A Game of Thrones
George R.R. Martin
Read it in Hardback - 728pgs.
First and fore-most there are spoilers and speculations ahead, tread at your own peril.
I won't do the re-cap, in fact I am going to skip anything about the first book at all.
The Comet - Heralding Doom, Death, and Dragons?
The book starts out with a comet in the sky and everyone thinks it’s one variation or the other of a boon for themselves or some impending disaster to destroy them all. I personally think it's for Daenary's comment signifying the return of Dragons and as it so happens magic as well. She's plotting east with the comet which appeared after the birth of the dragons and has been rewarded for it thus far. One thing that I think is interesting about the comet is that its seen by everyone across both continents but that it's appearance in the far North is different than its appearance in the East and different in King's Landing. It appears to me like a beacon for the North, or at least the impending doom that is going to come spilling over the wall.
Across the Narrow Sea - The Mother of Dragons Returns?
Daenary's visit to the Maegi was huge for speculation, foreshadowing, and she did receive the warning from the Maegi before one of the dragons tore the heart to pieces putting an end to the "un-dying." She will be deceived once for love, once for power, and once for wealth. Well who is what in terms of the promise from the Maegi? She definitely isn't making any friends in Qarth but just as she is about doomed there, she is saved by an old friend. How much help is he actually going to give to the mother of dragons? Who is the bearded man, as the eunuch leaves little mystery to what he is and who he has slain. 100 or so people can’t stop anyone in the free cities and the dragons are not much more than dogs with wings that happen to be priceless and wanted by everyone. Dany has some things to work out quick like before she sees herself dead and her precious dragons taken.
Greater Westeros & King's Landing - The Summit of Chaos
Four kings in the land of Westeros and three see to sit the thrown at Kings Landing.
Some interesting characters come into light with Arya, Jaqhen Haqar comes to mind. How did Jaqhen Haqar fulfill the three deaths she could claim for saving his life, magic of a sort? What is the burnished silver coin he gave her before his departure? The bloody mummers aren't to be trusted and I am surprised Bolton didn’t just put them all to the sword, but I suppose they have their uses, kind of like how people need their feet. I support Arya's decision to not let everyone know who she is.
Melisandre is an interesting addition to the story and the first real account of magic, apparently immune to poisoning, burning the seven and the god's wood wherever she has found them, and erotically birthing a shadow of Stannis to kill what he couldn’t on the field of battle. Renly's as dead as nails so who donned his armor to meet Stannis across Blackwater in the sortie that drove him from the landing? My guess is Ser Loras from HighGarden but I see no real reason for them to support Joffrey and the Lanister at this junction with exception of survival. It's a shame Renly and/or Stannis wouldn’t support Robb in the North. Especially Stannis as that would have been beneficial for both of them.
What is Stannis's next move? His fleet is nearly all but lost since the imp burned it in the Black water using Dragon Fire, his army took a terrible blow and he didn't retreat to Storm's Landing. We obviously have not heard the end of Stannis but his sword isn't literally flaming either as Melisandre continues to feed him lies.
Caetlyn gets some answers from the "Kingslayer" down in the depths of Riverrun but could Petyr Baelish really be the one to cause so much of this? Petyr couldn’t have fathomed that Bran would see the Lanister incest or that Jaimie would throw him from the tower, so he couldn’t have "always" been planning to slay Bran. Something still isn't right here though. Petyr wasn’t there either and these things would have been intercepted from the ravens. How did Petyr ensure that the blade would be ready for a Stark? You say why do you? Petyr hates House Stark and House Tully but has amassed a significant amount of respect as the lord of coin, why would he still want to ensure the destruction of these houses? It still feels like the game is being played by a higher level of players but that we only have visibility to maybe one or two, being Petyr and Varys the eunuch I suppose. With Petyr returning with the remnants of Renly's army, which didn’t bend the knee to Stannis, and wiping Stannis from the field of power, what power did Petyr broker in his longer than expected absence? Mind you he is the Lord of Harenhall and has been promised the tax revenue and the fealty of the Riverlands after the war; mind you all of the lords are pledged to the north.
The land of Dorne is still a mystery, as well as who they support. Although I don’t believe anyone south of House Lanister is really all that friendly to the Kings Landing cause. They have no love for House Lanister, or House Baratheon so I am excited to see what happens there. They had no love for House Tygarean either but bent the knee none the less and eventually provided a queen for House Tygarean, once they ran out of people to inbreed. When Sandor Clegane the "Mountain That Rides" decided to bash the infants heads against the walls of the Red Keep and then raped the Dornish queen, I don't believe they made friends with House Lanister but I guess we will find out shortly enough through books three, four, and five.
The North - Because Winter is Comming
Theon blundered into Winterfell and made a mess of the whole thing. What was Theon thinking? Robb and Theon's plan was much better than what the lord of Pyke is planning, it is a shame he's a stubborn ass and even more unfortunate that Theon sees no "out" but to play along and making more and more mistakes by the minute. Theon trusting in a stranger that turned out to be Roose Boltons bastard who just recently raped and murdered Lady Hornwood and got away. The North realm thinks Roose's bastard is dead and done with but Roose Bolton is receiving messages from a wife long and dead? Sounds like Mr. Bolton has quite a few other things in mind and who should be governing the north. Not surprising considering that there is no love lost and the Bolton's flayed Starks for a long, long, long time before bending the knee, could he be seizing the North from the Starks, I guess burning Winterfell speaks volumes enough on that subject?
So the remaining Stark's are latent Wargs, this is an interesting dynamic thrown into the mix. It seems all of them save Sansa is having the dreams, who knows if she has or has not since Lady is dead, which makes me wonder if this is also a little foreshadowing towards where Sansa is headed. Bran the cripple now has legs and if the dialogs had in the crypts of Winterfell are foreshadowing the future, I believe Brann will be spending a lot of time as his wolf instead of a man.
Jon's actually gone north of the wall with the watch. Love me some Craster's Keep, even if he has a penchant of making his daughters his wife. A little foreshadowing to what happens to the unfortunate sons his wives bear but I guess the price must be paid. I think Jon's finding of the Dragon Glass is pretty important but who left it for them, Benjen perhaps? At this point is Benjen even alive?
Loved me Rattleshirt and the free folk/wildlings but how does the Half-Hand actually think this is going to play out. I like the chapters with him and I wish we had had some more time to really get to know the legendary ranger before his death at the hands of Jon Snow. What was Mance digging for in the FrostFangs do you think, and will 500 rangers be able to stand against Mance and his host of 30k at the Fist of the First Men?
Just started the Third today.
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