A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5)

Tite: A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) Author: George R. R. Martin Published by: Bantam Spectra Published on: 12 July 2011 Pages: 1040

Egg, I dreamed that I was old.

And finally we have arrived at the last canonical book of A Song of Ice and Fire series that GRRM wrote more than a decade ago. When I finished reading it the first time, almost 10 years ago, I was awashed with thrills. I couldn't wait for the sixth book to come out!

11 years later, and I'm still waiting. *CRYING*

The first half of A Dance with Dragons shares the same timeline as the entirety of A Feast for Crows, yet with different POVs. Fan favourite trio Jon, Dany, and Tyrion finally returns!

After escaping death sentence, Tyrion was smuggled through the Narrow Sea by none other than Varys himself. The Spider made sure that Tyrion was safe and sound with his BFF, Magister Illyrio. You lot still remember him from the first book, no? The man was slippery as an eel, even Dany (when she'd been timid) knew something was off with him. Tyrion, though in the deepest throes of depression, also concluded these two were not to be trusted, even after the fat magister declared his loyalty to the Targaryens and his intention to seat a true Targaryen on the iron throne.

From Pentos, we slipped off to Meereen to see what Daenerys had been up to. Yanno, the last remaining Targaryen.

Turns out, being a conqueror and a ruler are two different things, something Dany learned the hard way. Though being hailed as a hero upon conquering Meereen, she now faced resistance when trying to lead this city into a new era. True to its name, a Slaver City, slavery had been ingrained into the system, the culture, the very beating heart of the city and its people, hence it was difficult to free the people when they didn't even see the point of being liberated. Not to mention attack after attack towards her soldiers, be it Unsullied or sellswords. Her council seemed to be offering her diverging opinions on every front and she found it more difficult to trust anyone.

As if those weren't enough trouble, Dany was slowly losing control of her dragons. Just as she showed Krispy Kraznys back in A Storm of Swords that a dragon is no mere pet, well you're absolutely right mate they bloody aren't. As Drogon, Rhaegal, and Viserion grew larger, their hunger also grew and couldn't be satiated with their usual diet. Loads of reports of missing cattles came Dany's way, which she usually responded by paying the farmer with a fair sum of money. However, once Drogon grew bored and decided to escalate her menu into, uhm, a little girl, Dany faced the dilemma of chaining her dragons, her identity, who she was, or letting them wreak havoc amongst civilians.

And to complete our triangle of main characters, let's drop by The Wall to see how Jon Snow, the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, fared in his position. Tbh, this is the book where I truly fell in love with Jon. He excelled as a leader, doing his politicking in a smart way while not sacrificing what he believed as his honour. He sent Sam and Maester Aemon to the Citadel, with the goal of having Sam become a maester and Aemon, whose health deteriorated, treated. He fortified the castles and fortress along The Wall, especially in preparation of the attack against the Others. He even had the simplest, yet unthinkable solution towards the lack of men the Night's Watch was facing: by having an alliance with the Wildlings.

However, these revolutionary policies weren't universally accepted -- some did with disdain. Especially the ones holding on to status quo, who saw this alliance as a betrayal of the Night's Watch oath. To which Jon reminded them like chiding a child.

Marsh flushed a deeper shade of red. "The lord commander must pardon my bluntness, but I have no softer way to say this. What you propose is nothing less than treason. For eight thousand years the men of the Night's Watch have stood upon the Wall and fought these wildlings. Now you mean to let them pass, to shelter them in our castles, to feed them and clothe them and teach them how to fight. Lord Snow, must I remind you? You swore an oath. " "I know what I swore." Jon said the words. "I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. Were those the same words you said when you took your vows?" "They were. As the lord commander knows." "Are you certain that I have not forgotten some? The ones about the king and his laws, and how we must defend every foot of his land and cling to each ruined castle? How does that part go?" Jon waited for an answer. None came. "I am the shield that guards the realms of men. Those are the words. So tell me, my lord - what are these wildlings, if not men?"

--Jon IX

Dear Jon...

Other than Jon, Dany, and Tyrion, we also have Cersei's one horrifying chapter, Davos and the Northern Conspiracies *coughs coughs*, Arya still training as a murder intern, even Quentyn Martell whose existence burned into our minds thanks to the last reveal of the Dornish plot back in AFfC. *winkwink*

That's all? I think that is all. ;)

EGGLYSIS

When I first read ADwD, my good friend Hilly warned me not to read the final parts in a public place, as she knew how uhm, expressive and dedicated I was (still am!) to these fictional world and characters. Back then, I was doing my undergraduate thesis in an oil and gas company, and sometimes I read it during quick breaks.

While ASoS is full of actions and twists, ADwD is full of politicking. We have Dany and Jon wading through uncharted water, where one struggled and the other thrived, albeit both facing resistance. The Ruling 101 bored me at first, though it grows on me the more I reread it. And don't forget that warning my friend gave me -- she did it for a reason, because exactly as she predicted, I went aggressive when I arrived at that moment. I threw my book across the room, my fellow intern was hella confused and scared seeing me threw obscenities onto my laptop screen, lol. Fun memory. :P