Bantam, the publisher of mega-author George R.R. Martin, has just released the official blurb which will appear on the dust jacket of the novel.
It’s a sad day indeed when we have to get so excited as something as small as this, but… well, there it is. It sounds pretty damn awesome, if you ask me and Martin has yet to let me down (A Feast for Crows haters be damned) and this novel has many of my favourite characters (No Jaime = *sad face*…) and I’m looking forward to seeing Martin show us once again why he’s on top of the industry.
The blurb (which contains spoilers for the earlier novels in the series) is hidden after the jump.
A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
by George R.R. Martin
First Serial, British, Translation, and Performance: Aurous, Inc., 212-628-9729
October
Fiction
Dubbed “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin’s monumental cycle of epic fantasy, “A Song of Ice and Fire,” has earned him international acclaim. Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author delivers the fifth book in his spellbinding landmark series-as both familiar faces and surprising new forces vie for a foothold in a fragmented empire.
In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again-beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in mind. To the north lies the mammoth wall of ice and stone-a structure only as strong as those guarding it. There, Jon Snow, 998th Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, will face his greatest challenge yet. For he has powerful foes, not only within the Watch, but also beyond, in the land of the creatures of ice. And from all corners, bitter conflicts soon re-ignite, intimate betrayals are perpetrated, and a grand cast of outlaws and priests, soldiers and skinchangers, nobles and slaves, will face seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Some will fail, others will grow in the strength of darkness. But in a time of rising restlessness, the tides of destiny and politics will lead inevitably to the greatest dance of all…
You can also check out the official Ice and Fire update page (where he infrequently updates us on the progress of the book, among other things) HERE. Also be sure to go out and buy his short story collections Dreamsongs volumes One and Two, which collects short stories from all through Martin’s illustrious writing career. You might just be surprised how much more there is to the man’s bibliography besides A Song of Ice and Fire!
It just means that ADwD may actually happen this year if they are willing to release the blurb. And THAT is some good news.
[…] Blog A Dribble of Ink ist jetzt der (angebliche) offizielle Klappentext vom Verlag Bantam zum fünften Buch von George R. […]
Actually, there’s no guarantee it will be out this year either. “A Dance with Dragons” has been solicited for sales to the bookstores last year — and the book is still not finished as we speak.
This blurb is just some preliminary work that they do, and they will just tack it on the book as and when it is ready. Which might be this year. Or not.
In fact, unless we get that magical little announcement that it’s done in the next month or so, I doubt there’s a chance it’ll see a release this year.
It takes a heck of a while to edit a novel, especially one that large, and Bantam would still need to squeeze him into their schedule somewhere. Though at this point it could just be that Martin gets released when Martin’s ready to be released, schedule be damned.
[…] anticipated books released in the same day! To top it off, they’re both terrific! Between the recently revealed cover blurb and this new cover, an optimist might actually start to wonder if we might not see A Dance with […]