Why “A Feast For Crows” was my favorite Ice and Fire book (and why it isn’t anymore)

As I work my way back through A Song of Ice and Fire I’ve come to realize that my attention is being focused in different areas of the story as when I first read it. Given the narrative structure of the series it’s only natural that you become more attached to some characters than others, and it’s easy to just glaze over characters or plot threads that don’t particularly interest you. My first pass through the series, I fell in love with the political intrigue of Westeros and all the warring and whoring of the Seven Kingdoms. Characters who were detached from that, from what I considered the “real” plot… well, I kind of skimmed passed them quicker than I should have.

When you’re on the edge of your seat waiting for Tyrion’s next scheme to unfold, or to see whose name Arya whispers next, why would you want to waste time reading about Daenerys riding around on a horse, or Jon going ghost-hunting in the woods?

So when word came down that A Feast for Crows was going to be split in half and wouldn’t include anyone across the Narrow Sea or beyond the Wall, my heart sang. Who wants to hear Bran whine about being a cripple for six more chapters anyway? Give me the relevant bits and leave the dragons and wargs out of it.

Well, on my current journey I find myself far more enamoured with the dragons and wargs. I’m finding that many of these Bran and Jon and Dany chapters are really getting read for the first time. Inevitably, I’ll get back around to Feast and be frustrated that I’m stuck in Westeros, rather than elated.

The sweetness of it is, of course, that when A Dance with Dragons finally comes out I’ll be right in the places I want; with Dany across the sea, or Jon on the Wall, or Bran beyond it. And hey, he’s throwing Tyrion back in for good measure. I may have a renewed interest in the magic’n’sorcery aspect of the books, but I still have a soft spot for a good scheme now and again.