A Feast for Crows is the fourth book in George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series but it is different from the previous books because it doesn't contain the entire cast of characters. While Martin was writing this fourth installment, the book became so long and unwieldy that he decided to divide it into two novels, A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons. So the stories of some of the characters are told in A Feast for Crows while the remaining characters are seen in A Dance with Dragons.
At the beginning of A Feast for Crows, the War of the Five Kings has come to an end. Now that peace has come to the land, it's time to start repairing the damage that was previously done. Technically, Cersei's eight-year-old son is the king but since he's so young, she rules in his stead. However, Cersei doesn't really know what she's doing and tends to advance people who she knows are loyal to her without considering whether they're capable of doing the job assigned to them. Plus, she seems to invite ill-will with her snarky comments to people who are actually her allies. To add to her troubles she also develops a dependence on alcohol.
Cersei's brother Jaime, however, redeemed himself in book three and continues behaving in a more honorable way throughout book four. When Cersei sends for him to defend her honor in a duel, he refuses. Meanwhile, Brienne, who was loyal to Catelyn Stark, is wrongfully hanged and Arya joins a group of assassins called the House of Black and White. However, Arya's former identity keeps reasserting itself and eventually forces her to kill someone. In punishment, she is made to drink a glass of warm milk and wakes up blind the next morning.
A Feast for Crows does not feature Tyrion Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen or Jon Snow who were regulars in previous books but their stories are told in the next book, A Dance with Dragons. The events of the two books take place during the same time period but in different places.
George R.R. Martin (or GRRM as he is affectionately referred to by many of his fans) was born in 1948 in Bayonne, NJ. He always knew he wanted to be a writer and would make up stories even when he was a child, selling them for pennies to help out his family which lived in the projects. He wrote a few novels to begin with, which were successful, but his fourth novel flopped and he turned from fiction writing to screenwriting for television. He was involved in the Twilight Zone remake in the 1980's and produced Beauty and the Beast, after which he returned to writing fiction and brought us A Song of Ice and Fire, the first two books of which series have been made into the HBO show A Game of Thrones. A Feast for Crows was the first of this series which opened at the top of the NYT bestseller list.
This audiobook is narrated by British actor Roy Dotrice, Tony Award Winner for Best Performance in a Play. Dotrice narrates all the "Song of Fire and Ice" books in the collection.
"Good just not up to par with the awesomness of the previous song of fire and ice books. Although understandably so it's hard to write something better than the craziest tension fulled book that was Storm of Swords. Also I love Dany and Jon and since they were not really seen in the story line in this one I was kind of disappointed. Still really freaking excited for Dance With Dragons and getting some more Dany and Jon Snow action."
— nicki (4 out of 5 stars)
“Fantasy fans will feast!”
— Associated Press“Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best…[He] is a tense, surging, insomnia-inflicting plotter and a deft and inexhaustible sketcher of personalities…This is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien.”
— Time“Long-awaited doesn’t begin to describe this fourth installment in bestseller Martin’s staggeringly epic Song of Ice and Fire.”
— Publishers WeeklyOf those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best.... [He] is a tense, surging, insomnia-inflicting plotter and a deft and inexhaustible sketcher of personalities.... This is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien.
— Time Magazine"The only fantast series I'd put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings…. It's a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don't read fantasy…. If you're new to the series, you must begin with Book 1, A Game of Thrones. Once you're hooked…. you'll be like the rest of us fans, gnawing your knuckles until book 5
— Marta Salij, Detroit Free PressTHE MOST impressive modern fantasy, both in terms of conception and execution, is George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.… A masterpiece that will be mentioned with the great works of fantasy.
— Contra Costa TimesLong-awaited doesn’t begin to describe this fourth installment in bestseller Martin's staggeringly epic Song of Ice and Fire.
— Publishers WeeklyGrabs hold and won't let go. It's brilliant.
— Robert JordanSuch a splendid tale and such a fantistorical! I read my eyes out.
— Anne McCaffrey"Fantasy fans will feast!" I'm reading these books all in one go, loved this one, but it's hard to review it on it's own... "
— Susan, 2/17/2014" I was told by a number of people book 4 of "A Song of Ice and Fire" was the most difficult to get through, but it was not as bad as I expected. The combination of listening to this on audio tape while commuting and reading on my kindle meant I was able to get through the book in only a few weeks. I enjoyed the book for sure, although it is true that not a ton happens in it. "
— Maggie, 2/9/2014" Worst book in a great series. "
— Kevin, 2/8/2014" I was warned that nothing happens in this book - and that warning was correct. Such a disappointment after the first three - I lost interest a lot during this novel, so much so that I ended up reading about 3 other books while working my way through this one. Not sure if I'll continue the series or not - disappointed. "
— Roblyn, 1/17/2014" OH NO!! Its a different dude reading the audiobook. I'm not amused by this sudden change. "
— Kimberly, 1/6/2014" And done, pretty good the end :D "
— Jota, 12/29/2013George R. R. Martin sold his first story in 1971 and has been writing professionally ever since. He spent ten years in Hollywood as a writer-producer, working on The Twilight Zone, Beauty and the Beast, and various feature films and television pilots that were never made. In the mid ’90s he returned to prose, his first love, and began work on his epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. He has been in the Seven Kingdoms ever since. Whenever he’s allowed to leave, he returns to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives with the lovely Parris, a big white dog called Mischa, and two cats named Augustus and Caligula, who think they run the place.