Books Time – A Feast for Crows, Song of Ice and Fire Book IV

Amazon link to the book

Who doesn't know Game of Thrones? The most popular TV show ever, the world cup of the small screen, watched by millions of people. Just hearing names like Jon, Daenerys, Arya and Cersei makes the face of the famous actors' faces impersonating them pop to our mind. What most people don't know though, is that the series of books from which the TV show takes inspiration is so, so much more than what we watch on screen. More events, more characters, more twists... and well, given how the last season is going (at the moment I am writing this the last episode of season 8 has not been hired yet), well, so much more satisfying.

I am currently reading the books, and so far, I've reached volume IV, called A feast for Crows. Originally, according to the author A song of Ice and Fire (original name of the series) was meant to be a trilogy. As he kept on writing though, more and more events popped in his mind, and so he decided to extend the series with four more volumes. He also experimented with this one, deciding to narrate the events only happening in The Seven Kingdoms and the Narrow Sea, leaving on a side the Wall and the lands across the sea. For this reason we only know what happens to certain characters, and we don't hear at all about others. In this book though there's no Daenerys, Tyrion, Bran, Melisandre, Varys or Theon, just to mention a few. We do hear the story from the point of view of Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Sansa, Arya, Samwell, Arianne Martell, Victarion and Asha Greyjoy.

As I said, the author was experimenting, but it seems nobody was truly happy with the result, nor him neither the readers of the series. That's why with the following books he decided to not divide the characters geographically anymore. But what happens in this book? Well, in a nutshell, not much. If I have to be totally honest, although I enjoyed the reading, I found this volume much more boring than the previous ones, and so full of events put there just to add water to the broth, without adding taste to it. But let's proceed with order; here is the summary of A Feast for Crows:

What Happens in the Seven Kingdoms

Kings Landing

The events happening in Kings Landing are maybe among the few really worth of interest. We follow once again Cersei, proud lioness of house Lannister, who becomes the queen in charge after Jeoffry's death. Cersei has to manage the unhappiness among nobles and allies, other than trying to keep at bay House Tyrell. After having decided that Margaery will marry Tommen now, Cersei realises that the House of the Roses is spreading their thorns everywhere in the palace as well as the kingdom, and that she can't allow. That is why she puts on a plan to bring the pretty new queen down, and after having found out that she lied about her virginity, she plans of having Margaery imprisoned for treason. Unfortunately not all of her plans land as planned, and she will find herself being imprisoned as well, for basically the same reasons: having had sex with other men. How will she solve her impossible situation, the queen with no allies and no friends?

Riverlands

Meanwhile, Jaime travels to the Riverlands, trying to conquer back Riverrun from the Tulleys. His plan would possibly be avoid any more blood spillage, but Catelyn's uncle Brynden, the black fish, seems to be very hard to convince to surrender. Eventually Jaime manages to get Riverrun back, although Brynden escapes. At the end of the book we see him receiving a letter from a desperate Cersei (who has been imprisoned) begging him to go back to her, but as the things between the twins have already become sour at this point, Jaime bitterly refuses to hear her sister's call.

At the same time, Brienne of Tarth is travelling to find Sansa Stark, and keep her promise to both Jaime and Catelyn. During her journey she meets Podrik Payne, previous squire to Tyrion Lannister. They are both captured by the Brotherhood without Banners, and sentenced to death by Catelyn Stark, who has been resurrected by Beric Dondarrion, and has half corpse she now seeks for revenge under the name of Lady Stoneheart.

The Vale

In the Eyrie Littlefinger keeps on planning his plot after having murdered Catelyn's sister Lisa. Sansa is with him, and pretends to be his bastard daughter Alayne. His plan at this point is to marry Sansa to Harrold Hardyng, Robert Baratheon's next in line for the title of king, and then take back the North.

Iron Islands

The Iron Islands also witness a lot of action: after Balon's death, the islands are left without a king. Many are the men aiming for the crown, including Balon's brothers, Victarion and Euron, plus Balon's daughter Asha Greyjoy. Eventually Euron is chosen as the Island's new king, and while Asha sails away, Victarion, better man than his brother, decides to fight by his side.

Dorne

Finally, in Dorne Princess Arianne Martell tries to plan her own personal revenge against the Lannister, who caused her uncle Oberyn's death. As his father and king of Dorne Doran does very little to avenge his brother, Arianne decides to take action. Her idea is to have Myrcella Baratheon, crowned queen; according to Dorne's laws, gender is not relevant to the acquisition of the throne, and as Jeoffrey's second sister, she has more right to the Iron Throne than little Tommen. Her plan though doens't really work, and she loses precious friends and allies, other than having Myrcella injured. Eventually her father revels that his plan is to bring back “Fire and Blood”, and give the throne to the rightful heir. Might he be looking for Daenerys?

Across the Narrow Sea

In Braavos, Arya joins the temple called the House of Black and White, home to a secret society of assassins known as the Faceless Men. She is just a novice, and she has so much to learn, but she moves her first steps. Unable to control her feelings yet, Arya kills a man out of rage. As a punishment, she is given a glass of warm milk, and the following morning she wakes up blind.

As for dear, old Sam, under Jon's command he leaves the Wall to become a Master. Sam travels via ship, and stops in Braavos for a little while (he even meets Arya, but obviously he doesn't know who she truly is). He travels with Gilly, her newborn and Master Aemon. The reason the old Master is with them is that after Stannis' arrival to the Wall, Jon is worried that Melisandre might kill the old man, because he is a Targaryan. The old Master dies during the journey, and Sam also finds out that Jon has swapped Gilly's baby with Mance Ryder's one, again, to prevent another prince to be killed.

And so, this is in short what happens in fourth book of the Song of Ice and Fire series.

Have you read all the books yet? I'm just missing the fifth, I think I'm going for it during Summer. Also, do you watch the TV show? Are you happy with what is going on?

Talk to you very soon,

M.