George RR Martin writes with such flair, intensity and most of all at such length that publishers struggle to cram his creations between covers. A FEAST FOR CROWS is 976 pages long in my mass market paperback edition, but it is only half the book of its predecessors.  Most of the characters that the reader has been following are given scant attention or no mention here.  While still well written and a cut above most modern fantasy I feel as if I have just finished reading a book where most of what happened is at the fringes of the real action.

I'm deducting one star for the clumsy beginning. A prologue where a new character is killed is almost a stock beginning.  The names and setting reappear in the last chapter.  Martin is almost assuredly going for one of his trademark twists--but it is like a conjuring trick that falls flat.

At the end of STORM OF SWORDS, Martin delivers a number of plot twists including a real gasper.  A character known to be dead shows up alive.  Unfortunately he does not develop this in CROWS.  He serves up a Dornish subplot but each time this plot comes up again it is from the point of view of yet another character.  None of these characters are as compelling or as memorable as the ones he is ignoring.  Failure to strike while the reader's interest is piqued and for serving up a lame substitute loses another star.

For the first time in the series, we get inside the head of Queen Cersei.  She paranoid and unappealing and does as good a job of repelling the reader as she does in alienating her supporters.  I have to say that Martin's characters are masterworks and his females are particularly fine.  Even his evil queen transcends all stereotypes.  Add to Cersei, Sansa Stark, Arya, Brienne and dozens of other lively woman characters and one realizes why I would rather read a George R R Martin "failure" than a dozen other more mundane fantasies.  Yes, I'll be buying the next book...
George RR Martin writes with such flair, intensity and most of all at such length that publishers struggle to cram his creations between covers. A FEAST FOR CROWS is 976 pages long in my mass market paperback edition, but it is only half the book of its predecessors. Most of the characters that the reader has been following are given scant attention or no mention here. While still well written and a cut above most modern fantasy I feel as if I have just finished reading a book where most of what happened is at the fringes of the real action. I'm deducting one star for the clumsy beginning. A prologue where a new character is killed is almost a stock beginning. The names and setting reappear in the last chapter. Martin is almost assuredly going for one of his trademark twists--but it is like a conjuring trick that falls flat. At the end of STORM OF SWORDS, Martin delivers a number of plot twists including a real gasper. A character known to be dead shows up alive. Unfortunately he does not develop this in CROWS. He serves up a Dornish subplot but each time this plot comes up again it is from the point of view of yet another character. None of these characters are as compelling or as memorable as the ones he is ignoring. Failure to strike while the reader's interest is piqued and for serving up a lame substitute loses another star. For the first time in the series, we get inside the head of Queen Cersei. She paranoid and unappealing and does as good a job of repelling the reader as she does in alienating her supporters. I have to say that Martin's characters are masterworks and his females are particularly fine. Even his evil queen transcends all stereotypes. Add to Cersei, Sansa Stark, Arya, Brienne and dozens of other lively woman characters and one realizes why I would rather read a George R R Martin "failure" than a dozen other more mundane fantasies. Yes, I'll be buying the next book...