porlook2

So I realize that a review shouldn't really be a comparison between two books, but I have to say something. I took a break from this absolutely AMAZING tome to read two other books - Wuthering Heights (I hadn't read it since high school, and, upon seeing the 2009 Masterpiece Classic with the inhumanely sexy Tom Hardy has Heathcliff, I decided to give it another whirl) and The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. Wuthering Heights is what it is. I couldn't help but compare The Black Jewels, however, also of the fantasy genre, to A Dance with Dragons, and to the entire Song of Ice and Fire series in general. Sorry to say, Black Jewels is terribly lacking. It's like comparing Nora Roberts to Jane Austen. Both are admittedly fun to read, but come on. While reading each entry in the Song of Ice and Fire, it's very easy to take George R. R. Martin's mad skills for granted. I would strongly advise doing as I did - put down Dance with Dragons and pick up Black Jewels Trilogy. Read it cover to cover. Pick Dance with Dragons back up. You will be amazed at the difference. So much happens in all of Martin's books, and I basically read one right after the other with few breaks in between, so there is no way I could summarize Dance on its own. Throw the HBO series into the mix, and my inner Martin clock goes haywire. Never mind the fact that Dance roughly takes place at the same time, albeit for different characters, as its predecessor, A Feast for Crows. Let's just hope there isn't a span of 6 years of real time between Dance and Martin's next Song of Ice and Fire volume. Suffice it to say - if you love fantasy, you will love this series. If you love intrigue, adventure, war at sea, war on land, or stories in general, you will love this series. If you don't love fantasy, please don't be scared off by the dragons or the fact that Martin looks like a hobbit and Gandalf all rolled into one - you will love this series. See Also: My review of Black Jewels Trilogy from 2009

2022-11-14 16:10