"A Game of Thrones" Spoiler-Ridden Catch-All of Doom - books and HBO show

buzzvang wrote:

Don't forget about the crossed arms under heaving chests or whatever it was he had all of 'em doing.

A book dedicated to Turin and Nienor? Color me interested.

Haha, I don't think he wrote "heaving" but they did indeed cross their arms under their breasts.

Let's not forget how often they walk around in their shifts too.

I think I got partway through the first Wheel of Time book and the tugging the braid image was firmly beaten into me.

Just finished the book 3 trial by combat. I swear, I had knots in my stomach as I started it and by the end I was actually shaking a little bit. I knew that with Martin, you just don't know how things will turn out. What a fight. I had to deliberately cover the pages with my hand as I read so my eyes wouldn't drift ahead. And when it was over, I had to stop myself from flipping to the next related chapter.

I finished book 3 yesterday afternoon, and all I can say is Holy. f*cking. sh*t.

Book 3 is definetly the high point so far, in my eyes. It's a bit difficult to talk about thousand-page books in that way, but it seems to me that the even-numbered books tend to create the buildup for the odd-numbered ones.

Personally, I'm pretty certain that GRRM won't go beyond the seven for financial reasons, at least. He had been an established and popular writer before The Song started, which sets him apart from Jordan, Goodkind, and the likes.

This thread has taken a turn for the totally spoilerific in April. Lucky for me, I have read through book 4!

But Fars - would you mind adding "Spoilers" to the title? Even the stuff that's been mentioned would kill me. For example:

Harry Potter SPOILERS! wrote:

[color=white]A friend of mine told me that he cried at the end of book 6, and I immediately knew who died. Oh, and someone at work spoiler Sirius Black's death as well, but she just came right out and said it. And then she thought it was no big deal. ARRRGGGHH!!![/color]

buzzvang wrote:

I finished book 3 yesterday afternoon, and all I can say is Holy. f*cking. sh*t.

Hell yeah. The very last paragraph, wow. I've already started on book 4.

Fedaykin98 wrote:

This thread has taken a turn for the totally spoilerific in April. Lucky for me, I have read through book 4!

But Fars - would you mind adding "Spoilers" to the title? Even the stuff that's been mentioned would kill me.

I've been deliberately vague in my comments, and as far as I can tell, so has everyone else recently. Not sure which remarks in particular you find so spoilerific.

If anyone so much as sneezes I consider it spoilerific.

But more specifically,

spoiler wrote:

[color=white]I think that if someone read "Halfway through book 3 - WOW! Didn't see that coming!" "Oh yeah, the red wedding?" they would easily deduce that blood was going to be spilled at the upcoming wedding. IMHO. I'm not saying you guys are poopy or anything, I'm just very spoiler-sensitive. :wink:[/color]

Ironically, I spoiled the ending of Serenity for Oldmanscene24.

Ironically, I spoiled the ending of Serenity for Oldmanscene24.

And for that, you've rightfully suffered from the Curse of Gaald, forcing you to rant about spoilers in threads everywhere!

Fedaykin98 wrote:

But Fars - would you mind adding "Spoilers" to the title? Even the stuff that's been mentioned would kill me. For example:

Sounds reasonable since it got a little more spoilery later in the thread.

I don't recall putting that Harry Potter spoiler in a thread where I didn't warn ahead of time that it was spoilerific. I feel bad now!

Fedaykin98 wrote:
Harry Potter SPOILERS! wrote:

[color=white]A friend of mine told me that he cried at the end of book 6, and I immediately knew who died. [/color]

That's just sad, unless he's 7 years old. If he has a Man Card, it hereby needs to be revoked.

I'm not thinking that he was referring to you on this one Farscry, at least I hope(!).

Yeah, Fars, I was talking about my friend Gary - which will now make the entire thing make perfect sense to TheWalt, methinks. My wife is constantly talking about how Gary needs to man up.

Uh...actually, now that I think about it, were you making a joke and insinuating that you cried, too? Maybe TheWalt and I missed that at first.

Gary and Farscry hereby have their Man Cards revoked!

(although, as Fedaykin implied, Gary I don't think ever completed the application, and therefore was never granted a Man Card in the first place... :D)

Farscry may be able to get his card back on appeal, however...

I'm picking these up at the bookstore tonight. I'm hyped. We should start a Goodjer book club.

Ulairi wrote:

I'm picking these up at the bookstore tonight. I'm hyped. We should start a Goodjer book club.

That's not the worst idea that I've ever heard.

After finishing the current four Ice and Fire books last year, I started in on the 17 or so books in Steven Brust's world of Dragaera, and just finished those this weekend. Now I'm not sure where I'm headed - I'm making a pit-stop in the Legends anthologies because there are two Martin novellas set in the Ice and Fire universe to be had, but after that I dunno. I'm planning on keeping this fantasy kick going until I tire of it and return to my first love, science fiction.

Hmm...perhaps I'll check out this Steven Brust you all speak of next, after I finish up my current Terry Pratchett kick. I've been idly wondering what author I'll begin to read next.

Brust is pretty damn good. I'd also suggest China Mieville's Bas Lag triology.

Fedaykin98 wrote:
Ulairi wrote:

I'm picking these up at the bookstore tonight. I'm hyped. We should start a Goodjer book club.

That's not the worst idea that I've ever heard.

After finishing the current four Ice and Fire books last year, I started in on the 17 or so books in Steven Brust's world of Dragaera, and just finished those this weekend. Now I'm not sure where I'm headed - I'm making a pit-stop in the Legends anthologies because there are two Martin novellas set in the Ice and Fire universe to be had, but after that I dunno. I'm planning on keeping this fantasy kick going until I tire of it and return to my first love, science fiction.

This probably needs to be put into it's own thread, as we've gotten a bit off topic here, but I want to plug Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire. Great storytelling mixed with history of the Battle of Thermopylae. Would be a great place to go to next.

Uberstein wrote:

Hmm...perhaps I'll check out this Steven Brust you all speak of next, after I finish up my current Terry Pratchett kick. I've been idly wondering what author I'll begin to read next.

Keep in mind that Brust has completely seperate writing styles for two seperate timelines in the same universe. One is distinctly Three Musketeers, the other more normal.

Danjo Olivaw wrote:
Uberstein wrote:

Hmm...perhaps I'll check out this Steven Brust you all speak of next, after I finish up my current Terry Pratchett kick. I've been idly wondering what author I'll begin to read next.

Keep in mind that Brust has completely seperate writing styles for two seperate timelines in the same universe. One is distinctly Three Musketeers, the other more normal.

I recommend reading the Vlad novels in the order they were published, and read up through Issola. Then read all five of the Khaavren Romances. Then read whatever remaining Vlad books there are (right now there's only one after Issola). Then read Brokedown Palace. Then cry, and wait for more.

That's the order I read them in, and it was quite satisfying. On the other hand, I can imagine that many people will want to keep going with the Vlad books all the way through, and then do the others. That's probably good, too.

And Danjo - I think that Brust's ability to create different, distinct voices for his various narrators is probably one of his greatest talents. Each person feels very alive to me, but very different. Good stuff.

Heh. Every time I see the word, "Thermopylae" for some dumb reason I think of nasty 'ole Angus in Donaldson's Gap Cycle. I loved that series, dark as it was.

I guess I'll check Mr. Brust next, and then perhaps the Pressfield stuff. Thanks, you've all given me more grist for my voracious reading habit.

Arrise, ye thread!

I just finished up Book II for the second time and am a few hundred pages into Book III and I had a thought. What if Jon Snow is actually Aegon Targaryen? Now, I need to go back and re-read Book I to come up with some supporting facts but I think the timeline could fit. Ned Stark was at the castle the same time as Jamie killed the Mad King and Clegane and his horde started the sack. However, it was some other Lannister lacky that found Jamie first and started spreading the word that the king was dead.
Perhaps, Ned got to Elia first OR the real Targaryen babies were sent away before Clegane arrived. In any case, Ned gains hold of the child. Realizing that the Targaryen line needed to end but unwilling to kill a child, Ned claimed Aegon as a bastard child, fully intending to send him to The Wall like so many others.

This could fit with Dany's vision in the warlock mansion of her young baby brother, Aegon and the voice of Rhaegar, her brother and Aegon's father, saying his would be the song of ice and fire. He will fight with the power of the north and she will bring the fire. It would also explain why nobody knows who Jon's real mother is or why Bran as the dire wolf Summer doesn't call Ghost his brother.

I don't know how likely this is but the thought came to me as Sansa was sitting with Cersei and Cersei told her that Ilyn Payne was there to execute both of them if King's Landing was taken. It got me wondering as to why Elia or anyone else didn't do anything once they realized the Lannister's betrayed them.

Thoughts?

I'm still of the opinion that Jon is the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Ooops, I had misread that part of Reaper's post. Still, in terms of impact, both options are relatively comparable.

(These might constitute heavy, rather than light spoilers...)

Brennil wrote:

I'm still of the opinion that Jon is the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Furthermore, there is the possibility (espoused by a friend of mine) that Lyanna ran off with Rhaegar willingly, that they got married, and that Jon is their true-born child. (If you don't agree with that first part, the second could still easily be true. However, think about it: Most of the account of her kidnapping comes from Robert, who is hardly an impartial observer...) That makes Jon the rightful heir to the Iron Throne... or would, if he hadn't taken the black.

Damn my weak google-foo! Well, I'm glad I'm not the only uber-nerd obsessed with the what-if's?

MightyMooquack wrote:

(These might constitute heavy, rather than light spoilers...)

Brennil wrote:

I'm still of the opinion that Jon is the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Furthermore, there is the possibility (espoused by a friend of mine) that Lyanna ran off with Rhaegar willingly, that they got married, and that Jon is their true-born child. (If you don't agree with that first part, the second could still easily be true. However, think about it: Most of the account of her kidnapping comes from Robert, who is hardly an impartial observer...) That makes Jon the rightful heir to the Iron Throne... or would, if he hadn't taken the black.

Ah, but Jon Snow is clearly Ned Stark's bastard, which shoots all that in the foot.

AnimeJ wrote:
MightyMooquack wrote:

(These might constitute heavy, rather than light spoilers...)

Brennil wrote:

I'm still of the opinion that Jon is the child of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark.

Furthermore, there is the possibility (espoused by a friend of mine) that Lyanna ran off with Rhaegar willingly, that they got married, and that Jon is their true-born child. (If you don't agree with that first part, the second could still easily be true. However, think about it: Most of the account of her kidnapping comes from Robert, who is hardly an impartial observer...) That makes Jon the rightful heir to the Iron Throne... or would, if he hadn't taken the black.

Ah, but Jon Snow is clearly Ned Stark's bastard, which shoots all that in the foot.

Yeah, I seem to remember that even Catelyn thinks that Jon looks more like Ned than any of her children.

Actually Ned never says straight out to anyone that Jon is his son. His blood, his responsibility, but not his son. And there are many clues and hints that he has been keeping secrets for 14 years - Jon's lifetime. As for Jon looking like Ned - so does Arya, and several times it's stated that Arya looks like Lyanna.

Rhaegar could not have married Lyanna, as he was married to Elia Martell at the time. Jon's a bastard, regardless of who's bastard he is. I do believe that they loved one another, and she ran off willingly with him to the Tower of Joy.

This is a pretty good summation of all the (canon supported) theories about Jon's parentage.