Daenerys: After awhile, you have to wonder at Martin's imagination, for coming up with things like the sex dance that opens up this chapter. It certainly takes sex to the level of performance art in a way that regular porn probably never has. In many ways this chapter is a little frustrating, because Dany seems to be making more and more...let's say unwise, decisions. What does she really need to accomplish in Meereen? Her rule there has been an unmitigated disaster. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for freeing slaves, but, destroying the entire social fabric of a society in a way that leaves everyone poorer than they were before seems like an awful way to do it. The more well-off slaves lost their cushy lifestyle, the wealthy are angry and wrathful, terrorists roam the streets killing her troops, and even the regular slaves that you'd think would be happiest will starve if they don't solve the food shortage. It's commendable that she wants to stay and fix what she broke. But I wonder how much of a boon it would be to the city if she simply took her troops and left. From Astapor she learned that she needs to stay and take control of what she conquers. From Yunkai she learned never to leave an enemy at her back. From Meereen? It seems the story is trying to teach her about the sacrifices that a leader must make for her society. She wants to take everyone with her, and I while I find her "I'm only a naive little girl" schtick to be amusing, sometimes she really is pretty naive when it comes to longterm objectives, and that's where I agree with Barristan.
Jon: Neat look at some of the behind the scenes stuff of surviving at the Wall. I felt a little tinge of Tom Clancy when they started getting into the specifics of how to store food to last however many years, and portion sizes and what not. Sometimes detail is fun, sometimes it is tedious. Martin walks a fine line, but luckily his locations are usually so exotic that it works just fine. I thought the discussion between Jon and Stannis was interesting. First off, it shows that Jon is a total badass when it comes to war, strategy, and his knowledge of the north. That was sage wisdom he gave to Stannis. It really does pain me, as much as Jon, whenever Stannis reiterates his offer to make him Lord of Winterfell. How great a Lord he would be! Stark honor has already led to far too many deaths, and hopefully Jon's won't be another. Second of all, Jon is totally invested in helping Stannis bring peace to the north, and to oust the Boltons. Part of me wonders what he has against Bolton other than Roose being a douche in general, and to protect Arya, but he clearly has a vested interest in bringing peace to the north and restoring the Starks.
Tyrion: His chapters are troublesome in a way because, unlike in previous books where he was influencing events in powerful ways, he's largely been reduced to a spectator in this novel, thus far. On the other hand, the events he is witnessing are pretty interesting. One of the things I like about Martin is that, while he does pull a lot of crazy crap out of left field on us, most of it is very reasonably explained. Things like the Red Wedding suck, but they make sense, and for that matter, he dropped a ton of clues beforehand that align perfectly afterward. I'm not sure if he did his due diligence as well with Aegon being a live. It really, really complicates the plot to have another Targaryen pretender with a potential army at his back. In a way it makes Dany expendable, and at the moment, her purpose seems to only be a lightning rod to attract other characters who have more going for them than she does. I know that he's been introducing new characters all the time, but pulling this sort of switch at the last minute is a little melodramatic for me. Still, Aegon seems like a pretty interesting kid, as does Connington. Also, will anything come of Tyrion being attacked by someone with greyscale? Dangerous foreshadowing?
Davos: It seems like Davos and Stannis are the only two characters left in the entire show who actually have a vested interest in saving the north, and in relating that story back to us, the readers. This chapter was the first I think where I wanted to cheer out loud. Davos and Wylla voiced things I've been thinking for the last 2,000 pages. Vengeance! I've been pissed for the last two books that no one knows the length of the treachery Bolton perpetrated, or the treachery of the Freys. And it's frustrating that this information still has not gotten out, but at the very least these Lords should want retribution for the death of all their relatives at Frey hands, especially considering the ridiculous lies of the Freys. I'm still waiting for the truth to come out, and this time, it had damn well better. In the meantime, this matches up nicely with what we read in Feast, but I still hope that Manderly is putting on a show, and Davos survives.
Reek (Theon): How the hell has Jeyne Poole survive all this? Why would Cersei even bother keeping her alive and hidden all this time? She can't have planned for this, especially since Tywin was the one who came up with it. Well, it's bizarre, but it's also good, because she'll be more recognizable when that truth comes out. I can't believe they trusted the Boltons not to double-cross them. Other than serving as a viewpoint to peer in on the Boltons, I wonder what role Theon still has to play.
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