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GAME OF THRONES: A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES, NOW ON HBO.
Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in A Feast for Crows, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace . . . only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction.
A FEAST FOR CROWS
It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bitter strife and fatal treachery, the seven powers dividing the land have decimated one another into an uneasy truce. Or so it appears. . . . With the death of the monstrous King Joffrey, Cersei is ruling as regent in King’s Landing. Robb Stark’s demise has broken the back of the Northern rebels, and his siblings are scattered throughout the kingdom like seeds on barren soil. Few legitimate claims to the once desperately sought Iron Throne still exist—or they are held in hands too weak or too distant to wield them effectively. The war, which raged out of control for so long, has burned itself out.
But as in the aftermath of any climactic struggle, it is not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters start to gather, picking over the bones of the dead and fighting for the spoils of the soon-to-be dead. Now in the Seven Kingdoms, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed, while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—are seen emerging from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges ahead.
It is a time when the wise and the ambitious, the deceitful and the strong will acquire the skills, the power, and the magic to survive the stark and terrible times that lie before them. It is a time for nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages to come together and stake their fortunes . . . and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors. 作者简介
George R. R. Martin's bestselling A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series has earned him the title of 'the American Tolkien'. The first book of the series has been made into a HBO TV adaptation, A Game of Thrones. He is the author of eight novels, several collections of short stories and numerous screenplays for television drama and feature films. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
乔治·雷蒙德·理查德·马丁(Geoger Raymond Richard Martin)欧美奇幻小说大师。1948年9月20日出生于美国新泽西州的贝约恩,在伊利诺伊州伊凡斯顿的西北大学就读,主修新闻写作,1971年取得硕士学位。马丁的作品主要以人物为关注点,描写细腻丰富,突破了幻想文学界固有的创作模式,多次引领阅读潮流。代表作有十大浪漫太空歌剧之一的《光逝》、由雨果奖获奖名篇扩展而成的《风港》、在杂志读者群中深受爱戴的《图夫航行记》,以及当代正统奇幻的第一经典《冰与火之歌》等。由于马丁的辉煌成就,他被誉为美国的托尔金和新世纪的海明威。从1989年开始,马丁淡出文学界,转而投身演艺界发展,其中包括《美女与野兽》的编剧和The Twilight Zone的剧本编辑。1996年他才重返文坛而开始奇幻文学的创作,处女作便是《权力的游戏》(The Game Of Throne),即为《冰与火之歌》(The Song Of Fire And Ice)的首部曲。虽然封笔几近10年,但大师风范犹在,《权力的游戏》甫出便拿下了British Fantasy Society、 世界奇幻奖和星云奖年度最佳幻想作品提名,即使是由其中抽取章节编成的Blood of the Dragon也获得多个最佳中篇奖,在科幻奇幻界引起极大的反响。在非官方的不记名奇幻作品投票中,《冰与火之歌》俨然已经可以和《魔戒》平起平坐,作者网站的访问量也是和斯蒂芬·金、J.K.罗琳等不相上下,其受欢迎的程度可见一斑。他的读者群早已是远远的超越奇幻科幻爱好者的范围,而受到更为广泛的关注。
权力的游戏已在HBO播出。乔治·马丁被时代杂志评选为2011年影响世界的一百人。 精彩书评
"Of those who work in the grand epic-fantasy tradition, Martin is by far the best.... [He] is a tense, surging, insomnia-inflicting plotter and a deft and inexhaustible sketcher of personalities.... This is as good a time as any to proclaim him the American Tolkien."
—Time Magazine
"The only fantast series I'd put on a level with J.R.R. Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings…. It's a fantasy series for hip, smart people, even those who don't read fantasy…. If you're new to the series, you must begin with Book 1, A Game of Thrones. Once you're hooked…. you'll be like the rest of us fans, gnawing your knuckles until book 5.”
—Marta Salij, Detroit Free Press
“THE MOST impressive modern fantasy, both in terms of conception and execution, is George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.… A masterpiece that will be mentioned with the great works of fantasy.”
—Contra Costa Times
"Long-awaited doesn’t begin to describe this fourth installment in bestseller Martin's staggeringly epic Song of Ice and Fire."
—Publishers Weekly 精彩书摘
Cersei
She dreamt she sat the Iron Throne, high above them all.
The courtiers were brightly colored mice below. Great lords and proud ladies knelt before her. Bold young knights laid their swords at her feet and pleaded for her favors, and the queen smiled down at them. Until the dwarf appeared as if from nowhere, pointing at her and howling with laughter. The lords and ladies began to chuckle too, hiding their smiles behind their hands. Only then did the queen realize she was naked.
Horrified, she tried to cover herself with her hands. The barbs and blades of the Iron Throne bit into her flesh as she crouched to hide her shame. Blood ran red down her legs, as steel teeth gnawed at her buttocks. When she tried to stand, her foot slipped through a gap in the twisted metal. The more she struggled the more the throne engulfed her, tearing chunks of flesh from her breasts and belly, slicing at her arms and legs until they were slick and red, glistening.
And all the while her brother capered below, laughing. His merriment still echoed in her ears when she felt a light touch on her shoulder, and woke suddenly. For half a heartbeat the hand seemed part of the nightmare, and Cersei cried out, but it was only Senelle. The maid’s face was white and frightened.
We are not alone, the queen realized. Shadows loomed around her bed, tall shapes with chainmail glimmering beneath their cloaks. Armed men had no business here.
Where are my guards? Her bedchamber was dark, but for the lantern one of the intruders held on high. I must show no fear. Cersei pushed back sleep-tousled hair, and said, “What do you want of me?” A man stepped into the lantern light, and she saw his cloak was white. “Jaime?” I dreamt of one brother, but the other has come to wake me.
“Your Grace.” The voice was not her brother’s. “The Lord Commander said come get you.” His hair curled, as Jaime’s did, but her brother’s hair was beaten gold, like hers, where this man’s was black and oily. She stared at him, confused, as he muttered about a privy and a crossbow, and said her father’s name. I am dreaming still, Cersei thought. I have not woken, nor has my nightmare ended. Tyrion will creep out from under the bed soon and begin to laugh at me.
But that was folly. Her dwarf brother was down in the black cells, condemned to die this very day. She looked down at her hands, turning them over to make certain all her fingers were still there. When she ran a hand down her arm the skin was covered with gooseprickles, but unbroken. There were no cuts on her legs, no gashes on the soles of her feet. A dream, that’s all it was, a dream. I drank too much last night, these fears are only humors born of wine. I will be the one laughing, come dusk. My children will be safe, Tommen’s throne will be secure, and my twisted little valonqar will be short a head and rotting.
Jocelyn Swyft was at her elbow, pressing a cup on her. Cersei took a sip: water, mixed with lemon squeezings, so tart she spit it out. She could hear the night wind rattling the shutters, and she saw with a strange sharp clarity. Jocelyn was trembling like a leaf, as frightened as Senelle. Ser Osmund Kettleblack loomed over her. Behind him stood Ser Boros Blount, with a lantern. At the door were Lannister guardsmen with gilded lions shining on the crests of their helmets. They looked afraid as well. Can it be? the queen wondered. Can it be true?
She rose, and let Senelle slip a bedrobe over her shoulders to hide her nakedness. Cersei belted it herself, her fingers stiff and clumsy. “My lord father keeps guards about him, night and day,” she said. Her tongue felt thick. She took another swallow of lemon water and sloshed it round her mouth to freshen her breath. A moth had gotten into the lantern Ser Boros was holding; she could hear it buzzing and see the shadow of its wings as it beat against the glass.
“The guards were at their posts, Your Grace,” said Osmund Kettleblack. “We found a hidden door behind the hearth. A secret passage. The Lord Commander’s gone down to see where it goes.”
“Jaime?” Terror seized her, sudden as a storm. “Jaime should be with the king . . .”
“The lad’s not been harmed. Ser Jaime sent a dozen men to look in on him. His Grace is sleeping peaceful.” Let him have a sweeter dream than mine, and a kinder waking. “Who is with the king?”
“Ser Loras has that honor, if it please you.”
It did not please her. The Tyrells were only stewards that the dragon-kings had upjumped far above their station. Their vanity was exceeded only by their ambition.
Ser Loras might be as pretty as a maiden’s dream, but underneath
his white cloak he was Tyrell to the bone. For all she knew, this night’s foul fruit had been planted and nurtured in Highgarden.
But that was a suspicion she dare not speak aloud.
“Allow me a moment to dress. Ser Osmund, you shall accompany me to the Tower of the Hand. Ser Boros, roust the gaolers and make certain the dwarf is still in his cell.” She would not say his name. He would never have found the courage to lift a hand against Father, she told herself, but she had to be certain.
“As Your Grace commands.” Blount surrendered the lantern to Ser Osmund. Cersei was not displeased to see the back of him. Father should never have restored him to the white. The man had proved himself a craven. By the time they left Maegor’s Holdfast, the sky had turned a deep cobalt blue, though the stars still shone. All but one, Cersei thought. The bright star of the west has fallen, and the nights will be darker now. She paused upon the drawbridge that spanned the dry moat, gazing down at the spikes below. They would not dare lie to me about such a thing. “Who found him?”
“One of his guards,” said Ser Osmund. “Lum. He felt a call of nature, and found his lordship in the privy.”
No, that cannot be. That is not the way a lion dies. The queen felt strangely calm. She remembered the first time she had lost a tooth, when she was just a little girl. It hadn’t hurt, but the hole in her mouth felt so odd she could not stop touching it with her tongue. Now there is a hole in the world where Father stood, and holes want filling.
If Tywin Lannister was truly dead, no one was safe . . . least of all her son upon his throne. When the lion falls the lesser beasts move in: the jackals and the vultures and the feral dogs. They would try to push her aside, as they always had. She would need to move quickly, as she had when Robert died. This might be the work of Stannis Baratheon, through some catspaw. It could well be the prelude to another attack upon the city. She hoped it was. Let him come. I will smash him, just as Father did, and this time he will die. Stannis did not frighten her, no more than Mace Tyrell did. No one frightened her. She was a daughter of the Rock, a lion. There will be no more talk of forcing me to wed again. Casterly Rock was hers now, and all the power of House Lannister. No one would ever disregard her again. Even when Tommen had no further need of a regent, the Lady of Casterly Rock would remain a power in the land.
The rising sun had painted the tower tops a vivid red, but beneath the walls the night still huddled. The outer castle was so hushed that she could have believed all its people dead. They should be. It is not fitting for Tywin Lannister to die alone. Such a man deserves a retinue to attend his needs in hell.
Four spearmen in red cloaks and lion-crested helms were posted at the door of the Tower of the Hand. “No one is to enter or leave without my permission,” she told them. The command came easily to her. My father had steel in his voice as well.
Within the tower, the smoke from the torches irritated her eyes, but Cersei did not weep, no more than her father would have. I am the only true son he ever had. Her heels scraped against the stone as she climbed, and she could still hear the moth fluttering wildly inside Ser Osmund’s lantern. Die, the queen thought at it, in irritation, fly into the flame and be done with it.
Two more red-cloaked guardsmen stood atop the steps. Red Lester muttered a condolence as she passed. The queen’s breath was coming fast and short, and she could feel her heart fluttering in her chest. The steps, she told herself, this cursed tower has too many steps. She had half a mind to tear it down.
The hall was full of fools speaking in whispers, as if Lord Tywin were asleep and they were afraid to wake him. Guards and servants alike shrank back before her, mouths flapping. She saw their pink gums and waggling tongues, but their words made no more sense than the buzzing of the moth. What are they doing here? How did they know? By rights they should have called her first. She was the Queen Regent, had they forgotten that?
Before the Hand’s bedchamber stood Ser Meryn Trant in his white armor and cloak. The visor of his helm was open, and the bags beneath his eyes made him look still half-asleep. “Clear these people away,” Cersei told him.
“Is my father in the privy?”
“They carried him back to his bed, m’lady.” Ser Meryn pushed the door open for her to enter.
Morning light slashed through the shutters to paint golden bars upon the rushes strewn across the floor of the bedchamber. Her uncle Kevan was on his knees beside the bed, trying to pray, but he could scarcely get the words out. Guardsmen clustered near the hearth. The secret door that Ser Osmund had spoken of gaped open behind the ashes, no...
《冰与火之歌》系列前三部作品简介 本篇简介将聚焦于乔治·R·R·马丁的史诗巨著《冰与火之歌》系列中,不包含第四部《群鸦的盛宴》的故事情节,而是详细回顾和介绍系列前三部——《权力的游戏》、《列王的纷争》和《冰雨之鬼》的核心脉络与人物群像。 --- 第一部:《权力的游戏》(A Game of Thrones) 引爆风暴的序曲:维斯特洛大陆的权力之舞 故事的帷幕在维斯特洛大陆的南方,七大王国的心脏——君临城拉开。史塔克家族的族长艾德·史塔克,一位荣誉感极强的北方领主,被他的老友——维斯特洛的国王劳勃·拜拉席恩召至南方,担任“国王之手”。这个显赫的职位,实则是权力斗争的漩涡中心。 艾德抵达君临后,迅速发现宫廷内部充斥着腐败、阴谋和不为人知的秘密。他开始调查前任国王之手的死因,这一探寻将他引向了王后瑟曦·兰尼斯特家族的禁忌——她与她的孪生兄弟詹姆·兰尼斯特之间隐秘的乱伦关系,以及他们所生育的继承人乔佛里王子血脉的真实性。 与此同时,在遥远的北方,一堵名为“长城”的巨大冰墙,成为抵御野人与更可怕的“异鬼”的最后防线。艾德的私生子琼恩·雪诺加入了守夜人军团,亲身体验着冰冷前线的孤独与恐惧,以及其中隐藏的古老预言。 而在狭海之滨,被推翻的王朝——坦格利安家族的残存血脉,流亡的丹妮莉丝·坦格利安,在厄索斯大陆上挣扎求生。她从一个柔弱的被贩卖的公主,在经历了背叛、痛苦与磨难后,逐渐展现出铁血女王的潜质。她嫁给多斯拉克部落的卡奥卓戈,并在烈火中重生,孵化出三条传说中的巨龙,为日后重返维斯特洛奠定了基础。 当艾德·史塔克最终揭露了国王继承权的真相,试图挽救王国的稳定时,他触动了兰尼斯特家族的逆鳞。劳勃国王的突然死亡成为导火索,艾德的荣誉最终将他引向断头台。他的被处决,彻底撕裂了维斯特洛的和平,点燃了“五王之战”的火种。史塔克家族的力量在北方被镇压,战火蔓延至七大王国的每一个角落。 --- 第二部:《列王的纷争》(A Clash of Kings) 群雄逐鹿:七国陷入全面战争 艾德·史塔克之死引发了全面的内战。五位自称为王的人(史塔克、拜拉席恩兄弟、铁群岛和龙石岛的坦格利安支持者)为了争夺铁王座而互相攻伐。 北境与河湾的挣扎: 艾德的长子罗柏·史塔克,被北境和河湾诸侯拥立为“北境之王”。他凭借出色的军事才能,在战场上屡建奇功,一度将兰尼斯特的军队打得溃不成军。然而,政治上的不成熟和私人的情感纠葛(与简妮·维斯特林的婚姻,背弃了与佛雷家族的婚约),开始为他的崛起埋下隐患。 君临的权力洗牌: 在君临,少年国王乔佛里在瑟曦和提利昂·兰尼斯特的辅佐下维持统治。提利昂以其超凡的智慧和对人性的洞察力,暂时代替受伤的詹姆担任国王之手,在暗流涌动的宫廷中巧妙周旋,抵抗着来自四方的军事威胁和内部的倾轧。 狭海的崛起: 流亡的丹妮莉丝抵达了以奴隶制著称的昆恩斯(Qarth)。在这里,她见识了世界的残酷,也加深了对她三条龙的掌控。她最终选择放弃富裕的避难所,带领着她日益壮大的“无垢者”军队,踏上了解放奴隶的征途,展现了其作为征服者的铁腕和魅力。 长城外的危机: 琼恩·雪诺跟随本宗长老深入长城之外执行侦查任务,亲眼目睹了异鬼的回归以及野人的迁徙。他经历了卧底的惊险生活,并在一次撤退中展现了其勇气与领导力,使他逐渐赢得了守夜人的尊重。 风暴的汇聚: 战争愈演愈烈,各方势力都在积蓄力量。铁王座的控制权看似稳固,实则摇摇欲坠。各路诸侯的盟约和背叛交织在一起,预示着下一阶段更血腥的冲突不可避免。 --- 第三部:《冰雨之鬼》(A Storm of Swords) 高潮迭起:背叛、死亡与审判 《冰雨之鬼》是系列前期最富戏剧性和转折性的一部,其核心是权力格局的彻底颠覆与人物命运的剧烈变动。 血色婚礼的阴影: 故事初期,罗柏·史塔克继续在战场上取得胜利,但他的政治错误(背弃婚约)最终导致了灾难性的后果。在一次看似和解的宴会上,史塔克家族遭受了最残酷的背叛——“血色婚礼”。罗柏、他的母亲凯特琳,以及大部分追随他的北境领主,被佛雷家族和波顿家族联合兰尼斯特的幕后操纵下屠杀殆尽。这标志着“五王之战”中抵抗力量的瓦解,也为波顿家族的崛起铺平了道路。 君临的危机与提利昂的审判: 在君临,权力游戏进入白热化。乔佛里国王的残暴使他树敌无数。提利昂·兰尼斯特在为王国做出巨大贡献后,却被陷害谋害国王的罪名,被迫接受屈辱的审判。在审判过程中,他看清了太多人的真面目,最终在兄长詹姆的帮助下逃离君临,并在逃亡前,为自己的命运复仇——他亲手杀死了父亲泰温·兰尼斯特,彻底与家族决裂。 长城外的变局: 在长城,琼恩·雪诺卷入了守夜人与野人的战争。他与野人领袖曼斯·雷德周旋,并在深爱着野人女子耶哥蕊妮(Ygritte)的同时,也履行着对守夜人的效忠。在关键时刻,他帮助守夜人守住了黑城堡,使异鬼的入侵暂时受挫。然而,战争的残酷和情感的拉扯,使他经历了巨大的精神考验。 丹妮莉丝的解放之路: 丹妮莉丝的军队在厄索斯大陆上势如破竹。她解放了奴隶之城渊凯、弥林和云堡。她不再仅仅是一个复仇者,而是开始学习如何治理一个庞大的、由奴隶和自由人构成的社会。她用龙的力量威慑敌人,用智慧安抚民众,她的“龙之母”的声望和力量达到了前所未有的高度,开始真正具备颠覆维斯特洛现有秩序的实力。 新格局的形成: 随着罗柏和凯特琳的死亡,史塔克家族的旗帜暂时折损。铁王座虽然保住了,但兰尼斯特家族的力量也因泰温之死和提利昂的逃亡而严重削弱。瑟曦的野心和对权力固守的渴望日益膨胀。远在东方的丹妮莉丝,则带着她的龙和无垢者,准备着跨越大海回归故土。整个七大王国处于一种暂时的、极度不稳定的平衡之中,为接下来的冲突积蓄了所有的能量。