I've never been the most avid reader. I've wanted to be; I've read lists of my friends who seem to be reading classic novels all the time and telling how it's changed their lives this week. I wanted to read these classics and see how such things would make me more intellectual. Maybe read Ulysses and figure out what the big deal with Bloomsday is. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and whoever wrote The Wasp Factory. But I also want to keep up with great television, independent movies, blockbusters, the latest video games, study to by a physicist, lose weight, and explore the beauty of my current state of residence. There's not enough time in life for all of those things, so many of them have to give.
So, you can see why when HBO began their hit TV show Game of Thrones, I was skeptical that I would ever find the time and will to read the books on which they're based. I was especially skeptical after watching the first two seasons. The story is amazing and rich and fascinating, but I didn't think I would want to read stories which I'd already seen onscreen. I'd done so with The Lord of the Rings and as a result realized that I liked the movies more than the classic books they were based on. But I finally did. I checked out Martin's first book, got the audiobook and began reading and listening. One thing I realized is that if I really like the story, I don't want to hear it on audiobook. I discovered this with a Star Wars book a tried to listen to a few years ago and rediscovered it with A Game of Thrones. Audiobooks work for some, but with me, I feel that I need to read the words to get the full experience, to have it in my head and my head alone. As a result, I read A Clash of Kings more than I listened to its audio and I marveled at just how different the show had gone from that book. Perhaps if I'd read the book first, I would have been put off by the changes, but I actually like many of the changes the show made, particularly in Dany's story.
Then came A Storm of Swords, a story for which I was rather spoiled in many aspects and which I must put a SPOILER WARNING from here on out. So, SPOILER WARNING for A Storm of Swords as well as for a major revelation in A Dance With Dragons. If you have not yet read ASoS and don't want to be spoiled, don't read on as I'm reacting quite a lot to events that take place in that book. I'll warn you again when I get to the Dance with Dragons spoiler and speculation that spawns from here on out.
Still reading? This is your last chance...
Okay...
Perhaps it is because this is the first book I read on its own, but this one was my favorite by far. It continued the story for most of the characters in new and interesting ways and had so many twists and turns it was hard to put down. Martin has this tendency to end a chapter with some big twist or revelation that he doesn't completely let you know about and then not come back to that character for several chapters. It's maddening and actually reminds me of such a cliffhanger I recently came across with Davos in one of the books I'm reading right now (I'm reading A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons simultaneously based on an online chronology I found. I couldn't stand to go an entire book without seeing anything with Jon, Tyrion, or Dany). It makes for some exciting reading, though, and really makes me look forward to the next two seasons of the TV show. Not only are the continuing stories of our favorites fascinating, but several new characters arrive with their own contributions to this deep, twisted world. We also get to see characters whose stories have been developing separately begin to start crossing each other's paths and that leads to some great scenes.
Where to begin? It's hard to say, but maybe it's easiest to begin away from Westeros in a section that's still self-contained but is beginning to make small connections to the greater plot: Daenerys' actions across the sea. Dany's story is much more dynamic this time around than in A Clash of Kings, a plot that was so static that the TV show decided to invent a greater sense of danger in Qarth to give her some challenge to go up against. There is no problem with that this time around, as we get to see what kind of ruler she is beginning to become. There's a balance with her, between her desire to be a fair, good ruler and the need to be ruthless as a consequence of being a conqueror. Dany gets an army through a little bluffing and deceit and proceeds to use that army to overthrow the tyrannical rulers of a slave city. She goes to three cities in the story and must defeat them in different ways each time, destroying their rulers, freeing their slaves, and leaving the cities in the hands of the people. It's all very noble and feels right, but much of the lesson for her this time around is the "And then what?" situation, a very real question when it comes to war throughout human history. Countless times we can see the power struggle that results from the vacuum of a fallen government, of which in the real world post-Saddam Iraq and the states of the Arab Spring are just the most recent examples. Dany learns this the hard way when she learns the fates of Astapor and Yunkai after she has left them to fend for themselves following the overthrow of their rulers. She chooses to stay in Mereen and try to make a new, free, prosperous city which she rules. It will be a major test for her and her ability to rule as she correctly posits that she will not be able to conquer and rule Westeros well if she can't do the same with a single city. It's a major chance for her to grow, which I don't think we got to see in A Clash of Kings the way we saw her change and come into her own in A Game of Thrones.
The events in Daenerys' story have already shed some light on some of the visions she encountered in the House of the Undying. We now get more information on the meaning of the "mother" chant, as the refugees she freed from the slave cities and who now follow and depend on her see her as a freeing mothers. On the other hand, there is the worry of these freed people becoming too dependent on her so that they will never be self sufficient.
Personally, Dany gets some real changes in her life and makes a decision that one wonders whether it might come back to haunt her. One of the great twists in the book is the revealed identity of Whitebeard as none other than former commander of the Kingsguard Barristan Selmy! Like the characters, I had wondered where old Barristan had gone and the revelation of his true identity makes me look back on his actions throughout the book in an entire new light. There are few men as honorable as Ser Barristan, so the fact that he's chosen to serve Dany is a very interesting one. Also interesting this time around is Ser Jorah Mormont's arc, who finally was up front with Dany about his feelings for her, but at the same time had his former treachery revealed. Is Jorah one of the three betrayals Dany so feared? It wouldn't surprise me and I'm looking forward to how his banishment by her at the end of the book will affect his attitude and actions toward her in the coming stories.
I was also interested in Dany's thoughts that there are "two trustworthy men" somewhere out there as the dragon has three heads to fight beside her. If not Jorah and Selmy, who could they be? Westeros doesn't have all that many trustworthy characters but a few come to mind. Could Jon be one? Davos? Sam? If he's considered a man, Bran? Tyrion can be trustworthy when he means to be. Or is it not a man at all? Arya is out there and heading east. Sansa's story would make a huge progression if she is someday riding a dragon at Dany's side. Only time will tell, but it's still fun to speculate about.
I was glad to see Jon not spend the entire book with the wildlings and eventually have to make his choice to rejoin his brothers on the Night's Watch. When he draws Longclaw and jumps on that horse, I nearly cheered. And getting back to Castle Black, organizing his brothers for battle, and basically having Aemon tell him he was de facto Lord Commander? It was a fantastic arc. And just when things look their worst for our Lord Snow, help arrives from an unexpected place.
Which brings us to Davos Seaworth. Travel and action-wise, not much happens with Davos, but character-wise, he has one of the best stories in the book. Seriously, it's refreshing to see a man with enough honor and rightness that he risks so much to save the life of an innocent boy and possibly bring his declining king back from the brink. The big difference between Davos and the quite honorable Ned Stark is that Davos seems to be friends with a slightly less rash Baratheon brother. Stannis is very flawed and possibly more weak-willed and stubborn than I'd have originally thought, but unlike Robert he doesn't duck the truth because it's inconvenient. Davos has a friend who actually listens to him, even when he doesn't like it, and that may give him a longer lease on life.
And that's what makes Stannis' arrival at the Wall so awesome. It's great that the Night's Watch is finally getting some help and a nice early test for new Lord Commander Jon Snow. For Jon, Stannis brings relief but also new complications as he must wrestle with keeping the Watch out of the War of the Five Kings as Stannis clearly wants, while also wrestling with the idea of rising farther than a bastard-born normally would. Plus, there's just the cool novelty of having a couple of major characters meeting face to face and stories converging. Jon's arc is rich and complicated, as he wrestles literally and figuratively with his feelings for Ygritte, his infiltration of the wildlings (who, BTW, were WAY too willing to show them their trust. Amazingly clever Mance Rayder is not.), defending Castle Black and then the power struggle with Janos Slynt, and then finally being elected Lord Commander and having to deal with Stannis' help and demands. It's a roller coaster for young Snow, and he wrestles with it until the major turning point at the end of the book: the return of Ghost. Ghost's return is a cathartic moment for Jon and here more than any other moment in the book, you see the connection the Stark children have with their wolves. Getting Ghost back brings clarity for Jon, brings certainty back into his life, and it's a wonderful moment to see. It's here (as well as with Barristan's ID reveal) we see some of the advantages a book has over a TV show. We're able to witness Jon's demons and his torn loyalties, see his temptations and doubts, and ultimately his joy of a returning companion and his arrival at a final decision. And I felt those emotions right with him.
Tyrion... wow, so much can change in a single book, can't it? Marrying Sansa? Kind of disturbing, as well as once you begin to realize that our (relatively) decent, honorable dwarf has stirrings for the pretty, 13-year-old girl. Accused of Joffrey's death and sentenced to death? Quite a fall from the acting King's Hand and a real look at the prejudice against him in action. Escaping and killing his father? Can't wait to see that onscreen. I love reading his story and can't wait to see where his story continues to go.
And how about Sansa? I had to back to A Clash of Kings to remember where that stone hair net she had came from. Because ding dong, Joffrey is dead! Very nice, Grandma Tyrell! But Sansa just keeps getting shuffled from one awful situation to the next. Of course, we shouldn't trust Littlefinger, but he's the one who was behind Jon Aryyn's poisoning?! And Lysa was the one who actually did it?!?!?! How much does that affect how we look on the past couple of books? He's the reason Catelyn thought Tyrion had tried to kill Bran, he's the reason the Starks and Lannisters started lining up against each other, his actions are a major reason the War of the Five Kings even happened! And now he's kissing Sansa. Man, the guy is slime. But so fun to read about. Part of me wants to see what's coming to him, but part of me feels like there'd be some sick delight in him being the last man standing. Just in time for the Others to show up and slaughter the kingdoms.
Jaime is becoming more fascinating all the time. Getting his backstory has been amazing and shows how easily he could have been a good man rather than the near monster he is now. Objectively, what he did as a young man was very honorable. He killed a king, yes, but he was a king who was insane and homicidal, who was ready to use wildfire to burn King's Landing to the ground when he thought he would lose it. Jaime removed the threat of Aerys and the pyromancer who had the ability to burn the city and kill thousands. I get the feeling that if he hadn't been so torn down for being the Kingslayer, if people had celebrated him for what he considers great acts, he would not have become the twisted person he is. He has a lot of regret and self-hatred and seems to have almost crossed the line to nihilism, so one wonders if there will ever be a chance to reach redemption. I'm really hoping if he is redeemed, he dies shortly after because he is very much a character who deserves it. Or at least he deserves to be locked up for the rest of his days.
Arya's journey takes her on one of the more interesting paths. I loved the Brotherhood without Banners, getting to see a group of soldiers actually acting honorably in a world where that is as rare as a Harvest Moon on a Leap Day. Plus, we get more magic in this fantasy book as Thoros of Myr keeps bringing Beric back to life! Her encounter and extended interaction with the Hound is fascinating and her revenge on one of her tormenters poetic. There is a certain sadness with Arya's story as this ten-year-old girl continually edges closer to a cold-blooded survivor. Attacking and repeatedly stabbing the Tickler is simultaneously satisfying and disturbing. It's like I'm watching The Professional or something. Though his death is much better here than in the show. And now she's on her way to Braavos, which gave us Jaaqen and Syrio! Can't wait to see what's next for her.
Bran's story seemed mostly about walking north and discovering things about his psychic powers, which his siblings seem to share to some extent. It was interesting, though not quite as much as other stories. Still, I like his rapport with the Reeds and can see why book fans missed them in the show's second season. Running across Samwell and Gilly was fun and it'll be interesting to learn more about this Coldhands character.
Which, of course, brings us to the biggest twist in the book, the Red Wedding. Unfortunately, much with Ned in the first book/season, I was spoiled for this. I was dreading it as it got closer and closer and picking up all of the signs hinting at it. The Freys really need to die. So much. Just a sad scene to have Catelyn watch her son, the last child she believes alive, murdered in front of her. It doesn't justify what she does, of course, but such a disturbing and crazy scene. And it certainly explains one of Dany's visions in the House of Undying.
Though that makes that epilogue... wow. Just wow. It's an interesting idea knowing that it was Nymeria/Arya who were responsible for
Catelyn's body being recovered. And now
Thoros has brought her back and that's a little creepy. Partly because here we both Fire and Ice resurrecting the dead. Fire represented in the Red Priests and their Lord of Light resurrecting
the dead and Ice in the form of Others/White Walkers raising
their wights. Though at this point it
seems the Fire undead are basically the same person, they just carry their poor
body's damage. The Ice wights are
brutes, not much more than zombies.
But that was a twist. What a way to end the book.
Which brings me to my Dance of Dragons-spoiling speculation. This is completely my own speculation based on one revelation I learned from the Wiki of Ice and Fire, though I did just read the Tyrion-based conclusion so I've reached the part in the book where the twist in question is revealed. Anyway, this is based on one of Dany's visions she had in A Clash of Kings and some of the dialogue. One of her visions seems to be a vision of her witnessing her brother Rhaegar name his son. We know that Rhaegar and his wife Elia had two children, both of which were killed by the Lannisters when they sacked King's Landing. But what I'm thinking is maybe they didn't only have two kids. Dany is allegedly Rhaegar's sister, but what if she's really his daughter? She's over twenty years younger than him. What if Elia secretly had a third child but they claimed she was Rhaella's daughter to protect her? Now, this has problems, of course, since the truth would have somehow had to be hidden from Viserys, but it might explain the three dragons comment. Now that we know SPOILER WARNING that Rhaegar's son Aegon is still alive, I'm not sure what that might mean. I know some have speculated Jon Snow is really Lyanna Stark's son, and that his true father is Rhaegar, which would explain quite a bit about why Ned never talked about Jon's mother and still claimed Jon as his own. He would have Stark blood, but he would also have Targaryen blood, making three dragons still alive. Were that the case, we would have three with Targaryen blood, whether Dany is Rhaegar's sister or daughter. I still have half of two books to read and two more books after that, so I'm looking forward to seeing how this all ends. Could I be right? I don't know, but one thing is for sure, I'm going to enjoy the story ahead.
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