Commentaires: Villers-lès-Nancy

Résumé: A Feast for Crows arrives with the weight of expectation crushing it. Three years overdue and split in two because of its length, A Feast for Crows was never going to appeal to everyone. Arguably the three main key characters of the series - Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister - are not present, having been shunted into the fifth book, A Dance with Dragons (out in 12-18 months time). A Feast for Crows instead focuses on the aftermath of the opening three books of the series. The War of the Five Kings is all but over. The Lannister-Tyrell alliance is victorious, King Tommen sits the Iron Throne under the watchful eye of his mother, the Queen Regent Cersei Lannister, and the rival King Stannis Baratheon has fled into the far north. All that is left to win the war is to capture Stannisx27; lightly-held strongholds of Stormx27;s End and Dragonstone and force the surrender of Riverrun, still held by bannermen loyal to the dead King Robb Stark. Arya Stark has fled across the sea to the Free City of Braavos, whilst Sansa Stark has been secreted in the Vale of Arryn as the ward of Petyr x27;Littlefingerx27; Baelish. Meanwhile, Brienne of Tarth has embarked on her quest to find the missing Sansa and Arya and Samwell Tarly is en route from the Wall to Oldtown to search for information on the evil Others. Meanwhile, in the Iron Islands the Greyjoy family is riven by rival claimants for the throne, and in Dorne Prince Martell is under pressure to declare war against the Lannisters for the death of his brother.
AFFC is about picking up the pieces after the epic struggles of the previous volumes. There are two major battles but one happens off-screen and we join the other as it is about to end. This novel is more about politicking, prophecies and preparing for what is to come next. Cerseix27;s stupidity (untempered by a loyal advisor for the first time) and her grief over Joffreyx27;s death and her fatherx27;s murder is threatening to destroy everything the Lannisters have worked for these past twenty years. The Tyrellsx27; ambition is becoming more pronounced. The Martells of Dorne have a shockingly ambitious plan that is years in the making and not done yet. The Faith of the Seven is trying to restore its reputation as protectors of the people, not sycophants to the king. In Oldtown the Conclave of Maesters are playing their own game.
A Feast for Crows is deep, powerfully-written and Machivellian in scope. Characters are seeking power (Euron, Cersei, Victarion) or redemption (Arys Oakheart, Brienne, Jaime), but rarely finding what they are looking for. The post-war Seven Kingdoms is a murky world where one misstep means death, but a lucky gambler can win all. Perhaps the book lacks the thunderous pace of its predecessors, but its quiet and subtle advancement of the story is every bit as gripping and surprising. The book has its flaws - the Dornish and Iron Island chapters could have been done through one new POV character apiece rather than introducing numerous one-off characters - but these are minor. The biggest gripe is the use of the old maps, but that was a publishing mistake, not GRRMx27;s.
AFFC is a superb book which confirms Martinx27;s place at the forefront of modern epic fantasy.