To begin, understand that "A Dance with Dragons" is the 5th book in the series. There is much confusion about this book release. In the U.K., publishers divided the book into two parts to make it easier to read due to the length of the book. In the U.S., most of the publishers released it as one book. So, when you see Part 1 and Part 2, these are not different books with different information. You can read it all in one book, or read parts 1 and 2 and get the same story. That being said, also make sure to read the page from the author regarding the chronology of the book. Basically, this book is written to back-fill information and stories from book 4, "A Feast for Crows." And Martin explains this at the beginning of the book. If you read this book without first understanding the chronology, you may be lost. I have really loved this fantasy world and I cannot wait until this Fall when the 6th book, "The Winds of Winter" is supposed to be released. Martin is not sure when the series will end and how many books will be written to complete the story. I've heard anywhere from 6-8 books may comprise the series. It does not appear as though the 6th book will end the series though. So, I think we can count on at least one more; but I suspect there will be another after that.