A Dance with Dragons
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This article or section contains information regarding scheduled, forthcoming or expected future book(s). The content may change as the book release approaches and more information becomes available. |
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| A Dance with Dragons | |
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| Author | George R. R. Martin |
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| Cover artist | Jamie S. Warren Youll |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | A Song of Ice and Fire |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy Novel |
| Publisher | Voyager Books (UK) & Spectra Books (USA) |
| Publication date | to be confirmed |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | to be confirmed |
| ISBN | ISBN 0553801473 (978-0553801477) |
| Preceded by | A Feast for Crows |
| Followed by | The Winds of Winter (forthcoming) |
A Dance with Dragons is the fifth of seven planned novels in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by American author George R. R. Martin. Despite original predictions of possible completion in late 2006, the book was not finished as of early 2008.[1] His blog features regular updates on his work, and a recent progress update on his website affirms his commitment to finishing the book as soon as he can, aiming for the middle of June 2008.[2] In early 2008, publisher Spectra (a division of Random House) announced that A Dance with Dragons will be released on September 30, 2008.[3]
"The Dance of Dragons" is the name given to a civil war in the prior history of Westeros, leading to much speculation that the novel will feature the long-awaited invasion of Westeros by the army of Daenerys Targaryen. However, at ComiCon 2006, George R. R. Martin says that is not necessarily what the title is referring to.[4]
A Dance of Dragons was originally the title of the second novel in the sequence, when Martin still envisaged the series as a trilogy. Some early US editions of A Game of Thrones list A Dance of Dragons as the forthcoming second volume in the series. It was also the original planned title for the fourth novel. The anthology Legends, which features the novella The Hedge Knight from the same universe, lists it as the third installment of the series.
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[edit] Plot summary
A Dance with Dragons picks up where A Storm of Swords left off and runs simultaneously with events in A Feast for Crows. The War of the Five Kings seems to be winding down. In the North, King Stannis Baratheon has installed himself at the Wall and vowed to win the support of the northmen to continue his struggle to claim the Iron Throne, although this is complicated by the fact that much of the west coast is under occupation by the Ironborn. On the Wall itself Jon Snow has been elected the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, but has enemies both in the Watch and beyond the Wall to watch for. Tyrion Lannister has been taken by ship across the Narrow Sea to Pentos, but his eventual goals are unknown even to him. However, a clue is given right at the end of the sample chapter which suggests that Tyrion might be headed to Daenerys. This is supported by the fact that Tyrion has always been fascinated by dragons and in Pentos he is under the care of the Merchant Illyrio who for a time had helped both the Targaryen scions. In the far east, Daenerys Targaryen has conquered the city of Meereen, but has decided to stay and rule the city, honing her skills of leadership which will be needed when she travels on to Westeros. But Daenerys' presence is now known to many in Westeros, and from the Iron Islands and Dorne, from Oldtown and the Free Cities, emissaries are on their way to find her and use her cause for their own ends...
An excerpt is currently available as a sample chapter on George R. R. Martin's website:
[edit] Characters
The tale is told through the eyes of at least 11 POV characters and, as with previous volumes, a one-off prologue POV.
- Prologue: Varamyr Sixskins, a skinchanger and one of the surviving wildlings north of the Wall.[5]
- Jon Snow, the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
- Tyrion Lannister, a fugitive wanted for kinslaying and regicide, lately fled from the Seven Kingdoms, initially as a guest of Illyrio Mopatis in Pentos (per the preview chapter linked on this page).
- Lord Davos Seaworth, King's Hand to Stannis Baratheon.
- Daenerys Targaryen, sole heir to the Targaryen dynasty who ruled Westeros for 300 years until their deposition 15 years prior to the first novel. Called Stormborn, the Unburnt, the Mother of Dragons, and self-proclaimed Queen of Westeros, now ruling the city of Meereen.
- Bran Stark, rightful heir to the late Robb Stark, hiding while seeking an old power beyond the Wall, believed dead by his own family.
- Arya Stark, hiding in the Free City of Braavos, where she is also called 'Cat of the Canals' and continuing her training by the House of Black and White (The Faceless Men) and believed to be betrothed to Ramsay Bolton in Westeros.
- Sansa Stark, in hiding in the Vale of Arryn, posing as 'Alayne Stone', the illegitimate daughter of Lord Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish.[6]
- The Kraken's Daughter: Asha Greyjoy, the niece of King Euron Greyjoy of the Iron Islands, lately fled from the isles.
- Quentyn Martell, the eldest son of Prince Doran Martell of Dorne, travelling into the east on a mission for his father.
- An old, or "retired", POV will be returning.[7] This POV was later confirmed to be Theon Greyjoy, now known by the name 'Reek'.[8]
- In an update on the first of January, 2008, Martin confirmed the addition of another POV character, one who has been recently featured in the Dark Swords Miniatures series, and has never had a POV before. These hints narrow down the possibilities to Melisandre, Loras Tyrell and Sandor Clegane. In a recent B&N Book Clubs forum, Martin has confirmed that Sandor Clegane will not be one of the new POVs, which further limits the possibilities to only Melisandre and Loras Tyrell.
In the same forum, George R. R. Martin remarked that there will be more new POV characters in "A Dance with Dragons" than he originally intended, which might mean there are even more POV characters.
[edit] Split in publication
When the fourth novel in the series, A Feast for Crows, was published it did not contain POV sections from many of the key characters of the series. This was because the book had become far too large to publish as one volume. Rather than simply split it in half and publish it as 'Part 1' and 'Part 2', Martin decided to split the book by character and location. Thus, characters in the South of the Seven Kingdoms and in the new locations of the Iron Islands and Dorne appeared in A Feast for Crows. Characters in the North and across the sea were held back for A Dance with Dragons. Arya Stark, Sansa Stark and Asha Greyjoy will appear in both volumes.
Approximately one-third of the published A Dance with Dragons will consist of material that had been written for the pre-split A Feast for Crows, although much of this has been rewritten by Martin.[9] Martin has also promised to try and include some 'catch-up' chapters at the end of the novel to reveal what happened to some of that novel's characters after the cliffhanger endings of A Feast for Crows, such as Brienne of Tarth, Jaime and Cersei Lannister, but only if he has enough room at the end of the book.
[edit] References
- ^ GRRM's live blog
- ^ Not A Blog - And Speaking of Subterranean
- ^ Spectra, a division of Random House, accessed March 15, 2008
- ^ Westeros.org (fansite)
- ^ George R.R. Martin's LiveJournal
- ^ May 24 2008 Blog entry by George R.R. Martin
- ^ Announcement on the official website of the author
- ^ Bantam Spectra Pulse Magazine, Spring 2008 Edition
- ^ Fantasy Hotlist
[edit] External links
- GeorgeRRMartin.com - official website of the author.
- The Citadel at www.westeros.org - extensive archive about the series, including detailed thematic notes, timelines, artwork & heraldry, and correspondence from the author.
- Tower of the Hand - A comprehensive treatment of A Song of Ice and Fire with chapter summaries and individual pages for every character, location, historical event, noble house, etc. from the series all thoroughly cross-referenced and hyperlinked.
- Message Board - extensive topical theory discussion about current and upcoming books.
- A Song of Ice and Fire series listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
- A Wiki of Ice And Fire Wiki dedicated to A Song of Ice and Fire
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