A Dance with Dragons is a Dance with Literary Brilliance

You would think for someone like me, who reads quite a bit both for pleasure and professionally as I do book reviews most notably for Tales of the Talisman, selecting one book out of the many as a favorite book for the year would be difficult. Complicating this decision is the fact many of my favorite writers published new books this year including Tess Gerritsen, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, and even Terry Brooks. However, after reading George R. R. Martin's, A Dance with Dragons, the choice was obvious.

A Dance with Dragons is the fifth installment of Mr. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire epic series. As with the other novels in the series the story is told through the point of view of a number of characters which make up the chapters of the books. A Dance with Dragons is told primarily through Jon Snow -Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Tyrion Lannister - a dwarf wanted for being a kinslayer, and Daenerys Targaryen - ruler of Mereen and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. There are some secondary characters that make appearances such as Davos Seaworth, Stannis Baratheon, and Theon Greyjoy who also keep the story moving along.

The scope of Martin's world of Westeros is mesmerizing. His ability to keep the reader on the edge of their seat is amazing. The reader really has no idea what is going to happen next. In a time when much of what is available in the way of genre fiction has become formulaic, Martin's writing is fresh and exciting.

The intrigue and machinations of the characters, particularly Tyrion, who I feel is the best anti-hero type character in all of fiction at this time, is spell-binding. Martin's commitment to the overall story is praise worthy as is his willingness to kill off a character. When I think I have it figured out, Martin continuously throws a curveball into the mix. The A Song of Ice and Fire series is as frustratingly complex as it is addicting.

I have seen some reviews and ready many fans' comments suggesting A Dance with Dragons is the weakest of the five novels to have been published. I wholeheartedly disagree. First of all there is not a bad book in the bunch. I will say that A Dance with Dragons is not as action driven as its predecessors, but what it lacks in swordplay and battles it more than makes up for in character-driven drama and political intrigue. Fans of the series should not be disappointed.

George R. R. Martin continues his magnum opus, A Song of Ice and Fire with the most recent release, A Dance with Dragons. It is another masterpiece in what I think is the greatest high fantasy series of all time. The only drawback is that upon finishing A Dance with Dragons I was left with a sense of sadness as I know it will be a long wait until Martin releases his next installment which I am sure will leave me as breathless as the others.