Spencer's Bookcase

A Feast for Crows

Feast for Crows: Song of Ice & Fire Book 4 : Martin, George R.R.: Amazon.ca: Books

Title: A Feast for Crows

Author: George R.R Martin

Genre: Fantasy

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire #4

Pages: 978

Synopsis:

Crows will fight over a dead man’s flesh, and kill each other for his eyes.

Bloodthirsty, treacherous and cunning, the Lannisters are in power on the Iron Throne in the name of the boy-king Tommen. The war in the Seven Kingdoms has burned itself out, but in its bitter aftermath new conflicts spark to life.

The Martells of Dorne and the Starks of Winterfell seek vengeance for their dead. Euron Crow’s Eye, as black a pirate as ever raised a sail, returns from the smoking ruins of Valyria to claim the Iron Isles. From the icy north, where Others threaten the Wall, apprentice Maester Samwell Tarly brings a mysterious babe in arms to the Citadel.

Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory will go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel and the coldest hearts.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Out of the ASOIAF series books that I have read so far, this was the hardest for me to review. So let’s talk about the good here first. I did find it very readable. I don’t know if it’s just me but I feel like the dialogue has improved in A Feast for Crows. I also really like the character development in characters such as Brienne (more on her later), Jaime Lannister, and Cersei Lannister. Through the POV Chapters of Cersei Lannister, we understood her character so much better and we also understand her motivations such as she wants to be a better leader than her father, that a woman ruler can be effective and lastly she wants to protect her children. I think her chapters were the best in the book especially with the political intrigue and the conflict with the Sparrows (the Religious Zealots in the book).

One of my favourite things about this whole series is the world of Westeros and the worldbuilding. This book is probably the best so far when it comes to worldbuilding. As we explore a lot more of Westeros: We get to explore the City of Braavos, The Iron Islands, the Region of Dorne, and a little bit of the Citadel. We get to learn more about the culture in these places, how they are governed (The Iron Islands for example sometimes elect their leaders through the Kingsmoot), more about its people and we even learn more about the Religions of Westeros (the Faith of the Seven, the Many-Faced God and the Drowned God).

I also just want to say that the Kingsmoot chapter was one of my favourite parts of the entire book and I thought it was a good way of introducing the growing threat of Euron Greyjoy.

And now… for the bad. The first major problem I have is some of the POV Characters. Some of the POV Characters I didn’t like or just couldn’t care less about: Areo Hotah and Aeron Greyjoy. When I read those chapters… I just didn’t really care about them and their problems.

The next major criticism is some of the storylines. Some of the storylines I thought were pretty weak. While I do appreciate the world-building and Brienne’s character development in her storyline. And I do enjoy her POV chapters for the most part. I just kind of felt that her storyline was just a big wild goose chase trying to find Sansa and she doesn’t get anywhere close to finding Sansa at the end of the book! There were times when I wanted to shout: “Just go to the Vale already!”

I also found the Dorne storyline pretty bad. Princess Arianne’s plans are pretty bad when you stopped to think about it. I get that Arianne wants revenge but her plan to create Civil War through the crowning of Myrcella is just stupid. She doesn’t have the full support of Dorne and she has zero allies anywhere else in Westeros. I only like the reveal of Prince Doran’s plan to ally with Daenerys.

This is more of a minor criticism but I kind of do miss seeing some of my favourite characters such as Tyrion, Stannis Baratheon, and Daenerys. Their absence in this book was definitely felt.

So again, reviewing this is difficult. I really do appreciate the character development and the worldbuilding that went into this. I think when it comes to world-building this was my favourite in this series. And again very readable with some of the best dialogue in the series so far. But some of the POV Characters and the storylines were pretty weak. This was not my favourite book in this series but I still do see the value in this book and I continue to be impressed by the work George R.R Martin put into his fantasy world and his characters.

Rating:

Monthly Wrap Up: September 2021

Hi everyone! So I’m trying to produce more content for this blog. So every month I’m going to be doing updates on my reading and other things I’m up to in the past month. So let’s get to it!

Books Read: 1

A Storm of Swords: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Three : Martin, George R. R.: Amazon.ca: Books

I managed to finally get this book done! And I feel very accomplished just being able to finish reading this! I know it took a long time but reading 1, 128 pages was no easy task. And with things slowly opening up and this being the best time to be outside enjoying the weather, I just haven’t have as much time to read as I had wish in the past few weeks.

This has been the biggest book I have ever read so far in my life, and successfully reading this has given me new confidence in myself: If I can read this I can read through anything. So bring it on!

Currently Reading: A Feast for Crows

So far I’m about 242 pages in (I’ve been finding a lot more time to read in the past week). Now I’m aware that that this tends to be considered the weaker book in the series. But so far I’m finding the book very readable and interesting. The first four chapters (not including the Prologue) gives us four new POV Characters (One character we got introduced in A Clash of Kings that hasn’t been seen since, a new character for the Dorne Storyline and two characters who have never had a POV Chapter up until now) which to me is a very interesting way of starting the book. Which is starting the book having new POV Characters and not starting with previous POV characters from the previous books. So far I am okay with this and liking the book so far.

Series I’m Watching:

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 7) - Wikipedia

I watched quite a bit of TV for the month of September: I watched Season 7 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine which continues to be a great comedy series to watch and I’m surprised how good this series continues to be.

I also watched Doctor Who Series 12. Personally I thought this season was pretty good except for the last episode. There was quite a few cool episodes such as “Fugitive of the Judoon” and “The Haunting of Villa Diodati”, Jodie Whittaker remains an enjoyable Doctor. I felt the last episode undid almost 60 years of lore in just one episode and it felt like such an asspull. The MVP in this season has to be Sacha Dhawan as The Master though.

Now I’m watching the Second Season of Broadchurch. And this continues to be an excellent Crime Drama series. If you never watched Broadchurch it is a drama series well worth watching.

Plans for next month:

I’m planning on trying to aim to read at least one hour per day. I previously aimed to read 15-20 minutes a day and I’m slowly trying to reach an hour a day so I can read more and try to speed things up a bit.

I know the year isn’t over yet but I’m already starting to think about my reading list for next year. I plan to do a post about my reading list either closer to the end of the year or beginning of the new year. I won’t reveal too much but I am interested in giving The Wheel of Time series a try, but if I do decide to review the entire series. I won’t be doing it like what I’m doing now with the ASOIAF series. Simply because there’s 14 books and a Prequel and I do want to read other books.

See you all soon!

A Storm of Swords

Title: A Storm of Swords

Author: George R.R Martin

Genre: Fantasy

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire#3

Pages: 1,128

Synopsis:

Of the five contenders for power, one is dead, another in disfavor, and still the wars rage, alliances are made and broken. Joffrey sits on the Iron Throne, the uneasy ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. His most bitter rival, Lord Stannis, stands defeated and disgraced, victim of the sorceress who holds him in her evil thrall. Young Robb still rules the North from the fortress of Riverrun. Meanwhile, making her way across a blood-drenched continent is the exiled queen, Daenerys, mistress of the only three dragons left in the world. And as opposing forces maneuver for the final showdown, an army of barbaric wildlings arrives from the outermost limits of civilization, accompanied by a horde of mystical Others – a supernatural army of the living dead whose animated corpses are unstoppable. As the future of the land hangs in the balance, no one will rest until the Seven Kingdoms have exploded in a veritable storm of swords….

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Wow, this was the longest book I have ever read at 1,128 pages! And it was definitely a wild ride. This book took me on a wild ride of emotions happiness in some scenes, shock, sadness, anger, disbelief and I enjoyed every minute of it! This book so far is my favourite of the ASOIAF series. Beginning to end it had story: there was something happening all the time and it made it hard for me to put the book down!

George R.R Martin continues his very well-thought out world building, characterization (Jaime Lannister, Stannis Baratheon and Danerys Targaryen, Sandor Clegane were characters that definitely got a lot of good characterization and development in this book), the lore, the set up of each scene. I just love how this series is a series that can go in almost any direction!

**Do Not Read For Spoilers**

A Storm of Swords have so many iconic scenes: the Red Wedding, Daenerys getting her Unsullied army, Joffrey’s Death, the fight between Oberyn and Gregor Clegane, Mance Rayder’s attack on the wall, Tyrion’s escape and the death of Tywin, Lysa’s Death etc. are all in this one book! And it amazes me how all these awesome scenes all take place here in this book and it being so well written!

**Spoilers End Here**

My main criticism of this book is Bran’s Storyline. I found Bran’s Storyline a little lacking compared to the previous two books. While I did like how Bran got to meet Samwell Tarly, there really wasn’t a whole lot going on with Bran’s storyline. He’s mostly just travelling and we already know that he has powers due to him being a warg. Fortunately there wasn’t many Bran chapters as there was in the pervious books.

This Epic Fantasy of George R.R Martin continues to be a great read and I look forward to reading the rest of this series! Onto A Feast for Crows!

Rating:

A Clash of Kings

Title: A Clash of Kings

Author: George R.R Martin

Genre: Fantasy

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire#2

Pages: 969

Synopsis:

A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the ancient citadel of Dragonstone to the forbidding shores of Winterfell, chaos reigns. Six factions struggle for control of a divided land and the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms, preparing to stake their claims through tempest, turmoil, and war.

It is a tale in which brother plots against brother and the dead rise to walk in the night. Here a princess masquerades as an orphan boy; a knight of the mind prepares a poison for a treacherous sorceress; and wild men descend from the Mountains of the Moon to ravage the countryside. Against a backdrop of incest and fratricide, alchemy and murder, victory may go to the men and women possessed of the coldest steel…and the coldest hearts. For when kings clash, the whole land trembles.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

So when I started reading this series, I commented that “This book so far is the longest book I’ve read this year.” Well, this book definitely topped that in terms of length. As this was definitely longer and I just started reading A Storm of Swords.

A Clash of Kings continues the story from A Game of Thrones, where the story is expanded, we get more worldbuilding and a ton of lore. And the politicking increases in the sequel to A Game of Thrones. With this book, I finally understood Stannis Baratheon’s character (I didn’t understand his character in the TV show) and the ending of Theon’s story got me surprised even! The differences between the book series and the tv series are becoming much more apparent in A Clash of Kings. Every praise I gave from A Game of Thrones still holds true here. I continue to love this series and this book continues the high-quality work from George R.R Martin.

Now my only criticism of this book is more nitpicks. I found it interesting how a lot of the battles were done off-screen and we are instead told what happened. I feel it would have been better if we were shown at least one of the battles that happened as I think it would have kept the stakes high and things even more entertaining. However, we did get one battle with Blackwater Bay so I can’t complain too much. The rest of my criticism is the same as the previous book: Too many minor characters to keep track of!

All in all, just like the first book in the series, I found it very hard to put this book down as I just had to keep reading to find out what happens next! I look forward to the next book on to A Storm of Swords!

Rating:

A Gift Upon the Shore

Title: A Gift Upon The Shore

Author: M.K. Wren

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Novel

Pages: 374

Synopsis:

In the Pacific Northwest of the near future, the golden age has ended in apocalypse. Nuclear war has unleased firestorms and the killing cold of nuclear winter. Earthquakes and tidal waves have ravaged the West Coast of America. Desperate violent looters comb the devastated land. And a horrifying pandemic lays waste to the remaining human population. But one of the few survivors, Mary Hope, is determined to see that some spark of culture survives. Together with her beloved friend Rachel, she sets out to preserve the precious knowledge of the past by saving every book she can in what may very well be the last library – the only record of a world that has perished. But Mary and Rachel are not alone. They are forced to share their small subsistence farm, Amarna, with the Flock, a small band of survivors with fanatical beliefs. And one of those beliefs is that books are blasphemous and should be destroyed.

My Thoughts:

A Gift Upon the Shore to put it simply is a story of friendship, having a purpose in life even when human civilization is practically non-existent, and more importantly the power of books. If you are a lover of books, you will like this book. Rachel and Mary devote their lives to save books to prevent human knowledge from going to waste. I also really enjoyed the friendship between Rachel and Mary.

However, this book does have some flaws. Some of the decisions of Mary Hope, I thought was: Why would you do that? She made some very questionable decisions in this book. One of them was her decision of joining the Ark, a group of religious fundamentalists that only believe in one book: The Bible, and hate all other books! Mary a not-so-religious person and a lover of books decide to join the Ark! I would never join that group simply because I love books!

Warning: The next paragraph is a spoiler: Skip this paragraph if you do not want to get spoiled!

I know this is a nitpick but there was one part of the book that really bothered me. And that was Mary Hope’s Pregnancy. In this part, Mary Hope gets pregnant and does the whole procedure all by herself! Now, I know that Mary is a very intelligent person and has some medical knowledge, but performing a pregnancy all by yourself and surviving seems very difficult to me. I don’t have any real medical knowledge myself but I think it’s very difficult for this to happen. According to Mary she lived all alone for 19 years and didn’t see another human soul during that time. 19 years is a long time without human contact. I’m not even sure if I could go that long and I am an introvert. I’m not too sure about that part.

**Spoilers have now ended**

This is the second Post-Apocalyptic Novel that I read this year. And I do have to say overall, I enjoyed this book so much more than One Second After. It had a decent story, much better characters and it’s a story about loving books. This was a much better story to read. And if you are a real lover of books, this is a book that might be worth your time.

Rating:

Brave New World

Title: Brave New World

Author: Aldous Huxley

Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction

Pages: 229

Synopsis:

Far in the future, the World Controllers have created the ideal society. Through clever use of genetic engineering, brainwashing and recreational sex and drugs, all its members are happy consumers. Bernard Marx seems alone in feeling discontent. Harbouring an unnatural desire for solitude, and a perverse distaste for the pleasure of compulsory promiscuity, Bernard has an ill-defined longing to break free. A visit to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations, where the old, imperfect life still continues, may be the cure for his distress.…

(from goodreads)

My Thoughts:

This book was a disappointment to me. While I did like that it was very readable, and I love the philosophy in the book between Happiness vs Freedom. I also found the concept of the Utopia interesting. However other than that it wasn’t very good.

None of the main characters were that likable. The only two characters that I did like were John (who was arguing for Freedom) and Mustapha Mond (arguing for happiness) as I did like the philosophy debate they had near the end of the novel.

One of my main criticisms of this novel is that this story is told by the Alpha Caste. All of the named characters come from this Caste. We don’t get any real characters from the other castes in this society. Which I feel is a missed opportunity. While we do know what the other castes are and their purposes, I feel that having a Point of View from the rest of the Castes could have added more to the story and help with the world-building in this book. Giving us only the Alpha Caste’s POV gives a very narrow perspective in this novel.

I also feel that if the story was told in the First Person with Bernard Marx. It would have really improved his character development. I feel we would understand this character a lot more if this story was told from his perspective. To be honest Bernard Marx was the worst main protagonist in a book I’ve read so far this year. He originally started off interesting by being the person who was questioning everything and being a bit of an outsider. But when Bernard brings John back with him from the trip. Bernard uses John for his own selfish desires and quickly becomes a selfish jerk.

I also found the worship of Henry Ford in this novel just very far-fetched to me.

I usually like reading dystopian/utopian novels, but this has got to be the weakest novel I’ve ever read in the genre so far.

Rating:

So I decided to read A Song of Ice and Fire Series

A Song Of Ice And Fire: answering the big questions - Den of Geek

So after some thought, Internet Searching and getting advice from my friends. I’ve decided that I will read the rest of A Song of Ice and Fire Series. I really enjoyed A Game of Thrones the first in this series, and I think it’s way better than the TV Series! I think this was the best fantasy book I’ve read in a long time. I just got my copies of the books today!

Now while I still have concerns over whether George R.R. Martin will finish the books, that does not mean that I can’t still enjoy them! I guess I’ll just hope and pray that George R.R Martin will finish the rest of the book series someday.

I do want to address one elephant in the room. Earlier this year I announced that I would participate in Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2021. The reason for why I decided to take this challenge earlier this year was to read more and have a way of holding myself accountable to that goal. With these books being very longer than the average book, along with my full time job, another blog I run and life in general. It will take longer for me to read these books which could put reaching my goal in jeopardy (it would also mean uploading less on this blog as evidenced by the first book in the series). To me though, I think I’m ok if I don’t reach the goal. While the amount of books I read is important to me, quality also is very important. I think it’s better to enjoy the books you are reading as opposed to just simply reading through a bunch of books and not really enjoying them.

I haven’t started reading the rest of the series yet, but earlier this week I managed to finish another book (a book review will be posted this weekend). And I kind of already started another book before I got the books today (you can also expect a review on that book in the future). As soon as I am done with the current books that I am reading, I will then begin reading A Clash of Kings. Once I’m done reading all of the books, I plan to do a ranking of all the books in the series.

I can’t wait to read the rest of the series! Here’s to more reading! And I hope you can all join me as I continue reading A Song of Ice and Fire series!

A Game of Thrones

Title: A Game of Thrones

Author: George R.R Martin

Genre: Fantasy

Series: A Song of Ice and Fire#1

Pages: 807

Synopsis:

In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes of the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

(from goodreads)

My Thoughts:

This book so far is the longest book I’ve read this year. And I actually enjoyed every minute of this book. It’s a very well-written story, with very complicated and well-written characters (the characters that the book mainly focuses on that is), great world-building such as the history of locations such as The Wall, Winterfell and so much more! I was immersed very quickly into the story and the world that we were in. I just love the amount of detail and work that went into this book. There’s way more detail, better character writing, character motivation, and story than the TV show! This may be the best book I’ve read so far this year!

The only main criticism I have in this book is one of the criticisms I have for the TV Series: There are too many minor characters in this book to keep track of! Now don’t get me wrong the main characters are actually very strong and are definitely the characters you should care most about. But almost every single chapter they keep introducing a new minor character and it’s easy to lose track of who’s who.

Now the only question that I ask myself is: Should I continue reading the rest of A Song of Ice and Fire series? I am excited and want to read more, but the series is still not complete. And I’m just not sure if George R.R Martin is going to finish this series. As there still are two more books left in the series with no release date in sight. If you want me to read the rest of this series, please let me know in the comments as to whether or not I should continue.

If you are looking for an Epic Fantasy book to get into: A Game of Thrones is a great choice.

Rating:

Nausea

Title: Nausea

Author: Jean-Paul Sartre

Genre: Philosophical Fiction

Pages: 178

Synopsis:

Nausea is the story of Antoine Roquentin, a French writer who is horrified at his own existence. In impressionistic, diary form he ruthlessly catalogues his every feeling and sensation. His thoughts culminate in a pervasive, overpowering feeling of nausea which “spreads at the bottom of the viscous puddle, at the bottom of our time — the time of purple suspenders and broken chair seats; it is made of wide, soft instants, spreading at the edge, like an oil stain.” Roquentin’s efforts to come to terms with life, his philosophical and psychological struggles, give Sartre the opportunity to dramatize the tenets of his Existentialist creed.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Nausea is the story of Antoine Roquentin, a person who is terrified by his existence. Roquentin goes through an Existential Crisis, asking himself questions about his existence, his place in the world, and what it all means.

When we do get to the Existential Crisis in the novel was when things started getting really interesting. I really liked how they handle Antoine’s Existential Crisis and the Existential questions that were being asked in the novel. The Existential Crisis part of the book had me kept turning the pages wondering where they were going with this.

I am very into Existentialism and I am glad that I read this book. As it really dove into the human condition and the deep existential questions that come from Existentialism. Jean-Paul Sartre’s Philosophical Views is on full display here and is a great introduction to Existentialism. I really recommend this book if you are into Philosophy and Existentialism.

Rating:

The Outsider

Title: The Outsider or The Stranger or L’Étranger

Author: Albert Camus

Genre: Philosophical Fiction

Pages: 117

Synopsis:

Meursault is different. He will not lie. He will not pretend. He is true to himself.

So when his mother dies and he is unmoved, he refuses to do the proper thing and grieve. Returning to Algiers after the funeral, he carries on life as usual until he becomes involved in a violent murder.

In court, it is clear that Meursault’s guilt or innocence will not be determined by what he did or did not do.

He is on trial for being different – an outsider.

(from Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

The Outsider made for a very well-thought-out read that made you question the meaning of your life. The story revolves around a man named Meursault a man who was indifferent to well… everything. Meursault went around believing none of what he does even matters. Including his love life, as when his girlfriend Marie asks him to marry her. Meursault tells her that he doesn’t love her and marrying her doesn’t matter, but still decides to marry her anyway. After killing the Arab in the story, Meursault goes on trial and the trial makes you question whether he is on trial for actually murdering the Arab or is he on trial simply for being different than everyone.

The book has Absurdist themes which isn’t a surprise since Albert Camus was a well-known Absurdist. As our main character believes that his life doesn’t matter and the choices he makes don’t matter since he is going to die eventually. I also noticed the theme of authenticity (which to me is a major theme in Existentialism and Absurdism). Meursault stays true to himself even when it doesn’t benefit him. And this is what makes him well an Outsider. He recognizes the absurdity of the universe and he stays authentic and true to himself even in a world that sees him as awkward, cold, and remote.

Meursault does make an interesting case study into Absurdist and Authenticity Philosophy and that’s what makes him such an interesting main character. It was a short read but just because it’s short doesn’t mean it’s bad. I prefer a good story over a long and drawn-out story. I recommend this book if you are into Philosophy, Existentialism and Absurdist thought. I don’t recommend this book if you are uncomfortable about asking yourself Existential/Absurdist questions.

Rating: