waiting for George

After deciding not to splurge on the UK version last month, I finally procured a copy of George R. R. Martin's latest novel from a friend, last Friday. The agreement was that I would return it before she left for Thanksgiving, so I stayed up until 3am on Saturday, and managed to finish it Sunday afternoon, despite a busy weekend schedule.

I'll probably need at least one more read before I'm ready to make any real commentary, but I do agree with the readers who complained about the "unfinished" nature of the book, and I disagree with those who thought there was too much emphasis on fringe characters and backstories. Personally, I think one of Martin's greatest strengths is characterization, and I like the way he uses secondary characters to develop central protagonists. I also enjoy all the intricate plot details that he includes in his novels; I'm looking forward to rereading the first three in the series again, to help clarify my thoughts on the newest book.

Now I'm hoping it doesn't take him another five years to write the next one.