Topic: A song of ice and fire -- SPOILERS (Book 4)

[Pugnate]

So I read the first three books and loved the crap out of them.

I have now started book 4 three times and can't get into it. So, I skimmed through chapter titles and my fears were confirmed. None of the interesting characters seem to be in the book! Where is Jon? Danny? Arya? OMG!

Then I had a look at Amazon and the book was simply panned.

For some reason I feel like reading it now after saying all this.

[Cools!]

Hahaha. My mom's into it now (she's reading the 2nd book right now) after watching the TV series.

[ren]

I just finished reading Book 4. Parts of it were painful to get through but I'd say it was worth it in the end. I feel the book could have been 3/4 of the size and been just as effective. I guess I won't know until I read the fifth book or not if that's true. I plan on taking at least a few months off from the series before I delve into Book 5 though.

[PyroMenace]

I am actually reading the books as the series comes out. So I read the first one and watched the season afterwards and completely loved it. Now I'm gonna wait till season 2 episodes are all out, read A Clash of Kings, and watch them.

[gpw11]

Book 4 was a bit of a letdown after book 3....which was hands down the best in the series.  The thing is that books 4 and 5 were originally one book that later got spit into two, which seems a bit apparent as book 4 focuses on some of the less interesting characters, while the first 2/3 of book five focus on the other characters during the same time period.  I don't think it really worked out all that well but highly suggest you read them both anyway - some cool shit goes down.

[ren]

The title alone makes me want to read it.

A Dance of Dragons.

You know cool shit is going to go down.

[Ghandi]

Book 5 was definitely my favorite in the series and brought back a lot of the characters that were awesome in book 3. As gpw said, books 3 and 4 were concurrent as far as time, with the end of 4 going a little further than book 3. Book 4 was a bit of a struggle for me to get through at points.

[Pugnate]

I think Book 4 and 5 are concurrent with Book 5 eventually going past 4.

Also, I am enjoying 4 now.

[gpw11]

So, I was catching up on the second season of Game of Thrones and something just kinda hit me.  I'm going to put this in spoiler tags, although it's purely conjecture and I don't think it actually spoils anything past the first or second book.  Nevertheless, whatever.

(click to show/hide)

There's only really a few events in the series that are shrouded in complete mystery.  Well, aside from The Others in general and the 'Doom of old Valaria" or whatever.  But The Others is kind of just a mystery to everyone - they're just there, they're coming back, and they kill shit.  Old Valaria is a minor background point. 

As far as the main characters and key plot events, I can only really think of three major things that I consistently wondered about while reading the books. One I won't be mentioning as it's a pretty big spoiler for book 3 or 4, but the other two are implied right at the beginning and haven't been brought up much since.  Which kinda makes me think that they're pretty important.


1.) John Snow's mother.  It was kinda drilled into our heads that Eddard wouldn't talk about it and no one really knew for sure, even Robert. I've been curious about this but also thought it was just a good way to dismiss the issue - it doesn't matter it just served to give the Stark's a bastard and also show that Eddard had his faults.  I'm not so sure about that anymore.

2.) This is kind of two in one but the events at "The Tower".   During the first book, Eddard has a series of flashbacks revolving around arriving at some tower with his companions right after or at the very end of the war.  The remaining members of the Kingsguard are there. Battle breaks out, Stark and his awesome swamp dwelling friend are the only guys left standing. The significance of these flashbacks hasn't been shown yet, but it seems pretty obvious that there is some importance to the scene. The second part is that "The Tower" (I totally can't remember the name of it) is where Lyanna Stark was when Eddard found her (I assume why he was there in the first place) and where she died.  But more importantly, where she made him promise her something.  Something that hasn't been revealed but seems to be pretty significant.  Especially since, with the death of Ned Stark, the revelation of the existance of said promise kind of shows that it's more important to the overall story arch than it is just an aspect of character development or motivation for Ned.

I'm starting to think that Lyanna Stark is John Snow's brother by way of Rhaegar. Dude may have kidnapped her, but the general feel of the story is that she kind of eloped as well. I had wondered exactly what killed her, especially at so convenient a time, and childbirth kinda makes sense - she was at the tower with child...royal child and thus the presence of the Kingsguard. And Eddard, a retardedly noble and honour bound man comes back with a baby immediately after.  It pretty conveniently wraps up the questions of the events of the tower, the promise, and John Snow's mother in one easy (maybe too easy) answer.

Aaaaand, I just googled it and it seems that this is a pretty popular theory. Interesting to see where it goes, at least. 

[Pugnate]

Yup, that theory is pretty popular.

I think Book 5 was pretty good. Book 4 was probably the worst though.

[gpw11]

Haha,  I thought I was pretty special for a second there - imagine my dismay when it seems like every mother fucker out there came to that conclusion way before I did.

And I just checked the plot synopsis for book four out and yeah, kind of the worst in the series so far (Three was my favourite, by far).

I have a really good feeling about book 6 and am having trouble waiting.  Well, I'm also wondering what the hell they're going to do because the TV show is pretty obviously going to catch up to the books in a few years unless George R. R. Martin hurries the fuck up (also, he better not die).

[TheOtherBelmont]

[Xessive]

Thor Stark! haha

[gpw11]

I'm actually stressing out that George R. R. Martin is going to die before the next book is complete, let alone the following one.  FUCK!

[Pugnate]

I'm actually stressing out that George R. R. Martin is going to die before the next book is complete, let alone the following one.  FUCK!

haha I know. Took him seven years to finish the last one. We don't want a repeat of Robert Jordan, especially since I am actually reading this guy's books.