quote:Many have felt the same way about Quentyn's story line, but we can't really know the real impact that it has on the overall story until the later books are released. Some aren't even convinced that he is dead (although there is a theory that almost every character isn't really dead at this point).
It goes without saying, but spoilers.
It has taken me a while, but I finished book 5 yesterday and I have some mixed emotions. I can say that it was my least favorite book so far, but I am not sure if that is based on the actual book or the fact that I had seen the complete show to date prior to reading the other books (besides book 1). I am not sure if the fact that I knew the plan of the story-line made the other books more enjoyable or if this book was just way too disjointed with so many different story-lines.
I liked book 4 a lot better so I am thinking my actual issue is with the book. I appreciate the depth of the GOT world, and the amount of details, but it just seems as if book 5 had way too much going on that did little to advance the actual story. The Dornish prince is the best example where we have a hundred of pages devoted to a minor character, who just ends up dead and there could have been tons of other alternative ways to end up with dragons released.
I also am disappointed with Arya's and Tyrion's progression but that might have something to do with them being central to the show but not as key in this book.
What are some other's thoughts on the book and where does the TV show end up? Seems like the show is quickly going to surpass the books.
The show is definitely catching up to the books and will possibly surpass them in some story lines this next season. I think the tv show will end up in a similar place as the books since they know the ending, but it has already started to diverge, combine characters, etc. so it likely won't reach the same conclusion in the same way as the books.
If you feel like looking into more of the theories, there are plenty out there on Youtube, Westeros.org, & Reddit. I am currently rereading the series to pick up on many of the things that I did not before. There are many different story lines that could play a huge role in the overall story, but they could just as easily but cut short at any moment (Robb for example). It doesn't mean that they didn't have an influence on what happens though. GRRM has mentioned that the last few books had characters and story lines diverging from each other, but we should see them all coming back together more for the conclusion (we have already seen some characters/arcs crossing paths in the last few).