong plot and careful elaboration of characters. Every villain is so carefully created, subtly evil and more like Holmes than anyone would willingly admit. T

Then of course there is the friendship between Watson and Holmes, which is the original bromance. Holmes’ is forever antagonizing Watson, refusing to follow typical social order and yet operates with such brilliance and confidence that Watson can only just keep up. Watson in this way is like us, the reader. We figure things out together in the moment after Holmes has leaped several steps ahead of our reasoning. The two are sharp with each other but in this story especially the depth of their relationship is revealed beautifully. Neither could truly exist without the other, both as characters in the story and as human beings. A perfectly matched pair, but not perfect unto themselves, Doyle is sure to give his heroes enough human flaw as to make them relatable and realistic. That real aspect is perhaps the key of the entire story. There is a depth and breadth of detail, particularly in traveling logistics that allowed me to fall into Holmes’ world quite easily, despite the knowledge that no detective could ever be so capable and cunning.

So, a short review for a short story, but one that packs a deep emotional punch and perfectly demonstrates the world that Doyle has created, the one to which fans keep coming back to time and time again.