Fantasy has always been defined by the quality of "epicness" which turns off most mainstream audiences, but inspires fanatical obsession with a dedicated minority.  The first 2-3 books of the GOT series were rightfully heralded as genuine crossovers because they managed to strike the right balance between the mainstream and the dedicated minority.  However, the last two efforts by Martin have seen the epic universe increasingly used as a crutch to mask what has become a pretty tedious and muddled plot line centered around, well, plotting and the now way overdone theme of moral grey areas.

Of course, the various plots, sub plots, and sub sub plots of families vying for power and the moral ambiguity it creates is the stuff that made GOT what it is.  However, what made it most interesting was the underlying sense of tension that we weren't just watching plotting for the sake of plotting. Instead, we were getting to know characters and the very rich backdrop of the world they were living in for the purposes of making it that much better when it actually...went somewhere.

Instead, A Dance With Dragons, much like a Feast For Crows before it, continues plodding along with the theme of a party of characters on one long, harrowing[epic] journey after another stumbling upon a new castle/ruin/city where a series of plots, conspiracies, and sex ensues.  Rinse and repeat.  Except, yes, for this go-round we are reunited with some beloved characters absent in FFF. Unfortunately, it's hard to care about them once you catch up, as they too fall into this same pattern.

The interest in the last 2 books really is being able to open up a new part of the map, so to speak.  You will, of course, get to spend a lot of time in unexplored parts of the GOT universe in DWD. There are new/under-explored families, histories, etc. abound.  But, the appeal for this is limited for most.  That said, as a fan of the series and being a bit of a completionist, I read it, albeit struggling at times.

On the plus side, there's some potential for interesting story-lines later, for me at least.  You get the sense that eventually, Arya's story could really go somewhere cool, if Martin doesn't get too caught up in the whole "tragic/dark twist" trope and say chops off her leg, thus not allowing her to be a heroine "V" that she so desperately needs to be.  And, oh yeah, the whites and winter are supposedly coming, but you sort of forget that by now.  Another plus is that the TV series will have to be more plot-focused, making me look forward to the series that much more.  This is one TV series where I'm actually looking forward to what they cut from some of the books.
Fantasy has always been defined by the quality of "epicness" which turns off most mainstream audiences, but inspires fanatical obsession with a dedicated minority. The first 2-3 books of the GOT series were rightfully heralded as genuine crossovers because they managed to strike the right balance between the mainstream and the dedicated minority. However, the last two efforts by Martin have seen the epic universe increasingly used as a crutch to mask what has become a pretty tedious and muddled plot line centered around, well, plotting and the now way overdone theme of moral grey areas. Of course, the various plots, sub plots, and sub sub plots of families vying for power and the moral ambiguity it creates is the stuff that made GOT what it is. However, what made it most interesting was the underlying sense of tension that we weren't just watching plotting for the sake of plotting. Instead, we were getting to know characters and the very rich backdrop of the world they were living in for the purposes of making it that much better when it actually... went somewhere. Instead, A Dance With Dragons, much like a Feast For Crows before it, continues plodding along with the theme of a party of characters on one long, harrowing[epic] journey after another stumbling upon a new castle/ruin/city where a series of plots, conspiracies, and sex ensues. Rinse and repeat. Except, yes, for this go-round we are reunited with some beloved characters absent in FFF. Unfortunately, it's hard to care about them once you catch up, as they too fall into this same pattern. The interest in the last 2 books really is being able to open up a new part of the map, so to speak. You will, of course, get to spend a lot of time in unexplored parts of the GOT universe in DWD. There are new/under-explored families, histories, etc. abound. But, the appeal for this is limited for most. That said, as a fan of the series and being a bit of a completionist, I read it, albeit struggling at times. On the plus side, there's some potential for interesting story-lines later, for me at least. You get the sense that eventually, Arya's story could really go somewhere cool, if Martin doesn't get too caught up in the whole "tragic/dark twist" trope and say chops off her leg, thus not allowing her to be a heroine "V" that she so desperately needs to be. And, oh yeah, the whites and winter are supposedly coming, but you sort of forget that by now. Another plus is that the TV series will have to be more plot-focused, making me look forward to the series that much more. This is one TV series where I'm actually looking forward to what they cut from some of the books.