950 pages later and I have finished my first book in the challenge! To say that A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin is lengthy is an understatement, be ready to devote a lot of time to reading this book. I spent many of the past weeks staying up until 2 in the morning reading it. Not only did I want to finish it before January was up but I literally couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to whomever has the stamina to read each of the 800+ page volumes that come before it. The series begins with A Game of Thrones, followed by A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords.
This series is hard to describe so I will do my best...Imagine a reality TV show consisting of many players who are vying for the ultimate prize: the throne to a huge kingdom. But throw in a lot of intrigue, sabotage, violence, sex, war, plotting, more sex and some more violence. Then subtract any crap that you associate with reality TV and you've got the Song of Ice and Fire series.
But seriously this series is out of this world. The plot is always moving forward and each chapter covers a different character so we are constantly being given a different point of view. Martin doesn't give into the normal fantasy genre cliches and formulas. He has created a world in which there is no 'good versus evil' instead we are lead through a maze of characters that we can never seem to label in the traditional ways. If you shy away from violence, sex or the unpredictable this is not the book for you. Martin is ruthless with his plot twists and he is not above killing off what seem to be key characters. I would try and go into more detail but honestly I couldn't do the series justice in just a few paragraphs. Also, it's kind of hard to review just one small part of a larger series without giving everything away.
I highly recommend reading the first three books of the series before A Feast for Crows just because of the complicated plot and the vast array of characters that you have to keep track of. If you are willing to make the commitment to this series go for it, you won't be disappointed. Also, keep an eye out for the rest of the series (3 more books) that have yet to be published. As far as I am aware he has been working on the 5th volume for almost 6 years, and it will hopefully be published within the year.
Finally for any HBO fans out there HBO is making these books into a TV series! I think the show is going to begin this April, and it promises to be amazing. And don't worry it's not a reality TV show, quite the opposite in fact.
Click the link if you are interested:
http://www.hbo.com/#/game-of-thrones
Or watch this clip from the HBO website
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