Released last year, A Feast For Crows is the fourth instalment – fifth if you count the third novel’s two-book split – in the ongoing fantasy saga by George R. R. Martin. His unfinished series, A Song of Ice and Fire, has in total a whopping seven books, each filled with rich detail, a plethora of characters and a lot of pages to keep you reading.
Martin’s universe expands even further in this book, introducing new characters and deepening the chaos that embroils their lives. His use of plot twists are numerous but not incredulous; tweaks and tugs that carry the story along through blood, fire and sexual encounters-which are all very graphic I must say. Queens are cast down, characters thought dead are not, and war simmers until brought to boil. There are even things between the lines that, though are not openly expressed by the book, can be deduced if you look hard enough. Try to find mention of the two gay characters having an affair. (I for one was astounded I missed something that significant.)
Frustratingly enough though, is that along with a well-crafted universe come the well-crafted genealogies. As much as I extol his consistency with a fictional world, the various noble families and expansions thereof can definitely confuse some readers. Many a time did I flick back to the appendix to trace how some-such character was related to some-such king.
Note that this is not LOTR with its airy poetic descriptions lasting half the book; this is the hard gritty stuff. Elements of high fantasy – magic, elves, other glittery things – are obsolete or kept to a minimum, which I thought was more engaging then the overly fantastic. Detailed scenes of the horrors of medieval war are shown in all its blood and glory while beheadings, torture and other (un)pleasantries are littered throughout the chapters. In one painfully long paragraph a psychopathic outlaw bites off a character’s cheek and devours it. That is of course after he tries smashing her head in… ‘nuff said.
Martin employs a POV character for each of his chapters throughout the series. This leads to a refreshing read as you explore key characters’ opinions and experiences, delving deep into their personality, allowing a different reading experience for each chapter. For example, as you read through chapters from the power-hungry queen, they are filled with scheming and the nuances of medieval court. This is contrasted with other characters that find themselves in combat, on the run or in hiding.
However it also fragments the storyline and causes the timeline to be slightly convoluted, engaging the reader on multiple fronts as they wrestle with the repercussion of one character’s chapter with the beginning of another’s. Even more basic is that there are just some characters you might not want to read about, depending on their situations. I admit that whenever I arrived at certain chapters I felt compelled to just slowly close the book.
One of my favourite POV was the queen regent, who commands the throne, as her son is only a child. Despite wanting what’s best for her son-king, her personality is filled with venom and her actions in this book are completely unadulterated. She sleeps, shouts and drinks her way to her goals, and this is by far her most prominent role in the series so far.
There also seemed to be some new unimportant POV characters used solely because there was no one else at hand. This felt slightly clumsy in comparison to the other long-standing characters originating from previous books. Reading a chapter simply titled ‘The Prophet’ somehow made me feel unfulfilled. While this latest book does seem to start slipping random characters into the mix, it generally wasn’t a major deterrent as most of these were bearable at the least. They did offer insight into some other aspects of the book’s universe.
Of course balanced against Martin’s ever-appealing realistic style of writing, it is nothing but a pinprick against enjoyment. His storytelling flows easily along the barbs and stings of archaic customs that echoes of our own past eons ago.
Overall, I definitely recommend this book, or any of his books in the saga so far. They are engaging, exciting and will keep you racing ahead for more. I for one, am eagerly awaiting the next segment of his immersive series.
