A Dance with Dragons

Article written by Joshua Ehiosun

C2 certified writer.

‘A Dance with Dragons’ is the second longest book in A Song of Ice and Fire. Its story overlaps the events of its predecessor and shows different perspectives on the events happening in Essos and Westeros. The story portrays the complex nature of politics and how it affects the lives of everyone, from the leaders to the commoners.

Key Facts about A Dance with Dragons

• Author: George R. R. Martin.
• Book Inspiration: From J. R. R. Tolkien to the War of the Roses, George R. R. Martin garnered inspiration from his interactions with people and history. His love for imagination and fiction made him craft the characters in his story, and his hatred of wars inspired him to write novels that dive into the details of how war breaks societies.
• Publication Date: June 12, 2011.
• Literary Period: Contemporary.
• Point of View: Limited third-person.
• Setting: Beyond the Wall, Westeros, Essos.
• Climax: ‘A Dance with Dragons’ has many thrilling endings. On the Wall, Jon bargains with Tormund Giantsbane to let the wildlings pass through the wall. However, tension rises among the brothers of the Night’s Watch, and when Jon gets caught up in a dispute, his fellow brothers, including Bowen Marsh, stab him with their knives. In Meereen, Daenerys reopens the fighting pits after marrying Hizdahr. The noise attracts Drogon, who causes destruction. To prevent further destruction, Daenerys rides on him away from the city. She then gets discovered by Khal Jhoqo.
• Protagonists: Jon Snow, Arya, Daenerys, Theon, Bran, Davos, Tyrion.
• Antagonists: Cersei.
• Planned Sequel: ‘The Winds of Winter.’
• Preceded by: ‘A Feast for Crows.’

George R. R. Martin and A Dance with Dragons

‘A Dance with Dragons’ is the fifth novel in the seven planned novels of A Song of Ice and Fire. George R. R. Martin had initially planned for it to be the fourth novel but split it as it was too lengthy. Though fans expected him to release the novel a year after ‘A Feast for Crows,’ it took George six years to publish it. Many fans have since expressed dissatisfaction with George’s slow-paced writing as it has been 11 years, and ‘The Winds of Winter’ is yet to be released.

Books Related to A Dance with Dragons

‘A Dance with Dragons’ brings tension into George’s war-torn world. As the novel dives into politics and the nature of cause and effect, many stories have a similar structure. Here is a list of them:

• ‘Foundation’ by Isaac Asimov is a science fiction novel that tells the story of how a mathematician and psychologist, Hari Seldon, invents a new field of science that successfully predicts the future of large societies. The novel contains five stories with events that happen in different time eras. After Hari Seldon creates Psychohistory, he discovers that the 12,000-year-old Galactic Empire is slowly decaying and realizes that its destruction will set humanity into a dark age that will last for 30,000 years. To avert the crisis, Hari goes before the Commission of Public Safety with a plan to create a group responsible for compounding all of the knowledge of humanity into the Encyclopedia Galactica. He forms the group which travels to the planet Terminus. Decades later, a series of events begin happening; this makes the descendants of the Foundation realize that they got sent to Terminus for a much bigger purpose than compounding the Encyclopedia Galactica.
• ‘The Hobbit’ by J. R. R. Tolkien is a children’s fantasy novel that tells the story of Bilbo Baggins, an adventure-loving hobbit who goes on a journey to help some dwarves return to their ancestral home filled with many treasures. Bilbo and the dwarves travel into the wild as they begin their journey. On the way, they encounter trolls, but Gandalf saves them. The group faces more creatures and gets saved by Gandalf. Bilbo gets separated from the group when they meet some goblins. He gets lost in the goblins’ tunnels and comes across a mysterious ring. He meets Gollum, who makes him play a game of riddles. Gollum tells Bilbo that if he wins, he will show him a way out of the tunnel, but losing will cost him his life. Bilbo then uses the ring, which makes him invincible, to escape and join the dwarves. The dwarves eventually take possession of the mountain and its treasure. Bilbo collects a small portion of the riches and returns home a wealthy hobbit.
• ‘Gardens of the Moon’ by Steve Erikson tells the story of the power struggle in the intercontinental region controlled by the Malazan Empire. After the Emperor of the Malazan Empire’s assassination, a series of wars get raged by the Malazan to conquer the continent of Genabackis. The war ravages the continent, leading to massive destruction on both sides of the war.

The Lasting Impact of A Dance with Dragons