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.
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