From the outset it must be said that the book is well written, interesting, it's good entertainment. Below I put the emphasis only on items that seem negative. Do not compare the overall rating to the following.
Very interesting and very well written so (despite some gimmicks sentences that end up typing on the system). But history patina in sauerkraut.
After 500 pages of reading it s''est still nothing happened. There, I said to myself that Pygmalions editions that are supposed to leave the book, divided into three volumes spread over a year, will be very difficult to complete the first two volumes. At least to fill them with something other than 'chit-chat'.
The three main characters (Daenerys, Jon, Tyrion) are treading water.
- The Jon's story is the most interesting, whatever the end of the last chapter is quite frustrating (especially if you have to wait five more years) but I do not have too afraid for him, given the evolution of the characters.
- That of Daenerys by cons is relatively boring. I like to discover the world that George RR Martin created, but at some point we say that if his people continue constantly straying (still further. What there was in the east Meereen of, well? ...) it will be difficult to give a solution to the basic synopsis. I admit a very (very) strong preference for the events that are happening in Westeros.
- As for travel Tyrion, it would make a pretty story but I find a shame to waste the best character in the series in useless wanderings.
More generally, the last two volumes were a bit lost, for me. The basic idea in A Song of Ice and Fire is that no one is safe, that the world is cruel and ruthless, qu''il is certainly not Manichean. All in a style could not be more realistic. I think that over the some of these traits novels are lost.
- Since "purple wedding," I feel qu''aucun characters "Point of View" can not die (they can be beaten, mutilated, exiled, hanged, butchered themselves, but never die)
- The realistic appearance is a little lost. That may be because I have had the pretension to read it in English, but I still have not figured out where GRRM wants to come up with the story of Arya (for example)
- With this volume comes the first batch of inherently evil characters that nothing redeems (Bolton father and son, Yunkai'i).
In addition, PoV characters are lost in the crowd. Some of them died in the previous volumes. With GRRM, when one believes that nothing worse can happen to the characters, well, yes! This is a very good screenplay spring, which really made me appreciate the first volumes. Except that is forced is said that if the author kills all the lovable characters we will quickly piss. So are the dead PoV replaced by others that are unfortunately much less interesting. In any case we do not give them time and space to be interesting. The best example for me: the return of Prince Aegon (hey, it happens like a fly in the soup while it's been ten years we are told that he died, m''enfin why not!). Or Prince Quentyn Martell. Or Victarion Greyjoy. Or his niece Asha. Or Mélisandre. Or Jon Connington. In short, so many characters that could be very interesting if they were developed over two or three chapters, but now it has a fill aftertaste. Indeed: there are too many PoV. I really wonder how the author will arrange his last two books so that we can follow the chronology of events.
Too many characters while short elsewhere. It ''s a world full of characters, a complex world with its history, stories, ton of characters and anecdotes make the whole truer and deeper. But I have a doubt on the usefulness of knowing (to forget rather quickly) throughout the history of each genealogy "petty lords" of each village, each tradition (/ each meal / each held dress).
In short, six years of writing for 1000 pages in which the author moves the pawns on his chessboard and prepares its future moves. Basically, the last two volumes have the same function: the foundations which promise a great scénar in the following two books. But it's so long. GRRM constantly opens new doors without scriptwriting in no close it. We dare to hope that in a book of this size, a number of intrigues would find their culmination and a number of others would act cliffhanger to draw us toward the future. Of cliffhangers, there was a dose of resolutions but I'm still looking.
I hope that Martin was not too common on derivatives (TV series -very good first season, this said-, video games, card, etc.), and has not forgotten the basics. Anyway fans of the previous volumes will buy it, and for many, read the following!
