A Feast for Crows

I know, I know, I said that there wouldn't be any more posts until after Tuesday, but over the weekend I found myself too tired to do homework, but not tired enough to fall asleep. A couple of chapters slipped by. Only a couple chapters though, and then you really won't see anything on here for a few days. I'll say before I begin Feast that I'm slightly apprehensive about this novel. I know there are a lot of new characters and that a lot of characters are missing that I've gotten used to seeing. Still, I'm excited to get caught up with the other fans, and I'm intrigued by all the new angles that await me.

Before I begin, here's a closer look at a forgettable character:

Pate's Big Day

As Pate walked towards the Inn, he couldn't believe his luck. Finally! He thought, After three novels of waiting, I get to join the big boys. I wonder when I'll get my moment to shine!

But as Pate arrived at the Inn, he noticed a camera following close behind him. Well that's strange, the novel hasn't even started yet, why would the camera already...oh shit.

As Pate opened the door to the Inn, he saw his friends' expressions of greeting quickly turned grim as they saw the camera follow Pate through the door. A groan chorused from the throats of all but one in the room. Roone looked around, confused. 

"What's the big deal? This means we're finally getting some face time after three thousand pages of hanging around drinking and watching from the sidelines!" 

Pate cast him a withering glare. "Did you even read the first three novels? No one ever survives the prologue."

"That's silly," Roose replied. "Plenty of people survive the prologue." 

Alleras shook his head. "Not the viewpoint character. Getting your internal monologue mic'd for the prologue is Martin's kiss of death." 

Nervous nods bobbed through the room as eyes scanned the ceiling around where the camera loomed. Suddenly but silently, a mic boom knifed across the room like the reaper's scythe. All eyes fell on Pate as the boom glided to a halt directly above him. Relief rode freely on the faces of the Inn's inhabitants, and slowly they returned to their business, glad to finally have an eye in the sky on Oldtown and its quirky citizens. Pate hesitated for a moment as he saw the red light appear on the camera. Maybe if I just refuse to play along... but his hesitation was met with a prodding poke from the boom. Oh fine! I don't care anymore. And finally, with resigned defeat, the story begins...

Prologue: I really liked that we finally get to see a little bit of the Maesters still in training, and also more on how the process actually works. I think anyone can tell from the very beginning that, though much was made of the fact that Oldtown has been neutral for thousands of years, that record will be broken soon, along with Oldtown. 

The Prophet: Right off the bat the character scheme is different than in previous novels. Aeron Damphair is being labeled by his occupation/status symbol, rather than from his actual name. Interesting how they pseudonyms that replace their given last names, kind of like how it works in Tolkien's Middle Earth. I wonder what Damphair means though. Aeron is an interesting character. We see things from the point of view of yet another religious figure, and for that matter, we see yet another actual religion. Between the new and old gods, R'hollor, the Drowned God, and whatever the Free Cities have going on, the religious diversity of the world is pretty heavy. Many of these gods seem to have actual powers too, or at least, the coincidences are mounting in place of religious causes. Also, the cultural phenomenon of actually drowning men and bringing them back to life is fascinating. Some of them are merely doused with water like a baptism, but the more hardcore actually die and are resurrected from the water. It's an extremely realistic sounding detail that I draws me in as a reader to this culture, which suddenly feels a lot more real and alive to me, not to mention interesting. It'd be nice if we could see someone retake the north while the Iron Men are busy holding an Entmoot, but Stannis seems to be the only one available, and I can't imagine Martin would give that away when the Stannis viewpoint has to wait a book to be told. I wonder how far we'll really go into Iron Islands politics. At this point I'm really not too interested in it. We have enough intrigue, hell, we're even over our quota of prophets between Melisandre and Aeron. But, Aeron is interesting. I'd like to see him leave the Iron Islands and go and do something. 

Interesting start so far.

Page 1128: Pulling the Trigger

Jaime: A final confirmation that it was a fake Renly, despite the fact that it was pretty apparent anyway. It's amazing how many plots we find out later that Littlefinger was behind all along. Some of that's a little shifty because we had no indications of it previously, and he doesn't seem evil yet, per se. I don't know what he wants. Control of all of Westeros? Just the Vale? It's interesting how thoroughly cut off from his family Jaime is now, especially Cersei, and that he's done enough soul searching to openly admit how different a person he is now, especially in his comparison between himself when he was younger and Loras now.

Sansa: So it wasn't Dontos. "Clean hands Sansa, whatever you do, make certain your hands are clean." My, but you are a clever one. Clean and dirty hands are one of the many recurring images and themes in the novels. This is contrasted with the fact that Arya gets her hands most certainly dirty numerous times. Arya in fact had to deal with the clean/dirty binary directly when she temporarily used Jaqen as her angel of death, and the guilt she felt at that, but she's also done plenty of her own killing, just as she feels she should. Sansa meanwhile has gotten an education from Littlefinger and the Lannisters in killing from afar using people as pieces. I'm pretty sure that being spirited away by Littlefinger is out of the frying pan and into the fire for her. She's being passed around from man to man, and none of them want her for her, but only for her title to Winterfell. Still, I suppose she's in less danger of actually being killed.

Jon: I suppose things were just going too well for Jon, so having Slynt and Thorne come in to ruin Jon's day just makes sense.

Tyrion: Damn, well, that's just the final indignity from Shae. I knew she was a gold digger, and I don't believe for a second that she was coerced into saying that, especially given the fact that she's traded up to Tywin's bed chamber. She was really quite good at fooling Tyrion, who for all his tricks and cunning wears his heart on his sleeve, to his detriment. I kind of wonder of the Viper means to trick Tyrion, but no, it looks like he really wants revenge on Gregor. What would happen if both the Viper and Clegane died? I feel bad for Oberyn. He had the win, he had his vengeance, but his overconfidence and carelessness got him in the end. Tyrion should known better than to trust someone who was that emotionally invested in the fight.

Daenerys: Sucks about Jorah, but Selmy is probably better in the long run since he's not as emotionally compromised. Now Jorah can return to Westeros to make an appearance later, and perhaps he'll even head to the Wall and find Sam. I'm glad she decided to stay in Meereen. Frankly, she needs some queen and governance training if she hopes to be taken seriously when she gets to Westeros. I kind of hope that there's almost a little break between this and the next book. Like a year passes or something. Given how it ends, there isn't a single plot line that is in the midst of something and can't be left to idle until taken up again. I think when she opens the gates of Meereen to march west, things are really going to be interesting, and I look forward to it. Also, given what the last Dance of Dragons was about, I have to wonder if it will mean another civil war with dragons, and who will have the other one. Jon?

Jaime: Seriously, this is my favorite individual chapter of the entire book. He feels ashamed of what he did to Bran at Winterfell. And Jaime even named what I commented on awhile ago; that the Lannisters won the war, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. They've been their own undoing. I hope we eventually learn the fate of Ice's other half, the sword that was supposed to go to Joff. I'd love to see them reunited some day. I'm glad that, in a way, Oathbreaker is going into the service of the Starks in Brienne's hands. Jaime is really pushing this chapter to be the comeback character of the year. And damn him, he's turning into my favorite character archetype. I love sympathetic bad guys, but he's going even beyond that into a sort of anti-hero. He's still Jaime, and that involves some rough edges, but his world has done a 180. Cersei was a bitch to him, and perhaps he realizes now that they're connection is broken. Tywin disowned him, his monster of a son is dead. All that's left is honor, and everything he has done since leaving Harrenhall has been about honor (well, with a couple exceptions, but those were the last little bits that pushed him over the edge).

Jon: Well that's just bizarre. What the hell would Stannis be doing sailing for the Wall? Does he intend to take the north, or will Melisandre throw down the Wall and use the ASZs as her own personal undead army?

Arya: Oh good, Polliver and the Tickler make a return. Excellent chance for her to get her sword back. I almost don't know what to do with this chapter, except to say it was a hell of a read. Arya has certainly changed. She killed the Tickler in a rage, and also, I think she clearly exhibited signs of PTSD. It reminded me of a combination of the scene in Babylon 5 where Sheridan is tortured by the Alliance, and the scene in Star Trek: TNG when Picard is taken captive by the Cardassians ("there are four lights!"). The repetition of the Tickler's interrogative questions while she stabbed him was a strong, powerful image. She killed the boy shortly afterward, but I don't think out of cruelty so much as a kindness. That same kindness was not extended to the Hound, but part of me wonders if perhaps at that point he didn't deserve it. I think he regretted killing Mycah, or at least regretted that he killed him because Joffrey lied about it. Certainly he's not a nice person, but he's done a fair bit of good since then, at least to Arya. Perhaps he earned a quicker death. Leaving him to die, and leaving the money she could have used with him really emphasizing a growing coldness in Arya. But it's not the coldness we saw in Jaime at the beginning. It's the cold of the north; a Stark coldness. Though I will say that I was a bit unnerved by the fact that her first response to the woman she sells her horse too is an annoyance that she can't just kill the woman and take her money. I wish she could have gone to the north to meet up with Jon. I'm sad that she's so much harder than she was, but, she's nowhere near slipping into Joffrey crazy funtime land. And what the hell is that coin that Jaqen gave her? What does it mean when said in combination with "Valar morghullis?" What is she getting herself into? Is she selling herself into slavery or is she whispering the words of a secret brotherhood? And of course this is her last chapter, so I bet we don't even find out in Feast. Part of me thinks that it's some sort of secret order in Braavos, but I guess it can't be too secret if every Braavosi will respond to it. So Jaqen must be some sort of powerful authority figure in Braavos.Either way, I can't wait to see what happens with her.

Sam: Interesting that he was sword to secrecy even from telling Jon. By the way, it sucks that that last Bran chapter was the last. Talk about a cliffhanger. Martin has done a fantastic job of leading most of our favorite characters to their natural ends...and then not giving us the payoff! That's great though. It means when we finally do get it, it's going to be a sweet, sweet read. The politics of choosing a Lord Commander are interesting. Slynt would be an awful choice, but it looks like either 1. Jon will emerge as a consensus candidate, or 2. Something out of the blue will happen like a murder or Stannis stepping in to choose for them.

Jon: Good for Davos! That must have been a hell of a speech that he wrote. I hope that Stannis didn't kill him anyway. Certainly we've seen that Stannis is willing to punish and reward in the same breath, and I hope that he didn't decide to kill him and heed his advice. I would think that if Davos didn't come with Stannis, and is alive, he's either back ruling Dragonstone, or he's somewhere else in the north gathering support for Stannis. I hope. I'm kind of worried that some idiot will blow the Horn of Winter, perhaps deriding it as a superstition. But, I also wonder if that's really the horn, and if it still isn't the horn that Jon found in the shallow grave. I would still love it if Benjen really found it, hid it there, and actually knows a great deal more than he's letting on. I have to say, it's a pretty damned clever plan of Stannis'. It's not even evil or really bad. I think he's nuts usually, but I also think he's the "rightful" king so far as things go. Repopulating the Gift would give a lot of added strength to a depleted north, and would really reinforce the Wall, to say nothing of helping Stannis's legitimacy (though I can't imagine the Karstarks or Umbers would enjoy a wilding horde at their gates). On the other hand, I think Jon would make a fantastic rule of Winterfell, but not at the price of burning the weirwood. I think the novels are designed to make us want to see the old gods prevail in some way, and I'm all for it. It's something old and sacred. His price is too high.

Tyrion: Escape to the Free Cities eh? Well, between Arya, Tyrion and Daenerys, we'll have a lot of characters across the water. This is yet another bone-shattering chapter in its emotional punishment. That was an extremely harsh conversation to have with Jaime. Jaime saved your life, so far as you know, he freed you, he fessed up to something that wasn't even really a huge sin of his personally. It was the sin of his father, and it was committed under duress. Why did you have to tell him you killed Joffrey? I hope the truth comes out. I expect the next time it would even come up is perhaps if Sansa meets up with Jaime somehow and tells him the truth, but I'm not sure how likely that will be. As far as Tywin and Shae go? Shae had it coming. She was an opportunistic gold digger from the start that was using him, playing with his emotions, and then sold him out at the drop of a hat. Maybe she didn't deserve death per se, but she didn't seem too broken up that she helped to send Tyrion to the gallows. Tywin deserved what was coming to him. In the end he died with his family in disarray, mostly at his own hands. It was merely a twist of the knife that shock rode so freely on his face when Tyrion pulled the trigger. He never really knew or understood Tyrion, Jaime, or Cersei. He either under or overestimated all of them, and it cost him his life. Well, that and a hundred other sins he committed.

Sam: Why Sam, you sneak underhanded little thing you. If Sam returns in Dance, I'd like to see him fleshed out more as a character. To me he falls more into the Catelyn/Davos vein of characters; there to act  mostly as a mouthpiece for a plot point rather than as his own individually fleshed out character. And that sucks, because I feel like all three of them could have been excellent character if given the chance. Maybe next time buddy.

Jon: Huzzah! Ghost is back! And he's the Lord Commander! Stannis' plans are somewhat foiled, and it'll be riveting to see how he responds to that. He can't punish Jon because it was the Night's Watch who chose without his consent, so really, becoming the Lord Commander was his only way out of the proposal. It's going to be fascinating to see how he responds to this change, and what other surprises the north has in store for us beyond-the-wall!

Sansa: You know, I like this Sansa. She's alive, and brave. She really belongs in the north. I know she wanted so very much to go south to the glamor of court, and she still harbors those fantasies, but within the walls of Winterfell, she's a completely different and far more likable person. And wow, talk about bombs being dropped in these last 200 pages: Lysa killed Jon and set this whole thing into motion?! What a nut case. And he just pushed her over the edge? (heh, see what I did there?) Now Petyr is free to take Sansa as Cat reborn, and somehow he'll try to claim the Vale as Robert's regent. But I don't see how. We've already established that the Royce's are up in arms, and they're already pissed that he's there. He can't force Sansa as a wife with her still married to Tyrion, so how does he get out of this? I suspect he already has more plots afoot.

Epilogue: That's insane! We saw her dead through Nymeria's eyes! How the hell could this possible be explained? More magic?

Alright. Seriously that was a slam bang finish to a great book. The shocking thing is that so many questions were answered, and so many stories went exactly where I wanted them to go, like Jon taking over the Wall, and Arya heading to Braavos (though I still want to see her with Nymeria!), but now we have to wait so long to find out what happens. And Jaime's total 180 as a character is a shocker. With Tywin gone, who pulls the strings in King's Landing? Does Cersei really rise to power as the rule of everything with Tywin gone and Tommen still a toddler? Where does this leave Jaime? What new characters will have to arise with two southern characters removed and the entire north as well? Will we see into Cersei's eyes now? Brienne's? Littelfinger's? Someone new entirely? What will happen to Riverrun? What will happen in the Vale? What will happen between the Tyrells and the Martels? With Oberyn dead, will Dorne declare independence and crown Myrcella? And those are just my questions for the south!

I loved this book, and I love how it ended. While the wait will be maddening (though really, given the size constraints of Dance, you'd think he'd be done with it in 2011), I think only having the south to contend with in Feast will be just fine given what is going on with these characters. I have to say though that there will be about a two-week break before I start on the next book. I'm taking the GRE a week from Tuesday, and a flurry of crash studying is going to take place this week. After I do that and get caught up on home work, I'll punch up Amazon and have Feast sent on its merry way. There's no way in hell I'll order it before then though, as I know I'll be sucked in.

I suppose it's open season on anything that doesn't involve Feast now. Anything north of the Freys and east of Westeros is open for discussion to any willing participants. 

Page 912: Out of the Frying Pan...

Jon: This storyline has easily become my favorite. I guess I mean the combined Jon/Sam/Bran storyline since they're all really in the same place. It's not so much that there's more action than intrigue, which seems to be what most of the south is, but there's a real sense of suspense and discovery. It's the feeling that I had when I was reading the whole first book. Most of the south story likes seem to revolve, at the moment, around what terrible thing can possible happen next to all the characters, and that's fine for what it is, because seeing them react to it is interesting and all. But it devolves at times into a medieval soap opera (actually, a lot of this is a medieval soap opera), and that wears thin. However, as much as it's not totally about the battles, it has been so long since we've had a decent heart pounding moment of action. I'm glad that Jon could turn the initial sneak attack away, but it's too bad he had to learn the hard lesson in doing so. I really appreciate how much of Eddard Stark lives on in Jon. Robb had a lot of Eddard in him, but Bran and Rickon are too young, and Arya perhaps too immature to really appreciate the lessons. Jon though still has it, the lessons, the responsibility, the honor, the morality, the cleverness and bravery in battle, and the wisdom that Eddard passed on to both his sons. I feel like a lot of this chapter, and the next battle one, are Martin's way of letting us know that despite all that has happened, the torch has been passed, and it's in Jon's hands now (for however long Jon is around).

Bran: Did Jojen always call him Your Grace, or does he know that Robb is dead even without Bran telling him? I'll have to go back and check that later. Interesting that Bran found out via a dream that Summer had. This is really the first concrete evidence we have that the direwolves are actually in some sort of contact with each other via their dreams, though it was hinted at when we slipped into Summer's mind every now and then and he thought about Lady being dead. I love how much lore Bran knows. For such a young kid, he seems to have an incredible retention rate for the history not only of the north, but of Westeros in general. Much as Bran wants to be a warrior, I'd like to see him become a Maester like Aemon or Luwin. Bran, though young, strikes me a bit as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the making. Obi-Wan was impetuous at times, sometimes even a little reckless, but he always seemed wise beyond his years. I worry about their being trouble if an eagle saw Meera, but, it could just as easily be that the Three-Eyed Crow was looking at her through the eyes of the eagle as well, so, might be a good thing. Much as I love this plot arc, I worry that things are really going too well, and we're getting too close to something billed as being pretty awesome. This doesn't feel like misdirection though, so I think we're actually going to get a fun payoff from Bran without him dying. But who knows.

Daenerys: It was Mormont all along! You know, without a backstory, I always wondered why Mormont was so loyal to her, and even to Viserys. Makes a lot more sense now. Arstan being Barristan makes total sense, and I want to say that it really is an identity that was totally guessable, but perhaps not easily. I totally called Mormont as one who betrayed her, by the way. Not for the reasons I thought maybe, but betrayal all the same! I feel sorry for Daenerys. She's a stranger in a strange land, and Mormont was both her only real trusted confidant, as well as her lifeline to Westeros and a guide to a wild place in which she has no experience. He was absolutely vital to her, and for the moment, his relationship with her is in serious jeopardy. Frankly I think she should pardon him. What he did was terrible, but, he also saved her several times, journeyed through hell and back, and is utterly devoted to her. Let it go. And let Selmy off too. You need them. Get over yourself a bit.

Tyrion: Not much happening here. But I feel like Martin is doing that thing again where he quickens the pace that happened just before Robb died so...look out Joffrey!

Sansa: Really? Your "tummy" hurts? I appreciate how Martin varies his diction based on the character who is being focused on. I think in this chapter it really serves to underscore just how immature Sansa can be in pretty fundamental ways. Again though, I question how much maturation we can expect out of her since really only a year has gone by since she arrived at King's Landing. I would love it if Sansa was the one who killed Joffrey. Lord knows the little brat deserves it, and Sansa more than anyway has the right of vengeance. It'd be even cooler if she could do it with his stupid new sword, killing him with the same steel that he had Ned executed with. That seems highly unlikely though. Also, I was wrong, Joffrey can go to heinous new heights of evil. He's a book defiler! And now just any book, a super rare and valuable book! That was the last straw, he must die! I'm a little confused as to what Tyrion wanted Sansa to say when they're in the litter on their way back. He's being very patient with her, but perhaps not direct enough.

Tyrion: Okay, maybe drunk Tyrion will kill Joffrey somehow. And wait a minute, Joff was the one who sent an assassin after Bran? Woah! That's a random bomb to drop on us. And why? Is the kid really just that sick and twisted? You know Joff and someone like Tywin are really on different levels of evil. Tywin is a perfectly sane, rational, cold and calculating sort of evil. Tywin is the diabolical mastermind. He's evil because he's sneaky and underhanded, and we hate his end goals, but Joff has absolutely zero moral compunctions. He's evil not because of evil goals, but because he's basically like a serial killer with god-like powers over the people around him. I'm glad he died, and I'm glad he died at his wedding. That's really unfortunate for Margery Tyrell, who seems like a sweet and innocent girl now on her way to maybe a third husband. Also as a side note, damn, the Freys got Seagard and Riverrun is under threat again. But who killed Joffrey? If Sansa is missing, that suggests Ser Dontos to me, but we never even saw him.

Sansa: Littlefinger! Poor Sansa, out of the frying pan and inter the fire. Ser Dontos and treachery, but I suspect that Sansa was in many ways incidental, and the price Littlefinger promised Dontos was more about killing Joffrey than it was about retrieving Sansa, but we'll see. I fear she's far less safe than she was in King's Landing. Littlefinger isn't as twisted as Joff was, but he's as cunning as Varys but isn't as psychologically stable as say Tyrion. What if he sees Sansa as Catelyn come again? He's spinning a tale of a possible paternal affection for Sansa, but spiriting her away is going to have some weird outcome I think. I still don't believe that Littlefinger was Catelyn's first, I think that's part of the fictional identity that Littlefinger has created for himself. But I fear he may try to make it more true by forcing himself on Sansa. The real surprise here would be if he ended up helping her.

Jaime: Well, any lingering doubts we have about Renly and Loras are certainly gone. I guess I didn't realize until Jaime came back but geez, the contrast in the losses to the Starks and the losses to the Lannisters is stunning. The Lannisters have lost almost nothing, Joff was worse than useless, and Jaime lost a hand. They've come out of this whole ordeal not only noticeably more powerful as a family, but almost unscathed as a family. And damn, that was a pretty harsh scene between Tywin and Jaime. I don't feel at all bad for Tywin, but I feel a little sympathy for Jaime. This has to be tough for Tywin in so many ways. He flatly rejected Tyrion, but now Jaime in a fit of frustration has rejected Tywin. It's ironic that, for all their scheming and murdering, do any of the Lannisters really have what they want? Jaime wants Cersei, and perhaps to be able to hold his own children as his own, but he's rejected from this by Cersei directly and Tywin indirectly. Tywin I think more than anything care about his legacy. Jaime was the natural successor, Tyrion an unthinkable successor, and that leaves him with marrying off a reluctant Cersei. That leaves the Lannister future somewhat in doubt. Cersei wants power, and I think she also really loves her children. Joff is dead, and her grasp on power is one step closer to slipping away, and will be even further away if Tywin marries her off. Furthermore, she wants power in her own right, and not because of marriage or her offspring. Tyrion I think wants respect and to be loved, but furthermore I think he in many ways wishes he could just get married, settle down, and leave all the mess behind. What he gets instead is a highly public life based on public loathing, and a loveless marriage with a wife who can't stand him. It's amazing that for a family that has everything going for it, and got there by systematically dismantling another family, they've managed to make each other miserable. They're their own worst enemies.

Davos: You know, whenever Melisandre is talking to the masses, she reminds me bit of Eva Peron. Good for Davos in spiriting Edric away to safety. I don't know if he'll stay safe or not, but it's interesting that Melisandre didn't know about it. He seems the last honest man in a sea of thieves. It would appear that Stannis is going to do him the honor of letting him read his speech before he kills him, but Davos has come back from the dead before, and perhaps he'll do it again. He doesn't seem to really have a whole heck of a lot of personality, but he's the personification of honor and just morality. He's the voice of our better angels that is sorely lacking throughout so many of the calamities in Westeros.

Jon: Well good for Jon, he got to kick some ass. Say what you will about the Starks, but they're damned tough. Have we seen one yet killed by any other method besides subterfuge? None have fallen in open combat or test of arms. Every moment of his defense of the Wall was great because we got to see a Jon that is really a born leader of men. It's the same sort of confidence and love that Ned and Robb were able to inspire in their men.

Arya: Her and Sandor Clegane really make an odd couple, but it's strangely compelling. I still pine for her to find Nymeria, and with them heading back across the Trident to Riverrun, there's yet another chance. Her dreams continue apace, and we know that Nymeria is at the Twins, or very nearby. I find her story really interesting because she has so much potential. She's tough, but vulnerable, she's brave, she's not stupid, and most of the mistakes she makes are ones of youth, and she tends to learn from them, but she's developed a serious abandonment complex that concerns me. I liked it when she was with Dondarrion because she could be safe for a time, but now she is, like Sansa, so defeated and lifeless that it's painful to watch her. It seems like with so much lost, she might as well just run off to Braavos and find Jaqen or something. If she thinks everyone is dead, what's stopping her? Sooner or later the information that certain people are still alive will have to get back to everyone else.

Tyrion: I really feel bad for Tyrion. They're trying to make him the fall guy and he's probably the least guilty guy around (considering the nest of vipers he inhabits). Perhaps he'll be spared in the name of vengeance.

There are about 200 pages left to the end of the book, so there will be one or two more updates until it's over. When I finish "A Storm of Swords" I'll likely be taking two weeks off before I launch into A Feast For Crows, but I'll probably do like an end of book synopsis of the characters and what I hope to see next. Hopefully the break will give me the energy and time I need both to gather steam into the fourth book, and to study for the GRE.

Page 738: All Bets Are Off

I'm guessing this is the, or at least one of, the big events that people were waiting for me to get to. Still plenty of book left, but yeah, I saw this coming, I just never thought it'd be this big.

Samwell: I think of all the characters of the novel, Sam is the one with the smallest level of appreciation for his own abilities. He's a bit of a badass. Yeah he cries a lot, and whines, and wants to give up, and in one case he did give up, but in all that time, he's survived what most others haven't, and if you say that's because he ran away, well, of all the characters in the book, who has killed the most Abominable Snow Zombies? That'd be Sam with two. And I doubt Sam will be the last character to wet himself upon seeing an ASZ wander through the doorway. As far as his escape goes. Are we supposed to believe that his escape was some sort of trap from the ASZs? If so, I'm in the other direction. I think he was rescued by Bran's Yoda, the three-eyed crow. He heard Sam's prayer because he's linked into the weirwood wi-fi network and came to his rescue, hence all the crows and the fact that he was riding an elk. Though I thought I remember other wildings riding elks as well, so, maybe it's just a common beyond the Wall mode of transportation. Anyway, that's who I think saved him, and I hope that means Sam will meet up with Bran and the Reeds at some point.

Arya: Does Sandor actually feel a little guilty about Mycah? And why did he name his horse for the one god that no one ever speaks of, the god of death? I figured he was heading north to sell Arya back to Robb and Catelyn, and actually Robb might be wise to take Sandor into his service. He's certainly very good at what he does.

Jon: Well that was a pretty rude awakening. At least I was given almost a thousand pages to let what happens sink in. Jon just got a whole lot of bad information all at once. It's too bad that some of it was false, as that might affect his actions.

Catelyn: Lots of potential danger at the Twins. I don't trust anyway, and I especially don't trust the tepid but not quite icy welcome that they are getting from the Freys. I also would have thought by now that they shouldn't be so quick to trust to old traditions. That bread and salt thing is sooo three kings ago.

Arya: I like that Clegane is street smart and savvy in general. You see maybe why he never wanted to become a knight, and why he actually might scorn knights a fair bit. Also, these last three or four chapters have all be insanely fast, and short. It's interesting how Martin actually increases the pace through how he forms the chapters themselves, rather than just through the content.

Catelyn: Holy crap!

Okay, it must have been some sort of alliance between Roose Bolton, the Freys and maybe the Lannisters. I thought Robb was dead for sure, probably soon, but I figured in the battle for Moat Caitlin, not treachery, but of course treachery. Of course! But Catelyn, and everyone else, that I never saw coming. The succession of the northern crown doesn't matter at all now, that seems like misdirection on Martin's part, and it was cleverly done. By doing that, he made us think that maybe Robb might die, but that there'd be something left to fight for. But with the northern army slaughtered and all of Robb's lords dead, and many of their sons, picking up the pieces in the north might be impossible. Seriously, where do you go from there? The whole thing about "Jaime Lannister sends his regards" was odd. Why try to make them think that Jaime was responsible? And if that was Tywin's way of saying this was payback for Jaime being captured, that's pretty delusional considering what they did to Ned, and Sansa. Plus I don't think it's his style. Jaime is actually more like a Stark than a Lannister in that he, more than the others, seems to relish the idea of killing his own, rather than ordering someone to do it. The Boltons. The Boltons. I hope they're exterminated, and Theon with them. And damn, the Starks just can't catch a break. Well I'll say this, I'm really not as interested in seeing Robb's point of view anymore. In many ways this totally resets everything. The main plot doesn't have any more obvious hero figures. Jon's plot is a side plot for the moment, and both Tyrion and Jaime are anti-heroes at best. It isn't so much that there's nothing left to hope for, it's that I don't even know what I want now, that's how drastically things have been altered. Watching them pick up the pieces from this, if that's even possible, is going to be interesting. I have to imagine that Joffrey is next, and that when he dies, a major power struggle will ensue.

Arya: Poor Arya. Alone of the Stark orphans she actually made it back home. Well, when your home is burnt to the ground, your family is pretty much your home, and hers was ripped away as soon as she got there. More and more the Wilding horde appears to me as a biblical flood to purify all the sins that have taken place over the previous year. Arya probably isn't dead, just knocked out by Clegane, but I can't see why. Clearly with the north in disarray and all the Starks with any power now dead, Clegane is never going to get any money for Arya. So what will this unlikely duo do now, and how long will they stay together?

Tyrion: That's some messed up info there. I thought Renly at the Blackwater was some sort of vision, but now I think he was an intentional false plant to make Stannis' followers think he was there so they'd change sides. If that's so, then what Tywin suggests is to fake an Arya since no one knows where she is. Is there any low that Tywin and Cersei will not stoop to? This is stretching my imaginative boundaries on just how evil they can be as characters.

Davos: Wow, some particularly cruel revelations there about the Starks. Catelyn thrown naked into the river, Grey Wind killed and his head mounted on Robb's body. There's certainly nothing sacred in these books, but I think I like that in a way. Nothing should be off limits, and clearly, nothing is. I'll say this though, Joffrey is in trouble, and if he dies, crap is really going to hit the fan. With the Tyrells and the Martells feuding, and with Tommen in Sunspear, if Joffrey dies it will create a huge crisis with the heir in a position to be held hostage. Plus, there's still Stannis. With Robb and Catelyn dead, I have to think we'll be seeing some interesting stuff regarding Sansa, and frankly, I'd like to see her finally get out of King's Landing, even if it's with Tyrion, and I don't really care where they go.

Well, we really have a bit of a sticky wicket here don't we? Clearly what has been broken absolutely cannot be put back together again. What exists now is a world that I don't have any vested interest in protecting. I only care about specific characters and what they might do, and how the world will be rebuilt when all these forces finally align to settle the issue. All bets are off.

Page 637: Everybody Gets a Little Face Time

Once quick note before I launch into this: Normally I just do a paragraph for each character, which sometimes means mashing two or three chapters into a single paragraph. But as some of these chapters reveal quite a bit of information, and how information can flow from one chapter into another, I've decided now on to do a paragraph per chapter instead of per character. So you might see multiple paragraphs per character if they get multiple chapters in the page span I'm reading. Previously I'd only done this for Theon, as he earned a special place of ire on this blog.

Davos: Davos will probably be the best actual Hand around, but they don't really last long do they? And yeah, these guys mean business. I don't take their voodoo idly, what with trying to kill the various other kings (and frankly, if Joffrey and Balon died, I wouldn't shed a tear). But I have to say, it seems an unfair advantage to have that much power. I almost hope that the Reeds can protect Robb somehow using the power of the north. It seems like the powers of the Old Gods are a little more passive though. Melisandre gets to see the future in the fire, send shadow monsters after people by sucking energy from others, and can apparently orchestrate the deaths of people from afar through some sort of ritual sacrifice. That's some serious fire power (pun intended in her case). Thus far we haven't really seen any abilities from the Southrons, and the north men thus far, from the couple we've seen, have metaphorical future telling dreams, dreams where they can communicate through trees, and in Bran's case only, can control animals they know very well, and possibly more. The balance of power is really skewed here, and I hope it balances out. Normally I'm all in favor of new powers, but here I think Melisandre is the Hiro of the story (as in, so powerful it upsets the balance (it's a Heroes reference)).

Jaime: We see a lot more of his reasons for things, like why he betrayed Aerys, or joined the Kingsguard, and also that he has as much humanity as anyone else. I'm struck by the fact that he had to turn away, steel his heart, when the Starks were killed by Aerys. It's a hefty contrast to the guy who can casually toss a child out a window. But I can't tell if he used to be a decent guy turned bad because of Aerys, or if he's just totally unmotivated by normal human morality, and is thus unquantifiable in many ways. The only times we seem him acting in any way decently towards another human being are when he is involved with that person, like his respect for Tyrion or love for Cersei, and his growing respect for Brienne. Sadly, setting him free, from Catelyn's perspective, is a useless endeavor for a million different reasons, between Sansa being married off and Arya being gone. They'll get no value from him, except, the Jaime that was released might not be the Jaime that arrives back at King's Landing if his transformation continues apace. I don't see him totally reforming, but he's not the big bad wolf anymore. For the reasons states above, I think his personal moral code is peer to peer, rather than all encompassing. By that I mean, he's only going to extend the general list of moral compunctions and courtesy to people he actually knows and respects. So tossing Bran, a boy he has no feeling toward, out a window is no problem. But clearly his shifting feelings towards Brienne, as well as the fact that he's seemingly the only one who respects Tyrion for his intelligence, and the fact that he has disdain for seemingly everyone else indicates to me that he has to have a personal connection with people. That's why I don't see any wide ranging shift in his basic moral code or conduct.

Tyrion: I would love to see the Martells and the Tyrells at each other's throats. It seems that Tywin and Cersei have created an alliance almost designed to fall apart. I feel a little sorry for Tyrion and the indignities he's forced to suffer, but he's pretty tough, and gets his fair share of shots in to everyone who goes after him. I think he can take it.

Arya: Not much to say other than the fact that she certain seems to be in a much better place than she's been in since Ned died. Dondarrion might not be a saint, but he's no monster (so far as I know). Because of that, I'm assuming that he either dies or Arya is somehow separated from him. These novels refuse to let too many good things happen for too long a period or time, and in general Martin seems to have a sort of reflexive need to stir the pot when things are quiet for too long.

Bran: His powers continue to develop, and they appear to be making pretty damned decent time on their way to the Wall. Interesting how much power over people he might develop. Jojen said that more powerful wargs could literally control any living thing, and based on Bran's experience with Hodor, he's developing actual Jedi mind tricks. Finding Yoda appears to be an even more important endeavor.

Jon: And of course, they did the whole "ships in the night" thing by having him be within shouting distance of Bran but not actually have them meet. I'm guessing that either Summer knew it was him and decided to help, or Bran took control of Summer and sent him in to help Jon. Not sure why Bran would assume it wasn't a group of Night's Watch, but maybe Summer helped him there. Is it possible that Jon got some supernatural powers as well during his escape? Super strength and speed? And pain tolerance? You know, it occurs to me that a bit of a bad piece of evidence for anyone who thinks that he has Targaryen blood is the fact that he was burnt when fighting the first Other, when Dany has shown that Targaryens have special resistance to fire. Sure he could have missed the fire gene in favor of the Stark powers, but, still. I think that Ygritte wasn't one of the ones who shot him, and she escaped as well and will turn him in a later chapter as he makes his way back to the Wall. We aren't done with her yet. Whether she tries to kill him or not, I don't know. As a side note, it's nice that Jon really never lost himself all the way amongst the Wildings. They were a powerful lure in so many ways. They represented freedom, a total lack of restrictions and inhibitions. And here's Jon, young and untested, totally naive to the kinds of draws they would represent and fresh off making vows that would test him in even more serious way to someone who had no idea what he was giving up. He failed a lot of those tests, but never lost himself in the process. He's young, and young people make those mistakes. He'll learn and grow stronger. Maybe he'll still do something stupid for Ygritte, but, he's still true to the Night's Watch.

Dany: Interesting about Rhaegar and Lyanna. By the way, shame on anyone who mentioned this in the comments section of the blog. Little stuff like Ice being broken down doesn't bother me, but stuff like this counts as a spoiler. For shame. Anyway it's interesting that Rhaegar comes off as a bit of a romantic. He's bookish and gave Lyanna the mark of being the prettiest girl around despite being married. He seems to have only learned combat as a matter of course rather than from a genuine affinity for it. I'd like to see more on him. Every time I learn something more about a character from 15 years ago, I want to read a book about the rebellion and in general about the time before the time in question. I doubt that'll ever be written by Martin, and I don't know if I want it written by anyone else. Anyway, it's easy to see how Dany will build her army if she moves from city to city collecting slaves. Also, I think her biggest asset is how easily she creates a cult of personality around her. I think it takes a bit of a toll on her to be revered as a mother figure when she is destined to have no natural children of her own, but most of how she got to where she is has been because of her own choices. She has had a dozen chances to not go the way she's going since she was married off to Khal Drogo, and she always stuck to this course.

Arya: Okay, Jon's mother is Wylla? Or maybe Ashara Dayne? Both of those seem unlikely, but I suppose not impossible. Seems very odd that they would just drop that sort of bomb on the reader after all the build-up. I knew this was too good to be true as a return for Arya back to her family, and I think there are two reasons she's still being kept from home: 1. She still needs to meet back up with Nymeria at some point. 2. Robb is going to die before all the Stark kids return home from beyond the grave. Lots of prophesies and revelations in this chapter, and I've totally lost track of all the prophesies that the old woman has made. I'm sure there's a wiki somewhere keeping track of them all. Balon Greyjoy dying is another reason I fear for Robb. Melisandre's voodoo crap is either having an affect, or Balon died coincidentally and she's just using guessing right rather than actually causing things to happen. I have no idea what Sandor Clegane would want with Arya, other perhaps than to simply sell her to someone, but I can't imagine the Lannisters would want to see him again after his disappearance, so, where does he plan to go? Or does he just plan to keep her as a pet to supplant Sansa, who he appears to have had some weird sort of attraction to?

Jaime: I really fear for how Cersei might treat him when he returns maimed. There's an interesting parallel between Jaime losing his hand and not being a "whole man" and Bran's feelings of incompleteness (at Jaime's hand(s)). What with Jaime's identity being so closely tied up in his warmaking ability, and in general for Bran, being a cripple is near a death sentence in Westeros, regardless of what your identity was, but especially for a boy who fearlessly put his body into all sorts of physical trials. It might not have been as big a deal for someone like Samwell. Yet both of them are being forced to forge new identities in the wake of the death of their previous ones. Both are struggling with is pretty seriously. Bran is running away from life, and Jaime's identity crisis hasn't really resolved itself into any single direction. I find these parallel stories to be some of the most interesting stuff going on in the book.

It still strikes me as interesting that Jaime is steadfastly monogamous to his common law wife sister. Set aside for a moment how odd that relationship is to begin with, monogamy is a rare in this world among the nobility. I think the only real example of it that we have so far is Ned and his relationship with Catelyn, and even he might have slipped, depending on who you think are Jon's parents. Jaime is something special. Maybe not something good, but certainly not like the others. I love that we keep seeing constant references from Jaime to appeal to, or respect, Tyrion's intelligence. I saw it a bit before he was maimed, but now that he can't bash his way through problems, whenever he is met with a problem, he responds with WWTD? Tyrion would find a way out. What would Tyrion do? Also, I just realized that both Brienne and Jaime refused to call each other by their right names. Jaime called her wench and she called him Kingslayer, and it pissed them both off. And when he went back for her, he even had the movie moment when Hoat called her a wench and he said "her name is Brienne." Total movie moment, but I was still sucked in. Also, let's take a minute to appreciate the fact that he actually went back for her. How many times in this series has something terrible happened and then undone? By a guy like Jaime?! We've gotten to the point where I'm shocked when something good happens. I'm not really sure what was up with his dream. Were it a Stark, I would have said it was prophetic or magical in some way. But I think for Jaime it was normal dream, but certainly influenced by and representative of his inner turmoil.

Catelyn: Anyone who has been reading this for the past week or two knows that I've been pretty good about defending Catelyn. I've been talking about her a little bit with other people, and a bit of a consensus was formed around the notion that she's useless. All she does is whine and complain about how terrible her life is and how dire everything is and how much she has lost while serving only to provide a window into the actions of others; namely Robb, of late. But I stuck with her! I defended her. No, I said, she has genuine reasons to be grief-stricken with all she has lost. Robb can be propped up by the fact that he has a kingdom to run and a war to fight, plus he has a wife now. Everyone else either knows that all the kids aren't dead, are struggling to survive themselves, or live in denial (yes Sansa, I'm talking to you dear). So I said, give her a break. She's a strong character, and gives wise counsel despite her grief. Yet from a literary perspective, she's starting to wear thin on me as a character. I've really lost interest in her problems, and I really only like her as a conduit to see what is happening with Robb, who as I've said before, has the most interesting untold story of what is currently happening. By the way, this chapter convinces me even more that he is going to die. Probably soon. The whole debate over whether to have Jon inherit over Sansa is interesting. What repercussions will there be from this decision? I think, at a minimum, Robb didn't get Jeyne pregnant, or if he did, she'll die when the Lannisters besiege and take Riverrun in the near future. Robb will blame Catelyn for forcing him to leave her behind. Then Robb will die, and Catelyn will blame herself. The thing is, Jon never would have been inherited if Robb knew that Bran and Rickon were alive, but I'm guessing that Robb giving recognition to Jon means that even if that fact is discovered, the younger boys still won't inherit since Jon is older. This discussion never would have happened if Robb was destined to be king forever. It'll force an interesting crisis if Jon DOES become king and it is later found out that he wasn't Ned's. They'll have their own constitutional crisis. Anyway, away from some technicalities. Rickon has to be making his way south at a pretty good clip, and I wonder when he'll finally reenter the picture. Also, I hope that involving Graywater Watch means that we'll get to see more of, and get more information on, the Reeds, who I find fascinating.

I think at this point in the novels, guessing what next calamity will befall the characters is ruining all the shock value. I think terrible things are going to happen all over the place, and I'll be surprised if they don't happen that way. I think for the sake of twists and turns, which these are full of, it's almost time for good things to start happening for the sake of surprises, rather than heaping on more bad stuff.

Page 488: A Little Flash in the Pan

 Big entry today. Probably a decent sized one tomorrow as well. Seems like there isn't really a whole lot happening, but tons of little clues are being dropped about stuff.

Sansa: So yeah, not that it matters, but I absolutely believe that it was Ser Dontos who told Cersei about the Tyrells' plan to spirit Sansa away. And again, I think she continues to show how naive she is by believing that he for some reason doesn't matter. He was the insanely obvious choice for being the weak link in that particular chain. For all her talk of being more judicious in who she trusts and in keeping her mouth shut, she continually tells the wrong people the wrong things all the time. Some people never learn. I just keep telling myself that she's only 13. Yet Arya seems so much more mature at a couple years younger.

Some interesting parallels strike me with regards to Sansa's situation. One, Cersei is an accomplice in a forced marriage while at the same time objecting to being forced into her own marriage at the hand of Tywin. Two, a bit of a cultural point, the women of the novels seem to mostly make peace with arranged marriages. They know from a pretty young age what their role is, and they mostly appear to accept the fact that their fathers or brothers (depending on the situation) have the power to marry them off as business arrangements, and it's really up to the patriarch to make a match that is in some way pleasing to the girl in question. Sansa's situation seems all the more outrageous because she is a prisoner, and not a "ward" of the king, since every wardship we've seen thus far in the novel has been a voluntary agreement. Even when Theon was sent to Winterfell as a virtual hostage to ensure Greyjoy compliance, it was an article of surrender, not an outright kidnapping, even if it was at the point of a sword. Thus he makes this move, illegally, as a power play to wrest control of her family's lands away from them while at the same time trying to kill her family off. It's just disgusting no matter what angle you see it from. And the most disturbing part? It's useless. Bran and Rickon remain alive, which leaves three people in front of Sansa for control of inheriting the seat at Winterfell. And poor Sansa is still pining for her fairy tale wedding and her fairy tale life.

I hope we see some sort of retribution from the Tyrells. It's depressing to see Sansa's dream turned so thoroughly into a nightmare. Joffrey continues to be a monster, perhaps the most cruel we've seen yet in that he has a child's disregard for life, he has no moral compunctions. At least Jaime has a pretty decent sized list of things he won't do. Cersei and Tywin even have limits, or at least, they understand that politics and appearances limit what they can do. Joffrey appreciates none of this. I wouldn't be surprised if he puts either Cersei or Jaime to death at some point for defying him. A bit thumbs' up to Tyrion for deciding to give Sansa a pass. It must have seriously hurt his feelings for Sansa to respond to him that way, but in some ways, I wonder if partnering her with Tyrion in this way isn't perfect. She needs a mentoring figure. This isn't ideal, but Sansa's biggest problem is that she's so damned shallow. Tyrion of all people is a symbol of what you can accomplish in spite of your physical appearance. Sansa is beautiful but a mental dwarf. He'd be the perfect person to teach her how to use her mind, and that'd be the best way to get her to appreciate him beyond his physical attributes.

Arya: I appreciate Arya's apparent...well, sympathy? Mercy? When she enters the village with the dying soldiers in the crow cages. Interesting that she'd say "valar morghullis" as the one guy died. She's using it perfectly correctly but supposedly without knowing what it means. Intuition? Or just a coincidence? Also, I can't decide if Gendry has a big crush on Arya, or is playing the older brother role. Seems to be leaning towards crush. Interesting that Thoros of Myr has spread the new wacky religion to the other people of his gang, and that he seems to have some of the same powers that Melisandre has. Just what is the limit of the powers these guys enjoy? There's a whole new set of rules here, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It really skews the balance of power in their favor. They might not have armies, but these powers seem to be able to kill leaders out of thin air, and we've already seen what a dramatic affect that can have on the outcome of war and battles. I know that the Starks are having wolf dreams and Bran perhaps more so than anyone, but his powers are still limited. Are all the gods bestowing powers, or just the red one? If magic and long dead powers are reawakening, they should be for everyone for the sake of balance. I hope there is more to come, but not too much. Magic might change the dynamic too much.

Jon: Not a great deal to take from Jon's chapters recently except he's really, really enjoying sex, and they're getting closer and closer to the Wall. But this chapter, Ygritte was pretty upset about not finding some sort of mythical horn. And, there was a horn in the grave that Jon found with the Night's Watch cloak in it. Is that the horn in question? Seems a little obvious, but maybe too coincidental. I don't remember what happened to the horn. Did Sam take it? Why would it be in so shallow a grave? Perhaps because Benjen found it, knew all about the power of dragonglass, and left his cloak behind in the grave so the others would find it and be better off for it!? Ah but we can dream can't we? Also, I wonder if there will be real repercussions from releasing all those shades (ghosts from graves?) into the world, or if that was superstition. 

Jaime: Amazing how fast Jaime enters an identity crisis upon losing his sword hand. My initial reaction is: Well, that sucks, because now you'll have to learn how to fight with your left hand (Beren did it). There's so much more complication in him than I would have guessed. He talks about turning his emotions off when he saw Aerys roast and strangle the elder Starks. He also talks about Tyrion with such affection and respect. He respects his intelligence, and names him as a reason to go on (without naming his father). Cersei and Tywin have such disdain for Tyrion, but not Jaime. I fear what retribution the Lannisters will try to enact in response to Jaime losing his hand, but I also hope that by the time Jaime gets there, his spirits will be tempered somewhat from his time with Brienne, and his humbling from losing his hand. What soul searching, if any, lies in store for the Kingslayer?

Tyrion: Please, please, please tell me that Tywin didn't cannibalize Ice to get the Valyrian steel to make Joffrey and Jaime's new swords! Tyion's chapter goes on at length about how hard it is to fine, and how strange that Tywin came upon such a large supply. And the only new sword in his midst was Ice! Curse those thrice damned Lannisters! Unless I'm wrong, in which case I'll apologize. I love seeing Tywin's reaction to the rumbling at the Wall. It's going to be a blast to see how everyone reacts when the Wall is breached or scaled (or both). The Wildings are such mythic boogeymen that no one really believes they'll ever come at the Wall again. It's too bad that the south is so far away. They won't feel the brunt of the attack when it comes.

Samwell: Love his new nickname. Samwise the Other Slayer. You'd think that would go a ways towards helping Sam find his courage, but alas! He chalks it up to chance and luck. Perhaps it wise, but it was also clever, and he didn't curl up to die (as he did on the long march). When push came to shove, he shoved a dagger in its heart. It's too bad about Mormont. I really, really liked him, and I was hoping he'd stay around longer to mentor Sam, but I also sort of doubted that he'd ever really make it out of those woods alive. They were so close too! Without the Old Bear, I think the defense of the Wall will really fall apart. It could have been a lot different if he had been alive to see it. I wonder if Sam will ever actually see Ser Jorah. It seems somewhat unlikely, but Jorah has to come back at some point.

Catelyn: So the Boltons burned Winterfell, blamed Theon, and then took credit for the rescue? The truth will have to come out of that one. I hope when the Starks find out, they flay the Boltons alive. Roose and his bastard. While I want Robb to march north and make everything right...the odds are so incredibly stacked against him. Further, taking on the Boltons weakens his already weak alliance even more since the Karstarks left and Bolton's army was rocked. And when he heads north, he has iron men in highly fortified spots as well as woads and visigoths ready to charge over the Wall (the allusion of course is to Hadrian's Wall and the Romans in general. I feel like Martin must have had Hadrian's Wall in mind when he wrote this given the similarities). He has so much stacked against him, I don't see how he can possibly win without a major game changer. I am preparing for a disaster.

Up next: A couple we haven't heard from much: Davos, Bran and more!

Page 382: Answers Merely Breed More Questions

Sorry for the brief delay with this post. Real life took hold of me this week and prevented me from getting to this in as timely a manner as I generally like. This is a shorter post than I'd usually make, but there will be more over the weekend. Also, I'll note that some of these entries will have even more of a stream of consciousness feel to them than normal, on account of the rapidly shifting nature of chapters.

A quick aside before I begin, because Dany's chapter started these thoughts festering: You know, these novels really, really cry out for a pre-quel history book. Where's my Silmarillion? I crave knowledge on the founding of the Seven Kingdoms, the First Men, the Children of the Forest, and maybe most especially, Valyria. What happened to make it fall from prominence? Seems like it was a pretty rockin' place in its heyday with all the cool weapons and regional hegemony. As agonizing as the slow pace of the plot is, the pace with which the back story and history of the world at large moves is best described as glacial. There's no payoff to work towards because it really is just back story, and we don't need it, but I really, really want it. This is what happens when you give a book like this to an historian. I identify heavily with Samwell, because I too want to get into that archives room in Castle Black and just research my heart out. I cheered in the Fellowship of the Ring movie when Gandalf hung out in the archives at Minas Tirith to research The One Ring. On the bright side, Tolkien finished LOTR and died during the Sil, so, for anyone worried about Martin finishing the series, it would seem history is on your side, and yet, against the side of history. I digress.

Daenerys: There's really an interesting take on morality in this chapter. Considering all the crap that people do to each other in Westeros, I'm actually shocked that slaving is really so abhorred. I mean, raping, pillaging, wanton murder and destruction, but slavery? No! That's a bridge too far! Frankly I'm actually thrown into a little bit of disarray at the notion, because it's just so hard to believe that a society that has such a tenuous grasp on any sort of appreciation or value for basic human life could be that wedded to the idea that slavery is actually on a different plane. Don't get me wrong, I think slavery is on a different plane, but, generally you get over the wanton killing before you get over slavery. The sexualization of Dany has at times been an odd journey, but, it's interesting to see how confused she becomes. Seems age appropriate (relative to the world she grew up in). The fact that a voice in her head tells her to push Ser Jorah away, and yet a baser instinct wants to pull him closer. Again though, these recent chapters have served to remind me all the more how young these characters are, which is making some of this a little disturbing really. If everyone was just a couple years older, the ick factor would be greatly reduced. So many kids trying to be adults, and they meet with such wildly varying degrees of success.

Dany Part 2: Okay, I don't believe for a second that she'd actually sell one of her dragons, regardless of the army she's getting for it. She roundly rejected the idea that last dozen times it was offered, and the rewards for such an offer were equal. They offered her a massive fleet and army when she was in Qarth, but now she wants these soldiers she just heard about five minutes ago, especially when she deplores slavery, so she's willing to ditch a dragon. Nope. On the other hand, very interesting to find out that valar morghullis means "all men must die." First off, totally sounds Sindarin. Actually, it is Sindarin, for anyone familiar with Tolkien language, the valar were the gods who created the world, and morgul means "black sorcery." I'm willing to believe that it's a total coincidence though, given the fact that there's absolutely no connection meaning wise. Either way, that's an ominous as all hell code word for Jaqen to give Arya. Is he part of some secret order? Is it a trap? Anyway back to Dany, yeah, the slave revolt thing is no surprise at all. It's a little weird that it was so incredibly simple. I can see that some might look at Dany as a bit of a hero here. She "liberated" a slave army, and fans of Dany might want to say "She was never going to sell a dragon, and the only reason she even went there was to free the slaves because she hates slavery so much." I think the first part is true, she was never going to sell a dragon, but Dany wasn't acting altruistically. She needed an army, and now she has one. It's not like she set them all free, and apparently the plot has made it impossible for her to set them free since they have no will of their own, though I will say that I sort of appreciate them having built-in rape deterrence.

Bran: I wonder the story behind Meera's story is? IS the boy Howland Reed? Is the girl Lyanna? Why is this significant? Like the old woman in the woods or the dreams or any of a dozen other tiny stories that get dropped on us and then forgotten, I refuse to believe that this chapter was just filler. One of the few rules of this series seems to be is: There are no idle prophesies and there are no idle stories. They don't all come true, but they're all significant.

Davos: Okay, so we get a little more information on how the shadow creatures that Melisandre employs are created. It seems to be some sort of theft of a person's life energy that creates them? That would explain the physical effects that this has on Stannis, as well as the fact that the shadow took Stannis' form, but doesn't seem to impart any actual knowledge to him of his direct role in the acts. It's a little sad, but also somewhat stereotypical to see Davos falling so easily and so quickly to Melisandre's religious lures. He was never a really religious man to begin with, but he seems to represent tradition as much as anything else, which is why he'd naturally reject it. And yet, Davos truly believed that one of his seven gods spoke directly to him when he was on that island. I really hope that Melisandre's god isn't the only one who will take an active role in what is to come.

Jon: I'm going to name his chapter: "Close your eyes and think of England." Just do it for the team there buddy. Ha ha. You know, part of me wants to be annoyed or disappointed with Jon for so fluidly talking himself into doing what he really wants to do anyway, and for letting himself down as well since those vows were so important to him (though, I'm not letting him off the hook for using Eddard's fling with his mother as a justification, that was low), but I'm giving him a pass for this one for a variety of reasons. First off, Jon is still only sixteen, and a virgin. He was totally unprepared to give up a temptation without even fully understanding what it was he was giving up. One of the characters who counseled him before he took his vows named that very worry. Might have been Benjen. Another thing I'm going to give him a pass on is the fact that it would appear that most of the Night's Watch slips off into that town just south of the wall for a little pick me up from time to time. I'm not even sure if the vows really say you have to be abstinent, they just mean you can't get married or have kids. His moral quandary, for the moment, doesn't really seem that dire, but this is a gateway vow! The fact is that Jon was the one who thought it was part of his vows, and he talked himself out of it very quickly. It's a slippery slope, and where does he draw the line? As an aside, I think this is a perfect example of unfair expectations of the character. Is it really fair to actually expect Jon to hold up that strongly against all the temptations around him at his age and his inexperience? We expect that of our heroes, but these novels are niggardly with their heroes, both in the paltry number of them, and in the rewards those few actually get. It's the same feeling that causes me to be so disappointed in any and all of the Stark kids, because I expect so much out of them, but those aren't realistic expectations.

Up next: Sansa and more.