Quote Originally Posted by OumaFan View Post
the fifth book certainly lagged in the middle but overall I thought it was better than Crows. I liked both books but more in the sense of comparing them to other books. They don't stand up as well compared to the first three.

There are certain things that annoyed me about the fifth but it would be extremely spoiler-ish to discuss it. I could start another thread for readers only but really that would be geek overload. Its not as bad as talking about Lost (but what about the polar bear?), but its a bit much.
I'm about 150 pages into the 5th book. It's better than Crows, but it still hasn't grabbed me like book 1-3. I just think the story has become too bloated, fragmented, and disconnect. Martin has lost control.

Also, knowing the fat old bastard is going to die before it ever gets finished may also have helped kill my enthusiasm.