A Dance with Dragons

A Dance with Dragons is a fantasy novel by George R. R. Martin, first published in 2011. It is the fifth volume of the series A Song of Ice and Fire, following A Feast for Crows. The novel covers events concerning the characters largely absent from the fourth book, telling their stories over the same span of time before the two narratives converge.

After a gap of six years between volumes, the book was among the most anticipated fantasy releases of its era and returns to many of the series' most prominent viewpoint characters.

Overview

In the east, Daenerys Targaryen rules the conquered slaver city of Meereen, struggling to govern a restive population, control her increasingly dangerous dragons, and decide whether to remain and rule or press on toward Westeros and the Iron Throne. Several figures journey toward her, including Tyrion Lannister, who flees Westeros after the events at the end of A Storm of Swords and travels east through a series of misadventures.

At the Wall, Jon Snow, now Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, faces the impossible task of preparing for the threat of the Others while managing the wildlings, the politics of Stannis Baratheon's presence, and dissent within his own order. In the north, Stannis Baratheon marches against the Boltons who hold Winterfell, and Theon Greyjoy, broken by captivity, becomes entangled in their schemes. Bran Stark continues his journey beyond the Wall toward the three-eyed crow.

Place in the series

A Dance with Dragons runs concurrently with A Feast for Crows before advancing past it in its later chapters. Its principal viewpoint characters include Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Tyrion Lannister, Theon Greyjoy, Davos Seaworth, Bran Stark, and several others, with the storylines of the two books beginning to reunite by the end.

The novel deepens the eastern storyline of Daenerys Targaryen and the northern storyline of the Night's Watch, advancing the looming supernatural threat while leaving several plots poised on dramatic cliffhangers.

Publication

A Dance with Dragons was first published in 2011, six years after A Feast for Crows. It was a major commercial success, topping bestseller lists worldwide, and remains the most recently published volume of the main series.