A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Four

George R. R. Martin

Nov 2005 · A Song of Ice and Fire Book 4 · Sold by Bantam

About this ebook

THE BOOK BEHIND THE FOURTH SEASON OF THE ACCLAIMED HBO SERIES GAME OF THRONES

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace . . . only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.

A FEAST FOR CROWS

It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears. . . . With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.

But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.

It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes . . . and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

Ratings and reviews

This is the book where GRRM takes his sadism toward his readers to a new level. It's long, but entirely worth it. A warning, NOT a spoiler: This tome of a book is aptly titled, a saga where he will kill most of your favorite characters, make you love characters only to kill them, and then make new characters (and some old) take their place in your heart. Only the strong survive the game of thrones and it only takes a moment of weakness to lose.

OK the 4th book in this series is probably the slowest. Out of the 5 books I had to push myself to get to the end of this one. That does not mean this book is bad. This book is amazing, but the 4th books only real flaw is that it follows the thrill ride that is book 3. Feast is more akin to book 1. Intrigue, secrets, and politics. The ending a lone makes this book worth it. If you can get past that this is not as good as book 3 and more like book 1 you will love it.

More than any ASoIaF novel published yet other than AGoT, A Feast for Crows feels like it is about something other than simply what happens. AFFC is a book about claustrophobia, be it emotional, physical or social. It is about a nation that has suffered two civil wars and the mad grab for power. It may initially disappoint since there's no Jon or Dany or Tyrion, but a closer look will reveal a nuanced and more focused novel than ASoS.

About the author

George R. R. Martin is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many novels, including the acclaimed series A Song of Ice and Fire—A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, and A Dance with Dragons—as well as Tuf Voyaging, Fevre Dream, The Armageddon Rag, Dying of the Light, Windhaven (with Lisa Tuttle), and Dreamsongs Volumes I and II. He is also the creator of The Lands of Ice and Fire, a collection of maps from A Song of Ice and Fire featuring original artwork from illustrator and cartographer Jonathan Roberts, and The World of Ice & Fire (with Elio M. García, Jr., and Linda Antonsson). As a writer-producer, Martin has worked on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and pilots that were never made. He lives with the lovely Parris in Santa Fe, New Mexico.