A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows is a fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin, first published in 2005. It is the fourth volume of the series A Song of Ice and Fire, following A Storm of Swords. The novel turns from the great battles of the earlier books to the exhausted, fractured aftermath of war, examining a realm picking through the wreckage of the War of the Five Kings.

Because of the manuscript's great length, George R. R. Martin divided the material by geography and character rather than by chronology, so that A Feast for Crows tells the concurrent story of certain characters while others are held for the following volume.

Overview

With several claimants to the Iron Throne dead or broken, the realm is weary and lawless. In King's Landing, Cersei Lannister rules as regent for her young son and becomes a viewpoint character for the first time, her growing paranoia and misjudgments steering the crown toward fresh disaster. Jaime Lannister is sent to bring the remaining war in the riverlands to a close.

In Dorne, the aftermath of Oberyn Martell's death stirs calls for vengeance, and the schemes of the Martells come to the fore. In the Iron Islands, the death of Balon Greyjoy prompts a kingsmoot to choose a new ruler, introducing the ambitions of his brothers. Brienne of Tarth wanders the war-ravaged riverlands in search of Sansa Stark, and Samwell Tarly journeys south on an errand for the Night's Watch.

Place in the series

A Feast for Crows covers events concurrent with the next volume, A Dance with Dragons, focusing on the southern and western regions of Westeros. Its principal viewpoint characters include Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister, Brienne of Tarth, Samwell Tarly, Sansa Stark (under an alias), Arya Stark, and several Dornish and Ironborn characters introduced for the first time.

The novel is quieter and more reflective than its predecessors, dwelling on the human cost of war and the difficulty of rebuilding, while seeding plots that come to fruition in later books.

Publication

A Feast for Crows was first published in 2005, five years after the previous volume. It debuted at the top of bestseller lists and, despite the unconventional split with the following book, was a major commercial success.