Dubbed the American Tolkien by Time magazine, George R. R. Martin has
earned international acclaim for his monumental cycle of epic fantasy. 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 reignite, 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. . . .
