So a lot of these first few chapters is really just re-establishing our connections with the characters and reminding us what is going on. There's actually not a whole lot going on yet. Feast started off that way too...and never picked up. Here's hoping this gets better in another 100 pages. Since the chapter lengths and what not work out a little differently with the hardcover versions, I probably won't be posting every 100 pages like I used to, but rather just once per character per entry.
Dany: For the most part this is a fairly straightforward, somewhat mundane chapter on the vagaries of ruling a small city with a small insurgency taking place. It's interesting that Dany is having to deal with this insurgency, and given the political world that many of us have lived in for the last decade, Martin could have easily chosen to slide in some moral component that discusses how to deal with an insurgency that relates more to our own times, but he hasn't (so far). I'm glad. I think it would have felt forced. Dany is still trying to walk the line between benevolence and wrath. She's picked all the low-hanging fruit as far as getting people to love her, because almost all the people on her side now were lifted from a state of despair when she came upon them. All the people of Meereen were perfectly fine before she arrived, and she totally messed with their world. Getting them to even like her, let alone love her, is going to be a far greater challenge that she hasn't figured out yet. Will she earn it, or will she kill enough of them to make them fear her instead? Much has been made of Robert's ability to get his enemies to love him and be loyal to him, and of course, much has been made of Aerys madness. Where will Dany fall? The business with the dragons is troubling. If she loses control over them, that really changes a major dynamic of the books. We've been waiting since the end of GoT for her to hop on a dragon and mow stuff down. Are they about to go beyond her control? And what about Euron's magic dragon controlling horn? Troubling signs ahead.
Jon: If not for where Bran is headed, I think it would have been really neat if the three-eyed crow had ended up being Mormont's bird. It's old, it's smart, it's wild above the wall, maybe it was just disguising itself all this time to steal corn. But alas, it doesn't seem to be headed in that direction. I'm glad that Jon is standing up to Stannis. It's too bad that we can't seen Jon as Lord Commander on his own, without having to deal with the permanent threat of a king nearby. Melisandre doesn't appear to be threatening Jon overtly, she actually seems to be genuinely warning him. Many of her prophesies in the past have been self-fulfilling with circular logic. "I have to kill so-and-so because in the fire I kill so-and-so." Lovely. But we can't deny that she is powerful. I hope we get some more information on northern politics in this book. We heard absolutely nothing about anything between the Neck and the Wall in Feast and I want to know what's happening. I'm also mildly curious as to when Rickon will rear his head, eventually. At this point I almost want Stannis to win over the North so it'll be kept safe for a Stark's return. On the other hand, if he makes them burn the weirwoods, I won't like it at all. One must also consider a tiny piece of news that hasn't been talked about in 500 pages. Before Robb went to The Twins, he had his lords sign a document that clearly defined the line of succession for the King in the North. Whom did he leave the kingdom to? What happened to the document? Why bother dropping that hint in SoS if not to bring it up later? It would seem that he chose Jon, but Jon rejected Stannis' offer. I hope this comes back up.
Bran: I hope that Bran doesn't lose Summer beyond the Wall. Jon has never had a problem controlling Ghost, really, but Jon is also a lot more strongwilled than Bran. All the "magical" pets that characters have seem to becoming more unruly and wild. Thus far, Bran's is the most undefined storyline with the most mystery. We don't know what will happen with everyone else, but at least we understand the stakes and the situation. Coldhands being a zombie isn't that big of a deal really (I mean, wasn't it sort of obvious to the reader from the start?), but I hope they get somewhere fast.
Tyrion: He would seem to be somewhat conflicted over Jaime. He recognizes that Jaime is the one that freed him, yet more than once he expresses a desire to kill him. There's a scene where one head laughs and one cries at killing Jaime, but at the same time he wants his head on a spike. I think he needs time still. He seems committed to helping Dany, but how long will it take him to get to Meereen if Dany isn't headed for Volantis? It could take half the book or more for him to get there, and they say it IS a long journey. I'm sort of hoping Dany hopes a dragon and picks him up along the way.
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