I just finished my read through of GRRM's ASOIF. This was my fourth read through, but it's been about two years since I read them last. I'll bite my tongue as to Martin's tardiness with this novel. For any who are interested, he did post a lengthy entry on his NotABlog about some of the reasons why he's taken so long. Also, I watched his interview with Joe Abercrombie and he talked about writing the opening scenes back when he first started. I was struck by his mentioning that the chapter was really flowing for him and he ran through it very quickly over the course of three days. It's hard for me to understand a slow writer. I write very quickly. Usually I knock out 3-6k words at a time over the course of several hours. I also read incredibly fast. I know a good friend of mine who reads at a fraction of the pace that I do and writes much slower. So I think there is definitely a coorelation there, but I'm just not a slow writer. Clearly Martin is. His prose is gorgeous though and while mine is starting to gather interest in the right circles, I'm nowhere near Martin. So while I've been upset with his seeming lack of progress, I have to acknowledge that if it takes 3 days to finish a single chapter when the writing is going extremely well...it could take awhile to finish a novel that's 1000 pages. End Rant.
Spoiler Warning for those who haven't read the books..don't read on.
I've been following the HBO series as well and I think it's a true mark of a writer that most of the lines have been word for word from the book and they are even more powerful when spoken. That's good prose, my friends. It's always hard for me to read the first book. Eddard Stark is eerily similar to my father. He won't lie, won't hide his feelings, and does whatever he feels is right no matter the cost. That the cost is his head and ultimately the downfall of his house is truly tragic. Honestly, I find it hard to let my breathe out until after the Red Wedding. I like Martin's realism, but dammit, I really want the Starks to triumph. It's a bit like reading Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. You know the Empire fails, but you can't help yourself from hoping it won't happen.
A Feast for Crows was a good read. I love Jamie and Arya's viewpoints. I also like how well Martin gets inside the head of his characters. Reading Cersei's POV, it reads like she's a genius. Because she believes she is a genius and everyone around her is stupid. Obviously, the external ramifications that Martin shows us from other POV's demonstrates that she is the real idiot. A lesser writer wouldn't allow her POV to feel as authentic. Feast does a good job of introducing new characters with new threads that hint at things we've yet to glimpse. It really makes one wonder how he's going to wrap this up in 3 books. It makes me wonder if this isn't something that he's been struggling with and a large reason for why he's taking so long. I know that Martin originally envisioned writing the last half of the series five years after the Red Wedding (I think it was the Red Wedding). I think he's got his work cut out for him.
All in all, this was a fun reread. I especially enjoyed the events leading up to the Red Wedding. Roose Bolton talks about how his army got cut off and some of it was lost to the Lannisters. The first time through I didn't notice that it was all of Robb's most loyal subjects. Then he gives Robb a reasonable explanation for only bringing his own men and the Karstarks who are on the verge of mutiny. In hindsight, it's obvious that this is all part of the grander plan to end the King in the North. Again, a lesser writer probably wouldn't have included that, but that Martin did just adds another dimension to his work. Some highlights that I enjoyed: the duel between Dorne and Ser Gregor Clegane and Tyrion and his father/Shae.
Definitely looking forward to Dance.
Currently I'm reading UR, a novella by Stephen King. I'll post that up probably sometime early next week.