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A Song of Ice and Fire -- **Unmarked Spoilers For All Books including ADWD**

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rando14

Member
Read through the whole damn series again. Definitely helps to go through such an enormous story again. Ended this run appreciating the Dorne subplots a lot more. Still don't give a fuck about the ironborn. Daario still sucks.

Damn I've been thinking about a reread, but it's so fucking long lol. I might reread just the first book again, to understand Ned better along with his old memories/references.
 

otake

Doesn't know that "You" is used in both the singular and plural
I'm about to finish a re-read. I'm in the final pages of dance. The series does reward muliple reads.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
You expect him to write a 400k+ word book in under three years? Because that's what it would take to see it sooner than that. He'd have to finish it by Summer 2014 for a Fall 2014 release, and...that's incredibly unlikely.

I'm guessing mid/late 2016 and I still won't be surprised at all if he goes, oh, I couldn't finish all of Dream of Spring in one book and busts out another one.
 
Read through the whole damn series again. Definitely helps to go through such an enormous story again. Ended this run appreciating the Dorne subplots a lot more. Still don't give a fuck about the ironborn. Daario still sucks.

i will reread them when we know exactly when the sixth is coming. i have always felt that many people complain about the dorne stuff more than the storylines deserve. quentin may be a bit pointless, but the sand snakes could end up being really great.
 

Violater

Member
I have very little motivation to finish ADWD its just not the same as it was for the other books for me, I couldn't put them down.
Not knowing if I will ever see an end to the story is just depressing.
 
I can see that happening, Westeros is being destroyed by weak ruling and this will make the danger that much greater. I can't see Dany ending up being ruler after the series is done though, just seems too obvious.

What's everyones thoughts on the Dragons against the Whitewalkers/others/whatever their main name is, to me they seem to overpowered against them and I reckon that something will have to happen to 1 or all of them to make it seem like this is going to be hard to stop the whitewalkers. It would be pretty boring if the whitewalkers invaded and Dany came with her Dragons and defeated them easily.

Has it been explained why they disappeared all those years ago?

I think a nightmare scenario for everyone is if one of Dany's dragons died against the white walkers/North of the wall. We all know what would happen then... zombie ice Dragon.
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
I think neither Dany nor her dragons will make it to Westeros.

That'd be some horseshit.

But then again it'd also be right up Martin's fucked-up alley. I doubt it, though. There's just too much of the story riding on them for it not to happen (I hope.) I feel pretty confident in predicting that Dany will NOT retake the Iron Throne as that would just wrap things up a little too neatly and predictably for Martin's tastes. She'll get there and she'll do something significant but it won't all go so peachy as her ruling happily ever after.
 

Violater

Member
That'd be some horseshit.

But then again it'd also be right up Martin's fucked-up alley. I doubt it, though. There's just too much of the story riding on them for it not to happen (I hope.) I feel pretty confident in predicting that Dany will NOT retake the Iron Throne as that would just wrap things up a little too neatly and predictably for Martin's tastes. She'll get there and she'll do something significant but it won't all go so peachy as that.

Which is my only reasoning.
I also think due to the fact that she can't have kids anymore it makes no sense for her to be on the throne as the land will be thrust back into chaos as soon as she dies.
 

Violater

Member
Dany will make it to Westeros and will absolutely die. As she deserves to.

Ohh stop it, people seem to come down on Dany for the impossible choices she has had to make. It's a shit position she is in not being able to trust anyone thereby having to just seek what she sees as the lesser of all the evils around her as council.
Though I havn't finished ADWD yet so I could be right there with you in the end but I doubt it as I find her tits more appealing than your avatar of Arnold so there :p
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
I also think due to the fact that she can't have kids anymore it makes no sense for her to be on the throne as the land will be thrust back into chaos as soon as she dies.

Well I thought the end of ADWD foreshadowed Dany's plumbing getting fixed, though I'm still puzzling through the wordy prophecy of Mirri Maz Durr that basically said, "You'll have kids again when pigs fly." But one of the important themes of the series is how cryptic and easily-misunderstood prophecies can be.
i.e. Rhaegar first believing he was the Prince, then his son, when by all accounts it's turning out to be Dany; Cersei thinking Margaery is the younger queen who casts her down when that's also looking to fit Dany's fate more; and of course Melisandre misreading practically every prophecy and vision she sees, particularly regarding Stannis and the dragons.
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
Ohh stop it, people seem to come down on Dany for the impossible choices she has had to make. It's a shit position she is in not being able to trust anyone thereby having to just seek what she sees as the lesser of all the evils around her as council.
Though I havn't finished ADWD yet so I could be right there with you in the end but I doubt it as I find her tits more appealing than your avatar of Arnold so there :p

I tend to cut her some slack for her stupidity on account that she's literally still a kid when the story starts and barely a teen when shit really hits the fan in her life, and the teens are that magical time in life when we're all are biologically compelled to be idiots.
 

rando14

Member
Ohh stop it, people seem to come down on Dany for the impossible choices she has had to make. It's a shit position she is in not being able to trust anyone thereby having to just seek what she sees as the lesser of all the evils around her as council.
Though I havn't finished ADWD yet so I could be right there with you in the end but I doubt it as I find her tits more appealing than your avatar of Arnold so there :p

You're right in that she is a pitiable character. She plays the role of entitled royalty who is given too much power and too powerful toys. She wrecked all of the slaver cities. She tossed aside her best advisor. (How did she even meet Jorah anyways and why did he even agree to help her, to sheath his sword in her scabbard? I honestly forgot.)

AND SHE FUCKING LOVES DAARIO lol.

But that said, though I don't like her character, I like her as a character set up to fail. adwd spoiler
Aegon is much more likeable and actually has a legitimate army to bring back the Targaryens into power

PS. How dare you insult Arnold :(
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
You're right in that she is a pitiable character. She plays the role of entitled royalty who is given too much power and too powerful toys. She wrecked all of the slaver cities. She tossed aside her best advisor. (How did she even meet Jorah anyways and why did he even agree to help her, to sheath his sword in her scabbard? I honestly forgot.)

AND SHE FUCKING LOVES DAARIO lol.

She doesn't love Daario. She wants to bone him. Once again, she's a horny teen and he's the hot bad boy. She even says to herself more than once that him and her would never really work out and that once she was married to Hizdahr she'd never even get the chance to get plowed by him. And Jorah sought her out because he originally planned to spy on her for Varys.

Agreed on the entitled royalty part, although practically every major character in the story is guilty of this to some degree, even the ones who aren't technically royalty. Everyone wants their pound of flesh for one reason or another.
 

Violater

Member
She doesn't love Daario. She wants to bone him. Once again, she's a horny teen and he's the hot bad boy. She even says to herself more than once that him and her would never really work out and that once she was married to Hizdahr she'd never even get the chance to get plowed by him. And Jorah sought her out because he originally planned to spy on her for Varys.

Jorah was a prick, fine he was spying on her, but to still be doing so when they had reached as far as Quarth together, was in my mind unforgivable as well. I hope sir Barristan stays good to his word even though he isn't the smartest character similar to most of the knights in the series.
 
Jorah was a prick, fine he was spying on her, but to still be doing so when they had reached as far as Quarth together, was in my mind unforgivable as well. I hope sir Barristan stays good to his word even though he isn't the smartest character similar to most of the knights in the series.

I still wonder what his motives were for informing Varys while in Qarth and what he said. By that point he was clearly in love with her and hatched her dragons, what could Varys offer him?
 

tokkun

Member
I still wonder what his motives were for informing Varys while in Qarth and what he said. By that point he was clearly in love with her and hatched her dragons, what could Varys offer him?

It's tough to say. You need to remember that Varys actually secretly supported Dany's invasion of Westeros, but we don't know how much of that, if any, came through to Jorah. What we do know is that Varys warned Jorah of the assassination attempt, which allowed him to save Dany from the poisoned wine. So it's not as if there wasn't some degree of benefit from the relationship.
 
Did we ever find out who the two people were that Arya overheard talking in the first book were? It was in Kings Landing, in an underground vault or something.
 

hemtae

Member
Did we ever find out who the two people were that Arya overheard talking in the first book were? It was in Kings Landing, in an underground vault or something.
I think it was Varys and Illyrio. Also it looks like I missed the part were Jorah was still spying on Dany in Qarth. I thought he stopped after the wine thing.
 

tokkun

Member
I think it was Varys and Illyrio. Also it looks like I missed the part were Jorah was still spying on Dany in Qarth. I thought he stopped after the wine thing.

That was when he stopped. He later says that he sent one message from Qarth - presumably the same time he found out about the assassination attempt.
 

Violater

Member
It's tough to say. You need to remember that Varys actually secretly supported Dany's invasion of Westeros, but we don't know how much of that, if any, came through to Jorah. What we do know is that Varys warned Jorah of the assassination attempt, which allowed him to save Dany from the poisoned wine. So it's not as if there wasn't some degree of benefit from the relationship.

When was this?
I just figured he was actually doing his job at the time and not following some directive.
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
Jorah was a prick, fine he was spying on her, but to still be doing so when they had reached as far as Quarth together, was in my mind unforgivable as well. I hope sir Barristan stays good to his word even though he isn't the smartest character similar to most of the knights in the series.

I suppose it took awhile for Jorah to reconcile his desire to return home from exile with his growing love/lust for Dany and that it took reaching Quarth for him to make a decision. As for Barristan he's wrestled most of his life with the consequences of fulfilling his vows so who knows,
 

Pokielhl

Neo Member
When was this?
I just figured he was actually doing his job at the time and not following some directive.

Well I don't think that Jorah specifically says that; we just assume that's how things went. In Vaes Dothrak Jorah acts suspicious and wants to seperate from Dany's party to see if any messages arrived for him from Magister Illyrio. Later, he shows up when Dany is about to drink the wine and immediately senses that it is a trap.

So in that case he heard about an assassination attempt from either Varys or Illyrio. Whether or not they were warning him so he could foil it, I don't believe we know for sure.
 
When was this?
I just figured he was actually doing his job at the time and not following some directive.

Well Jorah got a letter from Westeros in AGOT giving him a pardon after he'd sent intel on Dany. He interpreted that as they would try to kill her, and he was right, so he was able to save her life. (The guy that tried to poison her with wine.)
 

CassSept

Member
This is no-spoiler-unless-it's-about-TWOW-chapters thread, isn't it?

Well I thought the end of ADWD foreshadowed Dany's plumbing getting fixed, though I'm still puzzling through the wordy prophecy of Mirri Maz Durr that basically said, "You'll have kids again when pigs fly." But one of the important themes of the series is how cryptic and easily-misunderstood prophecies can be.

It was interpreted that the prophecy came through, didn't it? Sun rises in the west and sets in the east (Martells=sun, Quentyn comes from Westeros and dies in Essos); flying mountains (towers of Meereen thrown into air by dragons) and whatnot, eh?

But that said, though I don't like her character, I like her as a character set up to fail. adwd spoiler
Aegon is much more likeable and actually has a legitimate army to bring back the Targaryens into power

Meh. He is probably Blackfyre anyway and will be discredited sooner or later.
 

Pokielhl

Neo Member
Vary's speech at the end of A Dance With Dragons basically ensures that Aegon will gain the throne for a time, before dieing as a result of his own hubris.
 
This is no-spoiler-unless-it's-about-TWOW-chapters thread, isn't it?
Correct.
Vary's speech at the end of A Dance With Dragons basically ensures that Aegon will gain the throne for a time, before dieing as a result of his own hubris.
I guess it has to do with him coming out of nowhere in ADWD, but I've never really entertained the idea much of Aegon actually taking the throne until you realize he has Varys backing.
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
It was interpreted that the prophecy came through, didn't it? Sun rises in the west and sets in the east (Martells=sun, Quentyn comes from Westeros and dies in Essos); flying mountains (towers of Meereen thrown into air by dragons) and whatnot, eh?

Interesting... I hadn't considered that. Although I remember now that Quaithe referred to him as the, "sun's son" so it makes sense.
 

Angry Grimace

Two cannibals are eating a clown. One turns to the other and says "does something taste funny to you?"
Weren't there only two years between Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords?

There were less conventions to attend at that point. It also becomes more and more difficult to write consistent plot threads the longer you go because its relatively easy to write your way out of things that prospectively don't work, as opposed to things that directly clash with things you've already written.
 
Clash and Storm feel very much like they were written together.


GRRM did say that 2014 was the goal for TWOW, but he also immediately said to take that with a grain of salt.
 

aceface

Member
Game, Clash and Storm were all written as one giant book. Remember him saying he wanted the Red Wedding to be in AGoT?

Yes, and he started it in 1991 which means it was a 5 year wait before the first one was published. We just didn't know we were waiting for anything yet.
 
There's too much "Dany in Westeros" symbolism for her not to make it there, imo. I think she'll especially get her shit together once she hears about "Aegon" wrecking shit. I think Tyrion played him into overexposing himself, and he'll likely be killed/defeated before Dany can save his ass. Dunno if I believe he'll take the throne so quickly but he'll certainly be a potent threat with the Lannisters in disarray and the Tyrells threatened on multiple fronts.

Of course I'm hoping for Stannis to come out on top in the Winterfell battle. I'm worried because nearly every theory/prediction says he'll win the battle, it's the most obvious and logical thing...which means Martin will find a way to throw a wrench in our carefully laid plans lol. But seriously, Stannis has every advantage right now: he has the high ground, he has Northern troops, he was able to defuse the traitors before they could attack, and the Manderlys will be on his side covertly. And he has some type of trick planned, perhaps with the ice lake. What could go wrong lol
 
So Varys and Illyrio... Do we know their motivations? Are they just trying to get Danys into power or is it something else?

They wanted to hold Robert's realm together long enough to get their plans for Viserys ready, then send the realm into instability to help a Targ invasion. Or at least that's what it looks like on the surface, though it doesn't look like they had any plans for Dany beyond marrying her to Drogo. Why they are doing this is unknown.
 

Baraka in the White House

2-Terms of Kombat
They wanted to hold Robert's realm together long enough to get their plans for Viserys ready, then send the realm into instability to help a Targ invasion. Or at least that's what it looks like on the surface, though it doesn't look like they had any plans for Dany beyond marrying her to Drogo. Why they are doing this is unknown.

Viserys putting the Targaryens back on the map was their original plan, which of course was screwed up (thankfully) by Viserys being an insufferable cock. With him dead their only hope of restoring the Targs to power was with Dany, which they soon realized was a much better plan when they took notice of what she was doing post-Drogo.
 
And he hadn't lost the plot and decided that going to cons and selling stupid fucking Wild Cards books were a better use of his time.
He's been going to cons and selling Wild Cards for decades, it's nothing new. The show gives him the opportunity to sell everything he wants and make more money.

I had thought he'd spend much of 2012 getting much needed rest after the hard work and victory lap of 2011, but it seemed like he was running around all year. He has fewer events in 2013 and will get back to writing more, from a better position than before with the Knot finished. He isn't acting like he has lost the plot and he seems quite motivated.
 
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