A Song of Ice and Fire V: A Dance with Dragons

Dany is the queen of Meereen. Although she abolished slave ownership, threats also come from her own court because not all freed slaves are satisfied with their new position. Former slave owners and city leaders are outraged that a foreign woman is shaping their politics. Daenerys has to count on her dragons more than ever - and they are getting bigger and more independent.

Tyrion Lannister is on the run after killing his father. For the first time in his life, he has to rely solely on his mind because he is running out of gold and friends. Jon Snow is grimmer than ever: he must satisfy the whims of a nervous king, watch over the red priestess, and heal the long-open wounds of discord between his people and the unbridled wildlings. Jon Snow must save the entire kingdom. The future of the Seven Kingdoms is uncertain and depends on the sacrifice and wisdom of all its inhabitants. As in Feast of the Crows, behind-the-scenes games reign supreme in the fifth part.

Martin's enchanting ability to manage all the narrative threads, and there are plenty of them, amazes again and again. His ability to hold the reader's attention is second to none. Although seasoned with fantastic elements, the world of the Western Lands is close to us, imaginable and calls to mind all the games and gray eminences of the Middle Ages. As with Shakespeare or Dostoyevsky, the emotional saturation is broken by witty passages. They are usually clever quips or sarcastic remarks from Tyrion Lannister. Although we meet him perhaps at the worst moment of his life, his prudence and speed never leave him for a moment, and in this part he justifies the status of the most interesting character.