Did anyone find A Feast For Crows difficult to start?

Oafley Jones

I think it took me 7 or 8 months to read this. Flew through the others, but this was absolute slog. Kept on having to restart it. If I was reading it on release, I'd have quit the series. It's the very worst of Martin, where all his dodgy impluses run rampant. Somebody really needed to reign him in on it.

dr gonzo

Funnily enough I got through AFfC in maybe three sittings, not because I loved it as much as the previous titles, but because I told myself to read it on its own terms. Its dreadfully unfair how much bad press this book gets, and while there certainly are legitimately bad chapters, it is still an excellent book. The problem is, as others have said, the pace and theme of AFfC is not worse but deliberately different. If you can disconnect AFfC from ASoS while reading it you'll find it a pleasure to read.

The other thing that probably worked in my favour is just how negative people are about this book, so I had low expectations going in anyway, and was VERY pleasantly surprised. I truly am a bit uneasy about ADWD though. How does it stack up? As much as I did enjoy AFfC, I dont know if I am necessarily in a rush to read the same book again...

googled eyes

I'm listening to the audiobooks ( having a toddler is really cutting into reading books). With audiobooks I can listen while I do stuff during the day or play with my daughter. I thought maybe it was the change in narrator was the reason I wasn't enjoying this one as much.

linute555

My mane concern here is, what they gonna do for the tv series?
Considering there're no Tyrion or Daenery's story lines.
I got a feeling, the producers will have to come up with something, otherwise there'll be plenty of unsatisfied (to say the least) fans of the show.

kksaints

linute555 wrote: »

My mane concern here is, what they gonna do for the tv series?
Considering there're no Tyrion or Daenery's story lines.
I got a feeling, the producers will have to come up with something, otherwise there'll be plenty of unsatisfied (to say the least) fans of the show.

They will do it timewise instead of book order. As in a mix of AFFC and ADWD

googled eyes

I'd say they could even use some of ASOS because I feel like there is lots to fit into the final 3 episodes. Some of the story lines could be stretched into the next series.

Washington Irving

googled eyes wrote: »

I'd say they could even use some of ASOS because I feel like there is lots to fit into the final 3 episodes. Some of the story lines could be stretched into the next series.

Season 4 of the TV show is going to be based off the second half of ASOS so they still have another 13 episodes to cover it.


There will probably be overlap in the events if the books, or bringing forward of events such as Theon's scenes this season.


AFFC and ADWD will almost certainly be merged and will be covered by seasons 5,6 (possibly 7 too) providing they stick with 10 episodes seasons.

googled eyes

SaulGoode9 wrote: »

Season 4 of the TV show is going to be based off the second half of ASOS so they still have another 13 episodes to cover it.

/quote]

Thank the Old Gods for that

Lovely Bloke

linute555 wrote: »

My mane concern

Lion of Lannister?

FishHook

I'm about 200 or so pages into AFFC. Although not too bad a read, it is definitely the poorest book in the series, so far.

intellectual dosser

I'm on page 480 or so and I'm finding it tough. Some of the chapters are a real struggle and force me to put the book down mid chapter (rare for me). Some people say the next book is better, some say its the same, which makes sense because it really cant get any worse.

A Neurotic

62% through and finding it hard to continue.

Brienne in particular is very poor. It seems almost an intentionally frustrating reading experience, following her traipse around, knowing that she's on the wrong track.

Also, it's early days from her POV for me, but she seems to be a fairly poor, one-dimensional character. The scene where she breaks down and spills her life story to the healer priest monk whateverthefck dude was particularly bad. "All of it came pouring out then, the betrayals and betrothals, Lord Renly dancing with her, LITERALLY EVERY OTHER FACT OR ENCOUNTER OR ASPECT OF HER CHARACTER THAT WE HAVE EVER BEEN EXPOSED TO AS READERS".

All of it came pouring out of Brienne then, like black blood from a wound... the voyage down the Trident, dueling Jaime in the woods, the Bloody Mummers, Jaime crying "Sapphires," Jaime in the tub at Harrenhal with steam rising from his body, the taste of Vargo Hoat's blood when she bit down on his ear, the bear pit, Jaime leaping down onto the sand, the long ride to King's Landing, Sansa Stark, the vow she'd sworn to Jaime, the vow she'd sworn to Lady Catelyn, Oathkeeper, Duskendale, Maidenpool, Nimble Dick and Crackclaw and the Whispers, the men she'd killed...

This is just not something that would happen. An illuminating insight from her past, yes. Every single thing she's ever felt or done, no.

Mr.Prodston

Persevere with it. Trust me. I was in a similar position to you but you're through the worst of it IMO. There were times for the first half of the book I actually didn't want to pick it back up as the change of pace from Storm was hard to take but it does pick up. Well I thought it did and I actually liked Brienne's POVs. It's the one book I actually want to re-read the most as I gave it such short shrift at the time.

December2012

The boiled leather combined reading list really made a difference for me

calex71

I say it because its true , the way books 4 and 5 were structured in terms of running currently was a massive mistake, i realise different plot arcs had to be brought in somehow but how they were brought in was a total snooze-fest and sucked the life out of the series for me, and left me with a f'd if i care attitude towards the series,as for the end of a dance with dragons I would personally love to kick GRRM in the nuts for it, it was pants!!!!

I'd struggle to read those again but i'd read books 1-3 in a heart beat again, anyone finding it hard to get through them I empathize they are seriously tough after the 1st 3. They introduce some great ideas and essentials, but by christ they are hard work. I really hope winds of winter is another storm of swords now.

Gbear

The quality of the writing (perhaps because of **** editing) drops off a cliff as well.

It turns into a mess of Westerosi clichés and generally the writing feels mechanical and lacking the same care and attention it got in the previous books.

riffmongous

I actually skipped almost all the iron islands and dorne chapters, mainly to get through the book faster and move onto the more interesting characters in adwd, but also because 3 books in I had no interest in getting to know these new characters, who were just taking time away from the people I already knew and liked

Lovely Bloke

riffmongous wrote: »

I actually skipped almost all the iron islands and dorne chapters, mainly to get through the book faster and move onto the more interesting characters in adwd, but also because 3 books in I had no interest in getting to know these new characters, who were just taking time away from the people I already knew and liked

I didn't skip chapters, but I agree with this sentiment (I'm currently 66% or so through ADWD).

ADWD is so much better because most of the main characters who are left are back.

Martin invested too much time in Dorne, and maybe to a lesser extent the Iron Islands (Theon was already a "main" character, and we'd seen the sister too, so a story about them and their part of the world was expected imo, but the Kingsmoot shenanigans could have been shorter).

Dorne though, there was no "main" characters from there early on, yes, we knew about it, but why the need to introduce a whole new set of charachters like that?

I didn't and don't care about them.

calex71

calex71 wrote: »

I really hope winds of winter is another storm of swords now.

If the sample chatpers are anything to go by it could be or even better. It's going to be the biggest book of the series as well I think?

Elmidena

I bought the box set in the Black Friday sales, and if I hadn't already owned the last one I would have rage quite AFFC. Too many new people I didn't care about, and the epilogue made me think he was just being a giant troll, and guaranteeing sales for the last book in an underhand way, especially given how long he takes between each book being released. It wasn't just the new unlikable cast for me, he took existing characters and twisted them around to someone else entirely.

Liam O

Elmidena wrote: »

I bought the box set in the Black Friday sales, and if I hadn't already owned the last one I would have rage quite AFFC. Too many new people I didn't care about, and the epilogue made me think he was just being a giant troll, and guaranteeing sales for the last book in an underhand way, especially given how long he takes between each book being released. It wasn't just the new unlikable cast for me, he took existing characters and twisted them around to someone else entirely.

If you don't like something you're not forced to read it.

Elmidena

As I said, I already owned the last book so I saw it through. If I didn't, I would have dropped the series.

SV

AFFC is difficult to start, difficult to get into and difficult to finish.
That book on it's own took me longer to finish than all of them combined, I just could not be bothered with it..insanely boring.

Liam O

I personally think that I ruined the experience for myself reading the series as a whole. I was always racing through it and not taking my time looking to get to the end of chapters where the cliffhangers were. After SoS had so many I couldn't really get out of that habit. I'm sporadically reading CoK again but when I do my proper re-read, that is if I do one, trying my hand at some other fantasy atm and not a huge reader so dunno, I'll definitely take my time. To bring in new characters you need to give it time. People missing some of their favourite characters and maybe rushing ahead to see of they feature may also be another reason some found it difficult. Just slow down I'd say.

Lovely Bloke

Christ almighty.

I'm nearing the end of ADWD and I got to the chapter where

at the end the red priest comes on board and the maester has his throat slit.

Took me TWO days to read it, where I'd be usually 2 chapters a day.

When I saw the chapter title, and read the first line seeing it was an Ironborn chapter I immediately groaned to myself.

Soooo borrring

calex71

Baldy Conscience wrote: »

Christ almighty.

I'm nearing the end of ADWD and I got to the chapter where

at the end the red priest comes on board and the maester has his throat slit.

Took me TWO days to read it, where I'd be usually 2 chapters a day.

When I saw the chapter title, and read the first line seeing it was an Ironborn chapter I immediately groaned to myself.

Soooo borrring

I'd totally forgotten about that whole section and that was an eyebrow raiser indeed, but again like you Ironborn? = zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Liam O

I actually think Victarion and the Crow's eye have been under utilised and are very interesting characters.

jebus84

I loved a feast for crows much better than ADWD,which I found a big struggle to read,glad i stuck with it tho last 1/3 is very good

TimeToShine

AFFC is a particularly hard slog especially after reading the second half of ASOS which is probably the best book in the series for me. More happened in that half the book that in AFFC and ADWD combined.

I do think that AFFC will prove to be an important book in hindsight. The Iron Islands are clearly going to prove very important in the last two books, particularly Euron and Victarion. Dorne has some pretty great characters as well like Hotah and Darkstar who i'm also sure will feature heavily in the last two books. Some of these characters desperately needed fleshing out and I suppose AFFC did this, albeit in a very dull manner. I almost wonder sometimes if a ghost writer wrote this considering it was released only two years after ASOS.

The worst chapters for me were Brienne and Sansa. Brienne in particular was horrible, her meandering around on what we already know was a wild goose chase was painful to read about and although I've read the book three times I am probably guilty of skipping a paragraph here and there due to sheer boredom. ADWD wasn't much better with

Dany sitting on her arse doing absolutely nothing and Jon's quite obviously fake death

but I suppose it sets it up quite nicely for the last two books. All I can say is if they're even half as good as ASOS part II then I'll be absolutely delighted.

SeantheMan

wayne040576 wrote: »

It's not a great book and to be honest in spite of what a lot of people say, I didn't think the fifth was much better.

I agree. What I felt happened to me, and maybe a lot of people with series, was you obviously take a liking to certain characters and find others boring.

And then being forced to read about their stories was hellish.

Cersei, Brienne, Sansa, Samwell *yawns* ....

Dance with Dragons was better at least.

Truthfully, I've enjoyed the TV show more than the books, though there isn't enough time given to some characters on it.