# A Dance With Dragons (NO SPOILERS!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 30, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615 "2011-11-30T21:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/1 "2011-11-30T21:32:52Z")
Very very simple poll for those who’ve read the whole series so far: was the last book good or bad? I’m just finishing up rereading book 4, and while I obviously want no spoilers at all, I want to know if I should look forward to book 5, or if I should prepare to be disappointed. All you get is two options. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/2 "2011-11-30T21:35:32Z")
I don’t think either option is particularly appropriate. Which probably answers your question, regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/3 "2011-11-30T21:36:01Z")
Somewhere in between. I still found it entertaining but frustrating at times. The quality is comparable to book 4, so if you hated it you might not want to bother. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/4 "2011-11-30T22:09:02Z")
The vast majority of the people rank the books as follows: Storm of Swords Game of Thrones Clash of Kings . . . Dance with Dragons . Feast for Crows Like the other two replies, I don’t think either answer fits. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/5 "2011-11-30T22:25:48Z")
I liked the last two books a lot. I think it helps that I’ve more or less adjusted to the fact that the series doesn’t really have a central plot, and if it did Martin probably won’t live to finish it anyways. The books work well as a bunch of tangentially related vignettes, and your probably better off reading them as such. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/6 "2011-11-30T23:30:03Z")
It was…necessary. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/7 "2011-11-30T23:57:16Z")
A vote for bad, although I would have liked more had it been written by a lesser author. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/8 "2011-12-01T00:34:18Z")
> [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](#): > > A vote for bad, although I would have liked more had it been written by a lesser author. I have to agree with you. I finally found a copy at Goodwill ($3.00 is close to my discretionary spending limit for a week) and although the story seems to be going nowhere, the writing is excellent. But I’m hardly a hundred pages into it yet. My opinion may change. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/9 "2011-12-01T00:50:50Z")
The last book was okay, I suppose. It was certainly no Storm of Swords. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/10 "2011-12-01T01:11:03Z")
> [@HazelNutCoffee](#): > > The last book was okay, I suppose. It was certainly no Storm of Swords. This. I suspect I’ll like both ADWD and AFFC better when they release some special-edition megabook that slices those two up and weaves the chapters back together into chronological/originally-intended order. (FWIW, I liked ADWD a lot better than AFFC.) ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/11 "2011-12-01T01:18:43Z")
I think what it came down to for me was that I had the same complaints about Dance as Feast, but at least it had more characters that I cared about. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/12 "2011-12-01T01:28:26Z")
Another vote for good from me. I rank the books in the same order as **snarky kong** but with less of a gap between _A Game of Thrones_ and _A Dance with Dragons_. But then again, I actually liked _A Feast for Crows_. I’m also optimistic enough to believe that Martin can finish his series in a timely manner, despite all evidence to the contrary. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/13 "2011-12-01T01:43:35Z")
I voted “bad” but that doesn’t really fit. I have a problem with his decision to split AFFC and ADWD into two side-by-side books. I think it hurt both irreparably. I have some hope that he’ll pull it back together with the next book. I’ll read all subsequent books regardless, just because I have to know what happens. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/14 "2011-12-01T03:06:30Z")
It’s bad compared to the first three books, it’s good compared to almost everything else. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/15 "2011-12-01T03:18:15Z")
That’s a good way to put it, **DigitalC** ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/16 "2011-12-01T03:24:51Z")
It was so bad that I shall wait for the library to not have a waiting list when and if the next book ever comes out. I’m not giving Martin any more of my money after that massive disappointment. ---
**Author:** ![Seamack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@Seamack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seamack)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/17 "2011-12-01T09:27:47Z")
Very much a treading water kind of book. I’m still intrigued enough as to what happens next to be looking forward to ‘The Winds of Winter’ but found DwD a let down. ---
**Author:** ![GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f1d935/32.png) [@GSV\_Consolation\_of\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GSV_Consolation_of_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2011, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-dance-with-dragons-no-spoilers/604615/18 "2011-12-01T09:35:10Z")
I read 'em all on one long book binge after I saw Game of Thrones on TV, so the books aren’t really separate in my mind. I will say that by the time I got through the last one, I was muttering under my breath at the beginning of every chapter: “Cool, but where the f\*ck is all this going?” and frequently… “Christ, another character arc, enough already!”.