Rae of Light

A Dance with Dragons (After The Feast) by George R R Martin This book was as exasperating for me as the Dreams & Dust instalment, primarily because I knew much of the events from the TV series albeit in a truncated and slightly altered version. The name listing akin to the begats of the Bible was equally trying and pulled me away from the story far too many times for my liking. I wouldn’t have minded too much if it had been an isolated incidence, but it seemed to be almost everywhere. There were some lovely moments when characters voiced realisations about situations or their own flaws but in general I was a little under whelmed by this book.  I found myself eager to get to bits I was as yet unaware of. And while there were such moments, they were far too rare. It was pretty obvious that everyone who was anyone was gathering their forces as there are a few almighty battles in the offing. I did not find this section stirring or entertaining. My main thoug...

A Dance with Dragons (Dreams & Dust) by George R R Martin In this 5 th book in the series, I was very pleased to note that John Snow shares my frustrations about Samwell Tarly.  I loved how Martin shows John’s internal struggles with the hard choices forced upon his very young shoulders. I think the thing which the books remind us of very clearly is how young so many of the protagonists are. The TV series can often make them seem a lot older. What makes this aspect of the books particularly poignant for me is that the youth of so many of the characters is a constant reminder of how a world at war forces our children to grow up much too quickly. For me, the most frustrating thing about this book was that there is so much of it I already know from the television series. I kept reading on in the hopes I was going to get to something new. This is because the books do not stick to a specific chronology in the way the series does. The other aspect which annoyed...

A Feast For Crows by George R R Martin I just knew this book would get my brain in a swirl and I was so right. There were sections I loved and sections I groaned my way through.  This book is full of journeys, physical and metaphorical. Sam’s sea voyage to Braavos and beyond, Brienne’s fruitless search for Sansa, Myrcella’s trek across the Dornish desert, Arya’s ‘journey’ within the temple at Braavos. I loved all the extra detail about Samwell’s journey to Oldtown with Maester Aemon which the TV series only skirts over. I equally loved seeing John Snow grow from a young boy consumed by uncertainty into a youthful though excellent Lord Commander of the Nights Watch. I worried for the decisions I knew this new responsibility would impose on him. But I needn’t have feared. John Snow, having seen his father’s style of command, knows that every good leader must make hard choices and he makes them despite his youth. I confess I was a little irritated by Samwell’s con...

A Storm of Swords II by George R R Martin After starting on the set in September last year, I’m getting through the Game of Thrones series at quite a clip now. This is no doubt due to their intriguing nature and Martin’s writing style which makes reading this collection of books so easy. So far, my favourite character in every one of the books in this series is Tyrion Lannister. I find myself rooting for him at every step on his life journey.  He works so hard to be a better man despite people’s preconceptions. When he was made The Hand in the previous book I was not at all surprised that he did a good job of it. Tyrion reminds me of some of the talented yet underrated children I’ve taught in the past. Once they were given a task which excited and involved them they relished the challenge and surpassed all expectations. Unlike my students though, Tyrion receives no praise for his efforts and achievements. Perhaps I like him so much because he almost always has his now...