The Daylight War, by Peter V. Brett (1/5)

1. THE PAINTED MAN (4/5)
2. THE DESERT SPEAR (2/5)
3. THE DAYLIGHT WAR (1/5) 


Wow what a precipitous drop in quality from Peter V. Brett's opening salvo in this Demon Cycle saga, THE PAINTED MAN.  I don't believe the writing and stage setting was ever Brett's strong suit, I certainly didn't see evidence of textured scenes and environments in THE PAINTED MAN.  It was the characterizations - Arlen, Leesha and Rojer - and their journeys which grab you.  THE PAINTED MAN's novelty has worn off by this latest installment, THE DAYLIGHT WAR.  More and more, I feel like I'm reading a B-grade fantasy soap opera, and less and less, any relevant events which move the story forward.  The demons simply aren't menacing anymore, not even the mind demons and their mimics if we go by what Jardir, equipped with the Kaji spear and crown, is able to accomplish.  The first two-thirds of the book tell of the same events in THE PAINTED MAN from Jiwah Ka Innerva's perspective, supplemented mostly by inane, insipid banter chafing at the reader's intelligence, let alone the reader's patience.  If this pattern holds, my guess is we will see the same events from Abban's perspective next book.  I didn't sign up for this, and if the point of all these perspectives is to lend seemingly ruthless characters (Jardir & Innerva) some compassion, I ask so what?  Despite all this fleshing out, I still don't care one iota for Jardir and Innerva, and although I appreciate Abban the most out of the three Krasians, I don't want to see the next book showing me the same events from another character's perspective.  With our boy Arlen disappearing and flying about at will, even the fantasy elements in this fantasy series try my suspension-of-disbelief factor to new heights (or lows depending on how you look at it) . . .

I increasingly grow tired of the Krasians their Arabic-inspired culture.  It appears Brett combined the sounds dal, ka, ting and dam to concoct the Krasian dictionary and if I encounter a Krasian word or saying ever again, it will be too soon.  The Krasians are also superior to the Thesans and their medieval european-inspired culture in every way.  The Krasians are more organized, they are better fighters (Krasian drillmaster Kaval *easily* defeats Gared & Wanda at a bar for instance), they take the fight to the demons each night while the Thesans cringe behind warded walls, and they have sorceresses (Dama'ting) who roll the bones (good Rush song by the way) to tell them what to do, who to trust, etc.  Must be nice to have bones telling you what to do, when to do it, etc.  I want to know what's happening at Fort Angiers, Miln and Lakton.  Are they so weak they can't do anything about the Krasian invasion or progress in taking the fight to the demons as the Hollowers have started to do? 

At end of the second book, THE DESERT SPEAR, we learn that Jardir isn't really that bad of a guy, and that Innerva and her demon bones pull his strings to do things he may otherwise not want to do (i.e., betray Arlen).  In this book, we learn that Innerva isn't so bad either!  She loves her family dearly, and comes from humble beginnings similar to Jardir.  She's also doing what she believes right and genuinely comes to love her beau Jardir.  Do you care?  I sure don't.  In the next book, we will inevitably learn that despite Jardir and Innerva's outward positions of power, the true puppet master of the Krasians is probably Abban.  There's a point in the novel where Innerva rolls the bones to learn of Abban's true nature and she discovers that the fates of Abban and the Deliverer are tied together - harm to one means harm to the other.  I really need some bones like this!  This rolling of the bones to tell futures and peoples' true nature takes all the work out of the storytelling and the lazy product therein lies before our eyes: THE DAYLIGHT WAR.  I propose an alternate name fo this book as others have already pointed out, the current title does not do it justice.  I propose: ROLL THE BONES. 

Having read Mark Lawrence's masterful KING OF THORNS prior to this novel, I can truly see the poor quality material this is.  When the best thing the first two-thirds of this book has going for it is rehashed events from a third perspective (Innerva's), then you know this doesn't bode well for the overall reading experience.  The rest of the first two-thirds of the book convey endless, inane banter, insipid meetings, and soap-opera like plots (Oh my god she's pregnant?! We need to get her to sleep with someone else so no one finds out who the true father is…).   I mean c'mon . . . this is horrible.  After Leesha returns to the Hollow and meets with the Count, the main group must meet separately to "talk."  Nothing comes of this "talking", Arlen and Renna marry, there's a party, and then Arlen visits Leesha again afterwards to "talk" more about the coming New Moon.  They walk in Leesha's garden and here's the convo.  Arlen: gee wiz, sorry about how I acted during our last meeting; Leesha: no man, it's cool; Arlen: golly, we're both sorry where do we go from here?  Leesha: buddy, remember the New Moon?  Arlen: Oh yah, it's cool I got it covered…   ?!??!?!?!  Do you know what I mean by inane, want-to-kill-myself banter?

The rest of the book ends similar to the second book THE DESERT SPEAR except on a grander scale.  Instead of 2 coreling princelings, there's 6 and a Royal Consort.  There's a huge fight as 3 of the mind demons go after the Krasians and the other 3 go after the Hollowers.  Jardir, equipped with the Kaji crown and spear, simply walks into the demon camp and easily kills one of the mind demons and its mimic, while our boy Arlen has a much harder time of it.  Both repel the demon attacks, nobody of significance dies, and we will go on until the next New Moon (or Waning).  The finale has Arlen and Jardir squaring off, but because of the cliffhanger ending nothing is really final.  We're led to believe that after soundly beating Arlen, Jardir dies in a "bone-shattering crunch."  In a world where people are healed with a touch and blind people can suddenly see, I very much doubt the finality of this.  This is obviously a feint, but I don't care to find out what will happen next. 

Nothing of significance has happened other than Leesha getting pregnant and then hooking up with the Count.  The demons' attack is again repelled and we don't know for sure if Jardir is actually dead.  The Krasians still hold Fort Rizon (as in the very beginning of THE DESERT SPEAR) and still haven't advanced.  Do you see what I mean?  Nothing has happened.  

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin (Review)

1. A GAME OF THRONES AGOT (4 / 5)

2. A CLASH OF KINGS ACOK (3 1/2 / 5)

3. A STORM OF SWORDS ASOS (5 / 5)

4. A FEAST FOR CROWS AFFC (1 / 5)

5. A DANCE WITH DRAGONS ADWD (2 / 5)

Finished A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. I'm opposite of impressed. I was anticipating ASOS-material from the positive early reviews, but besides a couple of Tyrion chapters, I found this book yet another metaphorical chapter to a genre chock-full of bloated epic fantasy storytelling. I was expecting ASOS events, yet I was sadly disappointed by AFFC meanderings. Since this book parallels AFFC in many respects, I suppose it only fitting that the book suffers from similar failures in progress, resolution and satisfaction. I would like to put my official stamp of disapproval on this series which has deteriorated drastically from a stellar third book, A STORM OF SWORDS. In A STORM OF SWORDS, one shocking event after another seemed to move the book at a torrid pace. In A FEAST FOR CROWS and A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, I was hard pressed to find events, much less any movement to the novel. In spite of it all, this book fares better than A FEAST FOR CROWS... a lot better. Sadly, that's not saying much.

Unlike its predecessors, even if we were to take AFFC and ADWD together, there exists so few resolutions to any existing plots that the two latest novels cannot possibly stand on their own. Unlike its predecessors, AFFC and ADWD feel like bridge novels; nothing is resolved in a satisfying manner and more questions and plot tangents arise instead. Unlike his first three novels, none of the story arcs in AFFC and ADWD (with the possible exception of the Greyjoy story arc) contained endings unto themselves and yet left the reader wanting more.

Awards:

Most engaging chapters: Tyrion

Most events: Jon

Most satisfying story arc: Theon and Asha Greyjoy

Most progression: Bran

Most confused, convoluted, complex: Dany / Quentyn / Selmy / Tyrion / Victarion

Most boring: Dany and Tyrion

Pointless: The Watcher & Melisandre

Unsatisfying: Everything except the Greyjoys

SPOILERS ahead . . .

It took me 3 days - that's right three! - to finish the last Daenerys chapter. GRRM has produced two of the worst books to date after a compelling ASOS; horrid pacing, little plot development, and excessive traveling and training malign this otherwise excellent adult fantasy series. At the end of the novel, much is left to cliffhangers. After 5 books and umpteen pages of "fat," we know next to nothing about the Others and they remain a fringe threat, Dany is going backwards, the Stark children are in training, the realm is back to playing their game of thrones while blithely ignoring the threat beyond the Wall, and winter has only just come. Yes, the Starks do in fact make good on their threat ("Winter is coming.") but guess what, the realm could care less. With GRRM's track record, the snowfall in King's Landing will represent an afterthought summarily dismissed in the next book THE WINDS OF WINTER, as full-blown winter won't seize King's Landing until the epilogue of TWOW. Because you know GRRM has some other story to tell and some other character to introduce before he gets to the meat of TWOW at which point it will be time to end and release the book. He'll inevitably add another volume to a bloated series.

Here in ADWD, the mysteries behind Jon Snow's parentage linger, while more questions arise regarding Dany and Tyrion's true parents. We have a new Targaryen, and Varys reveals his game. Varys has his own horse for the Iron Throne, you see, and his earnest proclamation to Ned back in AGOT that he was for the realm appears misguided. We find out that Selmy had a thing for Ned's old flame Ashara Dayne, the mad King Aerys stole himself to Tywin's marriage bed before Tywin, and Brandon Stark was fond of his bloodied sword figuratively as well as literally. More backstories abound, and I found myself more interested in the pre-AGOT time period than the current one. New plots introduced such as the Tattered Prince's desire for Pentos seemed mildly curious but from a casual reader's perspective, file this one under Martin's inflated stack of dangling plots. In the last 2 books, GRRM has produced some of the worst fiction and storytelling to date. And it took over a decade. I sincerely believe GRRM's creativity on a rapid decline. He has so many balls in the air, he doesn't know what to do with them all except to stretch out the story further and add stories within stories and many and more characters. He can't distinguish the forrest from the trees and vice-versa.

Obviously another bridge novel in the spirit of A FEAST FOR CROWS, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS clearly sags in a quagmire of plots, characters and prophecies. This is just bad writing, and those who blindly worship at the altar of George R.R. Martin and A Song of Ice and Fire will dismiss the critics and invariably allude to obscure depths of value in AFFC and ADWD: psychology, character essays, and hidden gems overlooked on a first-read. These same fans will tell the critics to back off, that George knows where he's going with this, and to wait for the next book to realize the fruits of the labors that are AFFC and ADWD. I say bullshit. I didn't need to read AGOT, ACOK and ASOS as many times as the number of characters in ASOIAF to know that I loved these books. That this series and these books were good. Real good. And I don't have to read the last two books more than once to know that they're bad. Real bad.

There's very little movement on all fronts, and the fact that every major character in the novel is either dead, presumed dead, or missing demonstrates the book's markedly unsatisfying conclusion. Let's review: Tyrion has gone underground and he's missing-at-large, Daenerys flies away on top of Drogon and many believe her dead (not true), Bran and Rickon are presumed dead, Sansa is missing, Arya presumed dead or missing, Brienne lures Jaime away, and Jon Snow is... well let's just say this is the biggest cliffhanger ending of them all. GRRM is very fond of 2 things: flooding the reader with cliffhangers at every turn, then nonchalantly relaying the thrust of the events immediately following said cliffhanger as No-Big-Thing. It's infuriating, it's getting old, and I'm sick of it, especially when there's little movement or progress anywhere. In fact, these writing techniques further cripples an already-addled novel. Case in point in AFFC: Jaime is about to attack Riverrun and next thing we know in the following chapter, the Stark banner is being brought down and the Blackfish has disappeared. We don't know what happened, and that's that. Case in point in ADWD: Theon jumps off the walls of Winterfell with Jeyne Poole and next thing we know he's with Stannis Baratheon's host and we're being told that Mors Umber found Theon, handed him over to Braavosi banker Tycho Nestoris and Nestoris delivers them to Asha. There's no resolution to the battle between Roose Bolton and Stannis at Winterfell, we have no idea what happened to Stannis' host and if Arnolf Karstark plays the turncloak in the midst of Stannis' host, we have no idea what happened to the Manderly and Frey battle contingents sent forth from Winterfell to deal with Stannis, we have no idea what happened to Roose and Ramsay Bolton, and we have no idea what happened between Nestoris and Stannis. In spite of these glaring cliffhangers in the Greyjoy story arc, the Theon / Asha reunion was actually the most satisfying conclusion of any storyline in ADWD. And no, that's not saying much either. Now we have yet another plot and character in the chaotic North: the Braavosi banker Nestoris. What is Martin's vision here really? It's anyone's guess.

In many ways, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS reads as a social and political essay on the trials and tribulations involved when introducing change into a society and culture steeped in tradition and habit. Both Dany and Jon attempt to change things, and both have a real tough go of things. The more Dany tries to fight slavery, the more setbacks she encounters. The Quartheen Xaro visits her to provide sage counsel against her efforts to end slavery in Slaver's Bay. Everything Xaro says appears sound actually, that is, that somehow the Slaver cities need slaves and that some slaves want to be slaves. He sure had me convinced. She views the freed slaves as her "children," and I believe her problem is that she injects change (no slaves) too suddenly, too quickly. When she tries to rule on the drastic terms of her victory, not only does her city resist, but the larger economic ecosystem rebels against her. Finally, she capitulates to the Slavers by marrying the Meereenese noble Hizdahr Zo Loraq. In the end, she gives up. I think Dany's heart is in the right place, but her execution is flawed. On a side note, I wanted to slap her every time she goes on about, "I may be a young girl, and know little...." She pulled that shit in ASOS too, and her veiled self-righteousness and condescending attitude to go along with her entitlement issues make me want to kill her sometimes. On the other hand, Jon's attempts at change in the Night's Watch seem justified. Jon clearly grasps what Bowen Marsh misses: that in order to defeat a greater threat (the Others), the Night's Watch must change or the White Walkers (Others) will threaten their ultimate vow to "guard the realms of men." Both Eastwatch and Shadow Tower need more men, Castle Black needs more men, and since the rest of the realm plays at the game of thrones and cares little about the Wall and the danger lurking beyond, he finds men to guard the Wall amongst the wildings. Bowen Marsh fights him every step of the way. His Night's Watch brothers fight him. After defeating the wildlings, Jon attempts to incorporate them into the Night's Watch, and now he must help his brotherhood overcome their long-seeded enmity for the wildlings. The Night's Watch brotherhood has fought and died against the wildlings for so long that allowing the wildlings through the Wall and stand beside them against the Others just doesn't sit well for the Night's Watch brothers. How can they fight the Others when they can't trust the wildlings standing by their side? But Jon knows that it's either that or allow the Others to terrorize the rest of westeros and the realms of men because the Night's Watch simply doesn't have enough men to man the Wall. He needs to prepare for the eventuality that the Others will attack, and he wants to prepare for that eventuality as early as possible. Unlike Dany, I don't think Jon's choices and decisions are poorly executed. But damn, changing deep-rooted tradition is a bitch, ain't it? But if people won't change on their own accord, winter and dragons will force it upon them one way or the other.

As agents of change, both Jon and Dany ultimately fail to maintain control, but their actions have already taken root and promise sweeping transformations. Slavery will never be the same in Slaver's Bay, not after Dany has given thousands a taste of freedom, and the Wall/north will never be the same after Jon allows wildlings to pass south of the Wall. Given these themes of change, power and tradition, many readers will draw merit from A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, but many other readers would rather see movement in the myriad of plots GRRM currently juggles. Martin sprinkles in additional arcs readers may find rewarding: the hero rescuing the damsel in distress twisted and gutted in Theon's macabre story arc, and the hero setting forth on an adventure of journey and danger to marry the fair maiden in a land far away and tame dragons in Quentyn's decisively fatal story arc. In Martin's last two books, the fact that we find anything decisive at all is a wonder of all wonders. If we're reading this series simply to twist and turn common fantasy tropes sideways and upside down, then you will enjoy the last 2 books because on these terms alone, Martin certainly succeeds. But if you're looking for movement and plot progression, don't hold your breath. Lamentably, where we do find plot progression (Davos, Bran, and the Greyjoy chapters), there's few pages and chapters.

The plots, such as they are.

TYRION

[Brown Ben Plumm] smiled at Tyrion. "Come for another game of cyvasse, Yollo?"

"If you wish. I do enjoy defeating you. I hear you're twice a turncloak, Plumm. A man after mine own heart."

Tyrion's chapters are probably the most engaging, and he has a couple chapters that are laugh-out-loud funny. Unfortunately, besides a lot of traveling and world-building, he doesn't have much scope here. Tyrion drinks and drinks heavily on a journey that finally lands him in Meereen. He seems more cynical than usual here after discovering Jaime betrayed him in ASOS, that Jaime lied to Tyrion about Tysha being a whore. He thinks of killing Cersei, murdering Jaime and jokes about destroying them. Tyrion wanders quite a bit, and throughout it all, what he really wants is Tysha, the woman he married. When Tyrion asks his father in ASOS where Tysha went, his father replies, "Wherever whores go." In ADWD, Tyrion seeks the place where whores go, and in the back of his soul there exists a heartbroken abyss of anguish. Tyrion still maintains a healthy sense of humor, but it's a darker brand here. Tyrion begins his journey on a boat across the narrow sea to Pentos where he meets Illyrio. It always seems that Tyrion's jaded perspective is the right one because we as readers know Tyrion is Martin's talkpiece in A Song of Ice and Fire. When Tyrion questions Illyrio's motives and why a fat merchant would want to influence affairs in westeros, we know Tyrion arrives at the crux of the matter. Much later in Meereen, Tyrion notes that Dany didn't poison the wells as an effective measure to defeat the Yunkai's siege on Meereen. This is something his father would have done, but is it something Tyrion would have done? We're not sure, but Tyrion's final word and perception on all matters are sacrosanct. Tyrion meets Griff and the Young Griff, who he later surmises as Jon Connington and the late Aegon Targaryen, respectively. Together, they journey down the river Rhoyne and encounter wondrous glimpses of a world long past, the old Valyria. There's wonder, but there's also a healthy dose of boredom. Tyrion convinces the young Aegon Targaryen to invade westeros instead of seeking out Dany. Tyrion convincingly argues that why should Aegon go to Dany begging for an alliance when he could seize Iron Throne quickly if he and the Golden Company turn their attentions to the chaotic Seven Kingdoms ripe for the picking right now. We suspect Tyrion's advise stems more from his desire to wreak havoc on his Lannister siblings than any profound care for Aegon's interests. Tyrion loses Griff's company in a whorehouse (where else?) but runs into none other than Ser Jorah Mormont. Just as Tyrion wasn't fooled by Griff, Tyrion soon discovers Mormont's true identify. After gaining another companion in Penny (the female dwarf jousting in Joffrey's wedding feast in ASOS), the companions traverse the final leg of their journey to Slaver's Bay with the red priest Moqorro. After a storm shipwrecks the lot of them, the red priest Moqorro later finds refuge on Victarion's fleet while our trio of companions are sold into slavery. Tyrion later jousts on a sow with Penny as entertainment and after their master dies of the flux, he's in his element as he confidently enters the services of another sellsword company, Brown Ben Plumm's Second Sons. A company he declares was made for him (since Tyrion himself is a second son). As payment to join the company, Tyrion must sign away a great deal of Casterly Rock wealth. Similar to Dany's final chapter, Tyrion's final chapter was entirely forgettable as he intends to maneuver the Second Sons to switch sides again in the coming battle between Yunkai and Meereen. Unsurprisingly, the outcome of this final battle is left entirely as a cliffhanger.

Tyrion almost dies at least 3 times by my count. If we discount his initial chapter where he passes out and almost dies drowning in his own puke on the ship to Pentos, he almost dies after one of the stone men pulls him down into the Sorrows of the river Rhoyne, he almost dies after a second storm shipwrecks the crew, and finally he almost dies in Meereen's pits entertaining the crowds. Also unsurprisingly, Tyrion manages to escape unscathed from all of these dire situations. Anyone else tired of Tyrion escaping the most dire circumstances every single book? Especially when the odds are heavily stacked against him in the worst kind of way, Tyrion escapes. Tyrion is witty, and his superior mental acuity sees him through every impossible circumstance imaginable. As much as I love Tyrion and as much as I enjoy reading his chapters, this is getting ridiculous. Martin tells us that he wants to infuse his story with a sense of uncertainty and anxiety so that readers will fear for the characters. He tells us this makes for a richer reading experience where we're more invested in the story. I agree. But I could have told you with certainty that Tyrion will not die before the end of this series, and I could have told you this ever since Tyrion escapes the battle at the Trident in AGOT . This character is Martin in ASOIAF, and his chapters and pages far more numerous than any other character in this series by far.

A final note about Tyrion's siblings Jaime and Cersei. There's one Jaime chapter and a couple of Cersei chapters. Both characters' chapters seem out of place here in ADWD and along with the epilogue would seem better suited in AFFC. After Jaime brings the King's peace to Riverrun in AFFC, he rides to Raventree Hall where Jonos Bracken besieges Tytos Blackwood. Raventree Hall remains the last bastion of the Young Wolf's realm in the Trident, and Jaime brings Raventree into the King's peace. Later, he rides out and Brienne finds him, claiming to have found the "girl," who Jaime believes to be Sansa. We suspect Brienne will take Jaime to Lady Stoneheart or UnCat, but we can't be sure as his story ends here on a cliffhanger. Cersei on the other hand remains imprisoned by the Faith after arming them. Following Jaime's refusal to answer Cersei's plea for assistance, she must fend for herself. She's charged with adultery, fornication, high treason, and even murder. After confessing to half of those crimes, Cersei walks naked along the streets of the King's Landing as atonement for her sins and as a price for her freedom. That was interesting, and reading Cersei's evolving attitude which began haughty and arrogant before the walk to weeping and embarrassed towards the end (she's covering herself) was remarkable. I didn't think she would change her attitude one bit but a walk of shame such as this eventually takes its toll, even on someone as proud as Cersei Lannister. Now Cersei may eventually regress back to the conniving, plotting Cersei of old but it appeared her character transformed on some level after that walk. At the end, she's carried off by Ser Robert Strong, who we strongly suspect was Gregor Clegane now revived somehow by Qyburn. Tyrion need not send anyone to the Seven Kingdoms to wreak havoc on his siblings, they're doing that all by themselves.

DAENERYS

"I am only a young girl, and young girls must have their gifts," [Dany] said lightly.

Where Tyrion's chapters relate travel, humor and wonder (sometimes), Dany's chapters in ADWD involve a boring essay on her futility: her futility in ruling effectively, her futility in controlling the dragons, and finally her futility in forging any path forward on her quest for the Iron Throne. I believe Dany's heart is in the right place, but it's clear that in Martin's world, rulers must leave their hearts behind else incur punishment. As stories of Dany's power and dragons reach westeros, towards the end of A STORM OF SWORDS and in A FEAST FOR CROWS, four people embarked on a journey to meet Dany: Tyrion (though he wasn't initially aware), Victarion Greyjoy, the Archmaester Marwyn, and finally Quentyn Martell. We don't hear of Marwyn in ADWD, but of the other three, only Quentyn manages to meet Dany face-to-face before his untimely demise. As a result of these plot developments, a majority of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS concerns characters either striving to reach Dany and her dragons or deals with Dany herself.

In many of the Dany chapters, Dany holds court in the Meereenese Great Pyramid and hears appeals from "her" people. I put the word, "her," in quotes because although she views the freed slaves as her children, they are as much her "people" as the westerosi are Prince Aegon's people. That is to say, not much at all. These court sessions are fairly dull for the most part. Her chapters also feature a fair amount of equally dull introspection. Dany must deal with challenges on all fronts: her dragons grow increasingly feral and appear to indiscriminately feast on humans as well as animals, the Meereenese rebels Sons of the Harpy foment crime in the city as a defiance to her rule, the Yunkai, Quartheen and Volantenes hope to destroy Dany's power and kill her, and the larger economic ecosystem of the Slaver cities obstinately resists her commendable efforts to end slavery. We're reminded of the many prophecies surrounding Daenerys, a dangling plot from A CLASH OF KINGS. We can't be certain of any of them, but Dany believes two betrayals have occurred: Mirri Maz Duur and Ser Jorah Mormont. I'm not so sure. Also, we remain oblivious to the identity of the three heads of the dragon even after ADWD.

In the opening Dany chapter, a man brings the charred skull of his daughter to Dany's court as proof that Dany's dragons grow savage and feral. Subsequently, Dany imprisons Viserion and Rhaegal for the safety of the people, but Drogon she's unable to capture and flies away unchecked. This dance with the dragons proves more difficult than anticipated. The Qartheen priestess Quaithe visits Dany as an apparition to riddle her with more prophecies and a take-home message: don't trust anyone. Quaithe warns Dany of the arrival of many suitors and people: the pale mare, a sun's son, a lion, a kraken, a griffin, etc., etc. The griffin never arrives and the kraken and lion never actually meet her. Soon after, another Qartheen, Xaro Xhoan Daxos, visits Dany with a gift of ships to bear her back to the Seven Kingdoms and Westeros. This gift comes with a condition: she must leave immediately. But our Do-Good'er Dany is much too invested in Meereen and its people to abandon them to slavery (again) and so she refuses Xaro's offer, thereby making another enemy of the city of Qarth. Qarth and the other slaver cities want Dany to leave, you see, because her endeavors to end slavery threatens their very sustenance. The Stormcrows' leader Daario Naharis finally manages to woo our young queen underneath the bedsheets, and Dany for her part finds some sexual release in Daario's arms. Dany thinks of Daario often in ADWD and later when Dany asks the affluent Meereenese noble Hizdahr zo Loraq to kiss her, she compares Hizdahr's lifeless kiss to Daario's passion. Remarkably, though the fatherly Brown Ben Plumm and the Second Sons defect from Dany's side, the hotblooded Daario Naharis and his Stormcrows remain loyal to Dany in ADWD throughout. In order to curb the violence and crime in Meereen provoked the Sons of the Harpy, Dany must put aside her passion for Daario and instead marries the Meereenese noble Hizdahr. As Dany's husband and King of Meereen, Hizdahr suspends the violence in Meereen's streets in exchange for power and money. Sounds ridiculous, because as the Shavepate Skahaz points out, if Hizdahr suspends the violence in Meereen's streets, surely Hizdahr is the cause of the violence to begin with on some level. In fact, all of Meereen's remaining nobles are connected to the violence, so she should kill them, not take child hostages from them who she doesn't have the backbone to kill anyway. So why doesn't Dany just kill Hizdahr? You're going to reward terrorism with marriage and power? Really? Anyway, as king, Hizdahr reopens Meereen's famed fighting pits, pits that he own. Meanwhile, Yunkai, the city south of Meereen which Dany bypassed on her way to Meereen in A STORM OF SWORDS, crushes Astapor and contracts several sellsword companies to attack Meereen. A pale mare visiting Meereen heralds the oncoming flux disease which not only takes its toll on Meereen, but also on the attacking Yunkai army. Dany finally meets Quentyn Martell, who along with his two companions, meet Daenerys under a cover provided by Daario's Stormcrows. After Quentyn reveals himself to Dany, Dany laughs (but not at Quentyn, she's thinking to herself yet another suitor who wants to marry me for the promise of swords). Actually Dany is quite nice to Quentyn and explains to him that though she cannot marry him, the dragon has three heads and she has three dragons. Dany shows Quentyn her two caged dragons Viserion and Rhaegal noting that Quentyn's quest for fire and blood need not be in vain. Quentyn takes this to mean something entirely different and later tries a fool's quest at heroism. You have to feel for Quentyn here. No matter the reason behind Dany's laughter, laugh she did at Quentyn's proposal, and the whole time Dany is thinking how hot Quentyn's friend Gerris Drinkwater is. Dany even thinks to herself, if it was Gerris, perhaps, but not Quentyn as though appearance was the final determining factor. Another time, Dany thinks to herself that Daario is just a sellsword and not of noble birth, and now the lord's son Quentyn isn't cute enough. This is the sort of inane introspection we find with Dany in A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. After unknowingly saving Tyrion from lions in the pits of Meereen, Drogon appears suddenly to disrupt the festivities, Dany uses her whip to tame him and then flies off on him. Many suspect her dead or forever gone. The final and most boring chapter in the entire novel has her hungrily devouring the remains of Drogon's flamed carcass alongside Drogon in the vast Dothraki Sea (the fields), when Khal Jhaqo chances on her.

Dany's journey thus far molds her into a bestial Dothraki Khaleesi rather than a Westerosi Queen, and one wonders if this is what is meant for her: the open fields, the horses and riding free rather than ruling from a constraining throne, no matter the throne. After Dany flies away on Drogon, Martin conveys the final chapters of ADWD in Meereen from Selmy's and Quentyn Martell's perspective. With the aid from the Tattered Prince and the sellsword company Windblown, Quentyn Martell frees the two caged dragons and dies trying to tame them. Alongside the Shavepate Skahaz, Barristan Selmy launches a coup, displacing Hizdahr from the Meereenese throne for suspected poisoning (of Dany). In the end, the dragons Rhaegal and Viserion are loose, Quentyn perishes, and Selmy rules Meereen with a council as the Yunkish battle forces outside Meereen brace for a full-fledged attack. The Yunkai launch diseased dead bodies inside Meereen's walls from trebuchets when Selmy's chapter ends (on a cliffhanger, of course). Close by, the red priest Moqorro has joined forces with Victarion Greyjoy's fleet of 60+ ships (they started with over a hundred from the Iron Islands but storms and such diminished their number). Recall that from A FEAST FOR CROWS, Euron Greyjoy, who sits the Seastone chair in the Iron Islands, gives Victarion a hellhorn to tame the dragons. Moqorro explains that he who blows the horn will die but Victarion need not blow the horn, but only claim it when the dragons come. The chapter ends as Victarion comes to understand the full impact of this revelation.

In summary, the battle between Meereen and Yunkai is up in the air, Victarion hasn't yet blown the horn (or hasn't had someone else blow it for him), and Dany returns to her roots with the Dothraki on the open fields. It's clear that Barristan Selmy and Tyrion will need to clean up the mess she's left behind in Meereen. I don't find any of these "developments," remotely satisfying. I don't much care about Meereen and Yunkai, and isn't it convenient to have this horn to control dragons? If this book ever makes it to HBO, I could imagine the non-reading viewership and the casual-reading audience dropping out like flies. I believe there's a real danger in introducing so many tangent story arcs and characters of squandering the impact of the final outcome. From a casual reading perspective, we're so lost in the trees that is Meereen, could we find a perspective on the larger Meereenese forest assuming that's even possible?

JON SNOW

I have my swords, thought Jon Snow, and we are coming for you, Bastard.

More stuff is happening with Jon Snow than any other character in this book with the possible exception of the Greyjoys. There's more closure to the story arcs in the North albeit cliffhangers abound nonetheless. Unfortunately, ending Jon's story arc in ADWD with his murder marks the first time Martin ends a AGOT point-of-view character on the doorsteps of Death without any firm resolution therein. Either Jon is dead and his chapters through 5 books represent a colossal waste of time or this is yet another fake-out in what has become Martin's trademark. Either way, the prospect of waiting 5-10 years for some resolution on this makes me care not one bit. Instead of becoming more invested in Jon's character, I'm less so now and less in the entire series as a result of Martin's trademark or his brutal punishment for those honorable characters, either way. Even Tyrion received resolution at the end of ACOK when it appeared he would die at the Battle of Blackwater (Tyrion had another chapter in ACOK after the battle where he wakes up). If Martin kills off Jon Snow, well, he's achieved shock-and-awe before at the Red Wedding and he'll certainly do it again with Jon's death. But what's the point of it all?

At the end of ASOS, Sam maneuvers to elect Jon Snow the 998th Lord Commander of the Night's Watch at the Wall. Here in ADWD, Jon contends with the consequences of that election. He must deal with Stannis Baratheon at the Wall and since Stannis helped defend the Wall against the wildlings, ongoing ethical questions of whether to help Stannis, in what way and how much fester at Jon's insides. The Night's Watch vows to stay out of the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms but the affairs of the Kingdoms won't leave Jon alone. Conversely, as much as Jon tries to forget Winterfell and the Starks, he cannot bring himself to stay out of affairs that pertain to Starks. The Starks are in a sorry state of affairs in ADWD (worse after Jon's stabbing), and yet everything they symbolize drives the northern plot in ADWD. After Jon refuses Winterfell and Warden of the North from Stannis in ASOS, Stannis must find a champion in the north if he's to gain a foothold and oust the Boltons. Winterfell is such an old and symbolic seat of power in the North, and Stannis must find another Warden for Winterfell. After Arnolf Karstark declares for Stannis, it appears he's found that warden.

In the opening Jon chapters, Stannis allows the captured wildlings from the battle in ASOS south of the Wall, at least those that bend the knee to Stannis. Jon switches Gilly's baby boy with Mance Rayder's boy in hopes of rescuing Mance's baby from Melisandre's fires. Jon sends Gilly, Sam and Aemon with Mance's baby boy off to Oldtown so Sam may learn to become a Maester. In AFFC, we saw that Sam indeed reaches his destination, but without Aemon and Daeron the singer. An Archmaester's pupil intercepts Sam in Oldtown and it appears Sam will learn wizardry instead of a maester's links in knowledge. Jon gives Gilly's baby to Mance Rayder's sister-in-law Val, who cares for the baby at Castle Black, and affectionately calls the little babe, "monster." Then Stannis burns and kills Mance Rayder in front of everyone as an example of his justice. When the flames begin to burn Mance, Jon gives the order to kill Mance with arrows, abruptly ending his suffering as a show of kindness. Later, we find out that this was an inadvertent kindness to Melisandre too, as the man's suffering threatened to swallow her in the process. Mel reveals to Jon that the person killed in front of everyone was Rattleshirt, not Mance. The real Mance Rayder lives disguised as Rattleshirt, in what Melisandre calls a "glamour." As Stannis prepares to leave with the wildlings as fodder in his battles, Jon convinces Stannis to leave the three hundred wildlings with him at Castle Black and instead forge an alliance with the mountain clans of the North which will win Stannis three thousand fighters. Jon maneuvers Stannis to march on Deepwood Motte via the mountains instead of the Bolton stronghold, the Dreadfort. A wise move in hindsight, as Arnolf Karstark hoped to lure Stannis to the Dreadfort and backstab him from behind. It appears the only victories the Boltons can muster are ones borne out of deceit and betrayal. For the first time, we see Jon actually impact things. Although Jon's vows conflict with the aid he provides to Stannis, I liked the bold move, and I think Jon justifies his involvement here since Stannis helped the Night's Watch in their battle against the wildlings. I'm not sure he's thinking in these terms, but in the fight against the Others, having Stannis behind his back is a lot more favorable to having the Boltons behind his back. The irony that he gets his back stabbed anyway is not lost on me. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

After Jon sends away Sam and Aemon, and Stannis departs, Jon continues the dispersal of his friends and enemies to abandoned castles along the Wall since Stannis threatens to take them if Jon doesn't occupy them first. So he sends away Giant (real name: Bedwyck) to Icemark, and propositions to send Janos Slynt to Greyguard. When Slynt refuses, Jon chops off his head. In the back of my mind, I'm thinking, "How do you like me now, bitch!" A bad omen for Jon though because whenever a Stark (or a Stark bastard in this case) chops off another head in a public display like this, they predictably perish later (Ned beheads the deserter in AGOT, Robb decapitates Rickard Karstark in ASOS, and now Jon chops off Slynt's head). As Janos Slynt is not longer available, Jon fortifies Greyguard with a "grizzly steward" from Shadow Tower instead. Jon also opens up Deep Lake, Sable Hall and the Long Barrow with free folk under the Night's Watch command. The Long Barrow will be all spearwives and Jon dispatches his friends Iron Emmett and Dolorous Edd to command at Long Barrow, two people Jon trusts. When he sends away Pyp and Grenn to Eastwatch and Halder and Toad to Shadow Tower, one wonders in the wisdom of sending all of your close friends and trusted advisors away. Jon even sends away Rattleshirt (the real Mance Rayder) to fetch what he believes is his sister Arya from the Boltons. Why are you sending everyone away Jon?!?

Throughout, a sharp schism develops and amplifies between Jon and the Night's Watch steward, Bowen Marsh. Marsh strongly advises Jon to recall the Night's Watch south of the Wall and seal the passes beneath the Wall. Marsh reasons that the Wall is the only defense they need, and it will throw back whatever comes at them from north of the Wall. On the surface, this appears sound reasoning, but Jon's instincts rebel against the notion, he insists on keeping the passes open for potential rangings north of the Wall. With the passes sealed, Jon and the Night's Watch will be blind. In the beginning the disagreements between Marsh and Jon appear benign and possibly even constructive. But as more and more disagreements arise between the two, their relationship takes on a colder spirit. Marsh advises against a ranging north of the Wall that sends Allister Thorne, Dywen, Kedge Whiteye, and Black Jack Bulwer north, but Jon sends them out anyway. When Mel accurately predicts that 3 of the rangers will return dead on horses with empty sockets weeping blood, Jon turns to Mel and Marsh is not pleased. Marsh also disagrees with allowing wildlings to serve under the Night's Watch. When Jon sends wildling reinforcements to Shadow Tower and Eastwatch, Mallister and Pyke complain. Bowen Marsh advises against allowing the recruits who hold to the Old Gods say their vows north of the Wall at the Whitetree. When Jon returns from the excursion with more wildlings and a giant (Wun Wun), a disgruntled Bowen Marsh urges Jon to send the giant back. When the two talk about the Night's Watch provisions for winter under the Wall, Marsh strongly disapproves of Jon's plan to feed the wildlings with the NW's provisions. When Alys Karstark on a dying horse arrives at the Night's Watch requesting succor from Jon Snow as foretold by Melisandre, Jon again involves the Night's Watch in the affairs of the realm, much to Marsh's chagrin. Alys's uncle/cousin Cregan Karstark chases after her, demanding the Night's Watch turn her over. Alys's begs protection from Jon and he yields, imprisoning Cregan Karstark instead of turning over Alys. At his core, you know Jon is too good of a guy to turn over Alys to her grasping uncles. Martin will punish him for it though. In a peculiar wedding ceremony under Melisandre's Lord of Light beneath a 700-foot tall wall of ice with snowflakes falling amidst a Night's Watch sworn to celibacy, Jon has Alys Karstark wed Sigorn, the new Magnar of Thenn. If Cregan and Arnolf Karstark ever regain possession of Alys Karstark, I'm sure they'll promptly dismiss a wedding ceremony under the pretense of false gods. Bowen Marsh shows his disapproval by not attending the ceremonies. Marsh and Jon eventually fail to even have any meaningful conversations by the end. At this point, Val returns with Tormund Giantsbane in tow along with three thousand one hundred and nineteen wildlings. Jon haggles with Tormund on the terms of their peace with the wildings, and allows all of Tormund's wildlings to pass south of the Wall and garrison the remaining castles along the Wall. Jon does a lot of haggling in this novel. Earlier in the novel, Stannis rhetorically asks if Ned fathered Jon off a fishwife. Jon haggles with Stannis, Jon haggles with Tormund here, and Jon haggles with the Braavosi banker Nestoris. Jon secures a loan from the Iron Bank of Bravos to buy additional food for the NW stores as winter approaches, a dire need especially with more mouths to feed at the Wall. Additionally, Jon acquires Nestoris' three ships at Eastwatch to rescue thousands of wildlings who travel to Hardhome at Mother Mole's vision that they await salvation from across the sea. In return, Jon lends Nestoris guides who know the North and escort the banker to Stannis camp between Deepwood Motte and Winterfell. Bowen Marsh believes these efforts to rescue the wildlings at Hardhome utter lunacy. After Dolorous Edd departs from Castle Black, Marsh also disapproves of Jon's new choice as squire, Satin. Jon sends ships from Eastwatch to Hardhome to salvage the wildlings from a fate worse than death and again Marsh strongly disagrees. At the end when Jon learns that Cotter Pyke and six ships he sent to Hardhome are stranded, he urges Queen Selyse's assistance to no avail. Jon wants to march on Hardhome with Tormund and salvage the wildlings and the NW men he sent. Marsh implores Jon to let the wildlings at Hardhome die. When Jon asks which of the wildlings he should send to garrison Hoarfrost Hill and Rimegate, Bowen Marsh opines that they should kill the wildlings instead. Jon then resolves to march on Winterfell after Ramsay Bolton sends a letter to Jon claiming to have killed Stannis and incarcerated Mance. A great line there from one bastard to another when Jon finds swords amongst the wildings: "we are coming for you, Bastard." Jon thinks of Robb, of Bran, of Rickon, of Sansa and most all, of Arya. And he simply cannot allow Ramsay Bolton to continue unhinged behind his back while he defends the Wall. In a commotion between Wun Wun the giant and one of Queen Selyse's men, Bowen Marsh and Wick Wittlestick stab Jon in the back at least four times, the last of which he doesn't even feel.

Although stuff happens with Jon, it doesn't amount to a whole heckuva lot. The wildlings were already defeated and he simply starts using them to garrison the castles along the Wall to help defend the realm against the Others. Jon's final cliffhanger conclusion in ADWD marks the single most unsatisfying ending to any story arc in all of this series.

After another chapter of more traveling, Bran finally reaches his destination north of the Wall. There's only three Bran chapters here in ADWD, but the ones that are here contain more interesting developments and plot progression than the rest of the book combined. Okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration, but just when things get very interesting in Bran's story arc, there's no more Bran chapters. Bran finally reaches the three-eyed crow (styling himself Lord Brynden) and grows more and more accustomed to warging into Hodor among other animals now. He can see the past and present through the eyes of any heart tree, a true greenseer. Jojen and Meera are still with him though Jojen appears to be dying. Coldhands delivered Bran and Meera to their final destination but he himself cannot enter. The mystery behind Coldhands remains, and Jon may transform into something similar.

Although I found Tyrion's chapters the most engaging, I found the Davos and the Greyjoy story arc the most satisfying in this altogether unsatisfying book. Martin sure does enjoy painting fat, broken, stunted and crippled people in a positive light. We find out that there's more than meets the eye to the fat Lord Wyman Manderly: he remains loyal to the Starks and wishes Davos to fetch his liege Rickon Stark in exchange for his fealty to Stannis Baratheon. My heart bursted into a hundred when I read this. I officially love all the Manderlys. The location of Rickon's residence remains a mystery but compared to the other cliffhangers in this novel, I found this particular cliffhanger much more acceptable. Theon Greyjoy undergoes a life-altering physical and mental transformation. As Ramsay Snow's prisoner, Theon is tortured both mentally and physically. Ramsay flays, skins and cripples Theon, and though I wasn't one who ever hated Theon, I felt real sorry for him here. And though I didn't think I could hate anyone worse than Joffrey Baratheon, Martin concocts the monstrosity that is Ramsay Snow for me to hate worse (than Joffrey). Ramsay Snow is Joffrey Baratheon Part II: meaner, badder, and more sadistic than ever. After using Theon to betray the Ironborn garrisoned at Moat Coalin, Ramsay promptly murders all of the Ironborn. Then alongside his father Roose Bolton, they hastily march to Winterfell to wed Ramsay to Jeyne Poole, someone the Boltons are passing off as Arya Stark. Jeyne begs Theon to save her but the sorry state that is Theon Greyjoy cannot find the courage by himself until help arrives in the form of a disguised Mance Rayder and four spearwives Jon sent to fetch Arya back. Meanwhile, Stannis liberates Deepwood Motte from Asha Greyjoy's clutches. When Stannis hears that Roose Bolton means to marry his bastard son Ramsay to Arya Stark at Winterfell, Stannis cannot allow this to pass since Winterfell represents such a powerful seat of power in the North. Stannis marches on to Winterfell, but then Winter comes in full force. Although it takes only a few days to traverse the wolfswood from Deepwood Motte to Winterfell, the heavy winter snows impair Stannis' march to a screeching halt. Martin's writing is very good here, conveying a symmetry and artistry in the prose that few authors achieve.

Between Deepwood Motte and Winterfell lay one hundred leagues of forest. Three hundred miles as the raven flies.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), heavy snows and wind compounds this relatively insignificant distance for Stannis' host. Stannis is forced to stop for many days and though Arnolf Karstark finds Stannis, we don't know of Stannis' fate despite Ramsay's letter to Jon purporting Stannis' death. We don't know if the Bolton host ever chances on Stannis. The Greyjoy reunion between Asha and Theon brought a smile to my face. Like Martin's first three novels, the Greyjoy story arc here in ADWD concluded satisfactorily yet left the reader wanting more.

The Aero Hotah chapter (The Watcher) and Melisandre's chapter appeared superfluous. Both could have been omitted entirely from this novel as I'm not sure what they added other than fat to an already bloated novel.

No matter when THE WINDS OF WINTER releases, I fervently hope that Martin moves the plot more significantly than the last two novels. At his current pace, we're looking at a 2016-2017 release.

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin (VI)

ADWD Spoilers ahead . . .

The second-to-last Tyrion chapter I read has to be one of the best chapters in the book. Tyrion is in his element here and by extension, so is GRRM. He has some funny, memorable lines the whole book, but especially here in this chapter. When Penny suggests they could go find the queen (Daenerys), Tyrion thinks, "You on your dog and me on my sow, chasing a dragon across the Dothraki sea. Tyrion scratched his scar to keep from laughing. 'This particular dragon has already evinced a fondness for roast pork. And roast dwarf is twice as tasty.' " LOVE it. On a serious note, he thinks about slavery and muses, "The most insidious thing about bondage was how easy it was to grow accustomed to it."

Later, he walks out on his current dying master Yezzan and walks in on the Second Sons' camp like some haughty prince. Tyrion knows what he's doing, and we as readers may not know the details, the trajectories and the full realization of Tyrion's plan, but we trust that he'll accomplish whatever he has in mind. "...I hear you're twice a turncloak, Plumm. A man after mine own heart." Later: "Oh, very well, I lied about the 'good' part. They're bloodthirsty bastards, like you lot."

Have I mentioned how much I loved this chapter? Most of Tyrion's chapters in this novel involve traveling but there's life, charisma and energy in Tyrion's chapters that we don't necessarily find in any other characters' chapters.

As for the rest of the book... I'm nearing the end and thankfully it's a lot better than AFFC. Probably on the level of ACOK, which was very good as well. Right now, I'd rank the books like so:

ASOS > AGOT > ADWD > ACOK > > > > > AFFC

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin (V)

ADWD Spoilers ahead...

So I finished the second-to-last Jon chapter and another Barristan chapter ("The Discarded Knight") and I've begun one of Quentyn's chapters on page 1169 of 1489 (1407) in my ebook.

Some random thoughts-

> Mormont's raven saying Jon's full name was bizarre, both to Jon and the reader. And the raven says, "King" before he says "Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow." Could that be Bran, but why would Bran say king? Is there some other skinchanger in the raven? Also, when Theon is praying to the old gods in front of Winterfell's heart tree it seems like the tree calls to him at one point. Could that be Bran as well? GRRM leaves Bran at arguably the most interesting point in his entire story arc.

> Speaking of bizarre things, Melisandre's chapter is so weird. The sense I get is that she wants and needs Jon Snow, possibly even on a sexual level. She's desperate for Jon Snow's trust and she misinterprets some of the fire's visions to gain that trust (mistaking the girl in grey on a dying horse for Arya Stark when in actuality it's Alys Karstark [even the names are similar]). But the question is why does she need and want Jon Snow? For what purpose? Clearly she still believes that Stannis is Azor Ahai reborn, so why is she so desperate for Jon's alliance? It makes no sense.

> There's a lot of gods competing for man's attention now. The Old Gods, Melisandre and her god R'hllor, The Many-Faced God with Arya, and the Seven of westeros. In ADWD, R'hllor is often described as a "jealous god" and consuming. Despite these drawbacks, R'hllor clearly has powers though. Melisandre's visions so far have all been true as has the red priest Moqorro's, who Victarion picks up.

> I feel sad for Quentyn Martell. Everyone is telling him to go back home and he obstinately refuses. I admire his resolve but I have to question his wisdom for someone who is reputedly so bookish. It was sad to hear Barristan Selmy's take on him: "[Daenerys] wants fire, and Dorne sent her mud. You could make a poultice out of mud to cool a fever. You could plant seeds in mud to grow a crop to feed your children. Mud would nourish you, where fire would only consume you, but fools and children and young girls would choose fire every time." That's so lugubrious and depressing, especially from Quentyn's point-of-view. If I were Quentyn though, I'd heed Selmy's advise and get the fuck out of Meereen....

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin (IV)

ADWD Spoilers ahead . . .

I want to make two points about Jon (Snow) because this is making me crazy. I can't stop thinking about the last Jon chapter I just read.

1 - Why must a Lord Commander have no friends?

2 - And why is everyone in westeros against Jon's efforts to integrate the wildlings at the Wall?

1 - I believe the choice between a Lord Commander without friends and a man of the Night's Watch with friends is a false choice. Jon Snow in one of his chapters even laments that the Lord Commander has no friends. I ask, "WHY?" I understand a leader needs to do what needs to be done but that is no reason not have friends. Jon is sending ALL of his friends away. I understand sending Sam away to Oldtown to learn the ways of a Maester, but he also sends away Pyp, Grenn, Halder, Toad, Iron Emmett, and Dolorous Edd. Why can't he leave 1 or 2 friends by his side? This is nuts and boggles the mind. He needs people he trusts in the castles he's opening up but what he's doing is NUTS. Pyp and Grenn aren't opening up new castles, he just decides to dispatch them to Eastwatch because Cotter Pyke needs more men. WHY CAN'T HE SEND SOME OTHER PEOPLE?!?!? There's no reason not keep a couple people you trust by your side. Jon and GRRM don't even provide any justification for the decision to send his best friends to Eastwatch. As Jon's chapters progress, so too does Bowen Marsh's dislike of Jon's choices. I'm pulling my hair out trying to ascertain Jon's thought process in sending ALL OF HIS FRIENDS away when Melisandre has warned him at least 3 times of impending danger to his life. And no, Melisandre thus far has been correct in all of her prophecies. She may have misinterpreted the visions, but what she sees has been validated time and time again.

On a side note, why does Melisandre mistrust Patchface? That was interesting . . .

2 - After a point, I just feel like GRRM is concocting false pretenses to make it hard on Jon. Making it on hard on him when it makes sense is one thing, but this is ridiculous. The builder Yarwick is against Jon, Bowen Marsh is against Jon (every step of the way), and now Queen Selyse is against Jon. The conditions which Selyse requires from Jon for his peace with the wildlings are ludicrous: the queen wants the wildlings to acknowledge Stannis as their King and adopt the R'hllor as their god. The obvious retort to that which Jon failed to broach is that the King's own Hand Davos observes the Seven does he not? Will Stannis require all of westeros to adopt R'hllor as their god, the notion is so outrageous it boggles the mind! This obstacle seems very forced and fabricated by GRRM. C'mon, get real....

On another side note, if the Night's Watch doesn't work out for Jon, he appears to have a bright future in haggling. First Stannis, then the banker from Bravos, and now Tormund. Seems like that's the extent of his skills because he sure can't get anyone on board with him, in this novel at least.

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin (III)

ADWD Spoilers ahead...

So I finished the Cersei chapter and man she's as conniving as ever, I don't think she'll ever truly get it. Even after being locked up by the High Septon (and I forgot all about that btw, goes to show you how much I loved AFFC - not), she continues to see enemies in the shadows. She hates the Tyrells, she wants Loras Tyrell to die, and she confesses and lies her way to better circumstances (more comfortable accommodations) as a captive of the Seven and the High Septon in the Great Sept of Balor. As much as I enjoy seeing Cersei squirm, I don't like this new High Septon one bit. He is going to be trouble for someone else down the road. GRRM has a knack for this of course: we get want we want but we get something else we probably don't (want). Does Cersei even realize how tenuous the Lannister position is ever her father Tywin's death that she would want to destroy the Tyrells alliance so badly? Besides the army that Jaime commands (who has gone AWOL after following Brienne to Lady Stoneheart apparently), Kevan Lannister even points out that they don't have another legitimate army to combat the sellsword ships landing in the south (Tarth, Stepstones, etc.). Kevan thinks this is Stannis' work but we as readers suspect this is probably Prince Aegon and the Golden Company.

Cersei is losing it. In the end, it seemed like the High Septon wanted to put her on trial for some very egregious crimes and sins against their religion, the Seven. But was it either the trial or walking on the waterfront (naked?), or both? I didn't quite understand whether walking on the waterfront (naked?) would absolve her of her crimes and forego the trial. Can't wait to see what Qyburn is cooking up. The Mountain that Rides Part Deux . . .

A Dance with Dragons, by George R. R. Martin (II)

Just finished a Jon chapter and now I'm on page 1055 of 1489 (1407) about to begin the first Cersei chapter I've seen in this novel.

ADWD Spoilers below . . .











Wow, as I read Jon's chapters, I'm reminded of a recurring theme in this novel with both Jon and Dany. Both are in a position of power and both try to introduce change and adjustment for the greater good as they see it into a hierarchal thinking steeped in tradition and custom. Both are finding a tough go of things.

The more Dany tries to fight slavery, the more setbacks she encounters. The Quartheen Xaro visits her to provide sage counsel against her efforts to end slavery in Slaver's Bay. Everything Xaro says appears sound actually, that is, that somehow the Slaver cities need slaves and that some slaves want to be slaves. He sure had me convinced. She views the freed slaves as her "children," and I believe her problem is that she injects change (no slaves) too suddenly, too quickly. When she tries to rule on the drastic terms of her victory, not only does her city resist, but the larger economic ecosystem rebels against her. Finally, she capitulates to the Slavers by marrying the Meereenese noble Hizdahr Zo Loraq. In the end, she gives up. I think Dany's heart is in the right place, but her execution is flawed. On a side note, I wanted to slap her every time she goes on about, "I may be a young girl, and know little...." She pulled that shit in ASOS too, and her veiled self-righteousness and condescending attitude to go along with her entitlement issues make me want to kill her sometimes.

On the other hand, Jon's attempts at change in the Night's Watch seem justified. Jon clearly grasps what Bowen Marsh misses: that in order to defeat a greater threat (the Others), the Night's Watch must change or the White Walkers (Others) will threaten their ultimate vow to "guard the realms of men." Both Eastwatch and Shadow Tower need more men, Castle Black needs more men, and since the rest of the realm plays at the game of thrones and cares little about the Wall and the danger lurking beyond, he finds men to guard the Wall amongst the wildings. Bowen Marsh fights him every step of the way. His Night's Watch brothers fight him. After defeating the wildlings, Jon attempts to incorporate them into the Night's Watch, and now he must help his brotherhood overcome their long-seeded enmity for the wildlings. The Night's Watch brotherhood has fought and died against the wildlings for so long that allowing them through the Wall and stand beside them against the Others just doesn't sit well for the Night's Watch brothers. How can they fight the Others when they can't trust the wildlings standing by their side? But Jon knows that it's either that or allow the Others to terrorize the rest of westeros and the realms of men because the Night's Watch simply doesn't have enough men to man the Wall. He needs to prepare for the eventuality that the Others will attack, and he wants to prepare for that eventuality as early as possible. Unlike Dany, I don't think Jon's choices and decisions are poorly executed.

But damn, changing deep-rooted tradition is a bitch, ain't it? But if people won't change on their own accord, winter and dragons will force it upon them one way or the other.