[womberte]

Damphair

That's quality character naming.

[wallyfindme]

How many threads do you need on your failures as a human being? I think you both should be allowed as many threads as you want...

[Emapymosy]

How many threads do you need on your failures as a human being? I think you both should be allowed as many threads as you want...

That is a good point

I retract my previous comment. It was in bad taste. Sorry.

[unmalryAlalry]

Separate thread for the books, by the request of many.

Three chapters into Book 4, and the only character that I've seen before is the eminently unlikable religious fanatic Damphair. This bodes poorly.

I am looking forward to discovering Littlefinger's angle in all that he's done.

Um - would you ever find a religious fanatic that you WOULD like?

[Viafdrear]

A couple thoughts that have been bothering me, one of which I expect to get resolved, the other just seems sloppy:

Many, many characters have hinted at (or outright stated) that Rheagar Targaryen was a pretty awesome dude before Robert killed him at Ruby Ford, and he lacked his father's more unsavory traits. Yet, we've also been told/hinted that he raped Ned's sister to death. Something doesn't add up, and I look forward to the resolution.

Just sloppy: how exactly did a tough, grim couple like Ned and Catelyn raise a child as simperingly awful as Sansa? Maybe she gets better in book four, but god damn... she is clearly the black sheep.

[Sydrothcoathy]

At the beginning we only have Robert Baratheon perspective regarding Rhaegar, which he loathes with all his soul (jeaulosy maybe?) but later on we get other impressions. In one point Cersei would say that "Tywin Lannister was cheered twice as loud for him as they did for Aerys Targaryen, but half as much as they did for Rhaegar" (not a literal quote).

There is also a theory that suggests a relationship between Rhaegar Targaryen and Jon Snow. In the ASoIF forums it is the most regarded explanation for Jon Snow origins. There are quite a lot of subtle hints that point in that direction.

[juliannamed]

I am looking forward to discovering Littlefinger's angle in all that he's done.

IIRC, he isn't A Feast For Crows. But likely to be more explained in Dance With Dragons (only a month now!)

[EspanaCamsInfo]

That theory actually makes a lot of sense; definitely would explain Ned's reluctance in talking about Jon's origin; it could have brought Robert's wrath down upon him.

Only ~200 pages into AFFC, definitely not as quickly-paced and interesting as the previous two books. All the same, it doesn't feel like I've already read 200 pages.

[reiseebup]

Blame Septa Mordane. And perhaps Catelyn, who isn't of the north, either.

[sciectotacype17]

Sansa takes after the Tully side of the family, and all Tullys are idiots.

[mXr8icOB]

Catelyn is a hard woman; the Blackfish seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

The rest of them on the other hand...

[byncnombmub]

One thing that I've found interesting is that in the show they don't portray the sheer loathing Catelyn has for Jon, but in the book she would happily see him dead.

[BILBONDER]

I hate Sansa. Almost as much as I like Arya, but not as much as I hate Cersei. There is a tiny bit of hope that Sansa, having had the veil of BS torn away, will grow into something of a badass, but I'm not holding my breath.

I think it's pretty clear that Rhaegar didn't rape Ned's sister, but rather they had an affair (Rhaegar was married, wasn't he?). Helen of Troy - not kidnapped but rather swept off her feet. The next step, theoretically, is that Jon Snow is the product of said affair.

I didn't hate Catelyn in the books, though her conduct towards Jon is terrible. She's also kind of an idiot. WTF was she thinking, taking the Imp like she did? Thinking her sister would actually help was pretty dumb too. Zombie Catelyn, ugh.

I think the spin the show put on Littlefinger (his "I'm going to **** them" speech during Lesbo sex) is basically right: he's carrying a chip on his shoulder from way back when he wanted Catelyn and couldn't have her 'cause he wasn't of noble enough stock. He's gonna SHOW THEM. The random people he gets killed, eh, whatever.

-Arrian

[Fvmfrctt]

I suppose, given that the top two billed actors are already dead, they had to make #3 more likable. One wonders what will happen come the Red Wedding; "and Peter Dinklage" may get moved up to top billing.

Nikolas Coster-Waldau (is that how you spell it?) will likely get top billing. And, of course, Lena Hedley is already somewhat known for 300 and Sarah Conner Chronicles. By that point, I figure the actors playing Jon Snow and Dany will be more well known as well and thus be elevated.

[Biassasecumma]

Most of the way through book four, I can see why Jaime has become a favorite character of many. He's not exactly what one might call a good person, even less so than Tyrion, but he does have some sense of honor.

Cersei's slow decent into paranoid madness is also rather enjoyable.

Still, I can see why this is the least liked of the series so far. It's still quite good, but not a whole lot of significance has happened in spite of 700+ pages.

[Kamepherype]

Well, he said the line, but if there is an actual trebuchet, I've yet to encounter it.

The plot just get a whole lot thicker in Dorne, however.

[zU8KbeIU]

Not a fan of the Sansa chapters. Poor girl just can't get a break.

His writing style is pretty good, but the intrusion of magic/etc into the genre weakens it a bit imo. I know, it's a fantasy series but it really didn't have to be in a way.

Well considering that the fantasy is right there in your face in the first chapter you can't really call it an intrusion

[Brareevor]

His writing style is pretty good, but the intrusion of magic/etc into the genre weakens it a bit imo. I know, it's a fantasy series but it really didn't have to be in a way.

Did you just say that the intrusion of magic into the genre (which is 'fantasy') weakens it? Sounds a bit redundant .

And character interaction really needs nothing, but the fantasy is the setting that is driving the interaction. Besides, sans dragons, Dany gets no where. The Dothraki alone aren't going to take down the Slavers by themselves.

[RarensussyRen]

Getting close to the end of book four, and I am still mystified by Littlefinger's motivation for Spoiler: killing Jon Arryn.

He could not have possibly predicted the fallout of that. No doubt, he has skillfully managed to manipulate it to his benefit, and now appears to be playing a long game of Spoiler: putting Sansa(?) on the "throne"(?) of Winterfell and the Eyrie, but the "why" hasn't clicked for me yet, nor has how he could possibly have figured (a) would lead to (b). I think he's just (extremely skillfully) winging it, but I'm not sure.

[Appenianags]

That seems awful thin, and doesn't strike me as his style.