(no subject)

[desertvixen]

WARNING: COMMENTS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR BOOK 3.

So I have finished A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin. Yes, because I am a glutton for punishment. Not sure I could go for the next one (it wasn't in Hastings in paperback), but will probably buy it when I go up to Tucson this next weekend.

I have a problem, you see. I get attached to characters, even ones who aren't real. I cried for Alistair McKeon, Michael Havel, Walter Blythe. I didn't cry for the crew of the Excalibur, but I did throw that book against the wall.

I got attached to some of Martin's characters, although you would think I would have learned by the end of Book One, when treachery and dishonesty killed the honorable man, but no.

Basically, does anyone know who we are supposed to root for in the series? Almost all of my candidates have been killed.

Don't read if you don't want to know who dies in book 3: Um, WTF? Well, at least we got rid of Joffrey, thank the Queen of Thorns, although I dislike how they used Sansa and Tyrion. Tyrion, I am starting to think, might be the man to throw my hopes behind. Jaime Lannister seems to have refound some honor, but he's still a Lannister and I distrust him. Lord Mormont, gone of treachery. Jon in his place, which could prove very interesting. I think they killed Davos Seaworth, the Onion Knight. At least I presume he is the man they burned for their good wind.

Sansa and Arya - are these two going to find each other again? I did guess that Arya's savior was a Faceless Man, and it seems she will be going with them. Sansa seemed about done for thanks to her crazy aunt, but surely Littlefinger is not taking her to his bed at 13? I know, different place and all, but...ick. The doll's head on the snow castle wall was a nice touch - Sansa is more her father's daughter than she realizes.

And WTF with Lady Catelyn at the end?

Still pissed, because if Robb had LISTENED TO HIS MOTHER, he'd likely still be King of the North and not dead. On a lot of things. The Red Wedding, however - come on, wasn't it just a touch obvious what was going to happen?

And Margaery Tyrell of Highgarden. Is it just me, or is she very unlucky?

Anyway, I'm going to read some lighter stuff this week, thanks much.

DV

Comments

Don't read if you haven't read book 3

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

I don't assume Brienne is dead; she's definitely someone to root for. So is Dani, but she wasn't in this volume; she will be in the next. Jon, certainly. Arya and Sansa; I am sure they will refind each other. Tyrion's been driven nuts and who can blame him? Jaime is rapidly becoming my favourite character. Certainly he's done a lot of changing over the past three books.

I do wish GRRM weren't fond of mutilating his characters (Jaime, Tyrion, now Myrcella, Pia, the list goes on and on). He also has a weird fixation on cutting off nipples; Dani's dream sequence in book 2 where she sees a dwarf biting of a woman's nipple upset electorprince a great deal and he's hard to squick.

Re: Don't read if you haven't read book 3

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

Brienne seems a good character, but not a leader. Daenerys - half the time I like her, half the time I'm scared of her. I did have Jorah figured as the treachery for love. And I guessed it was Barristan at the same time as Jorah.

The mutilations bother me, but at least with Jaime, it seems to have done him some good. The bit in 3 where he realizes as he is talking to Loras Tyrell that he is talking to himself-that-was. Losing his sword hand seems to have reminded him that he has a brain.

The fixation with cocks irritates the hell out of me. Period and all, but it's still annoying. Although I did get a laugh out of Varys' line about how men could either have their "bits" or their wits.

DV

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

Thought I had last night: Does anyone thing Jeyne Westerling was set up to make Robb fall? Given that she and her father were pardoned by Tommen, and Tywin prefers to fight his battles with quills and ravens...

That actually made me more upset. Bad enough that he got killed for dishonoring the Freys' agreement, but to have the basis of the dishonor be false... grrrrr.

DV

[betray802.livejournal.com]

I must admit I've never read GRRM, but several of the points you've mentioned remind me of my "I need your on-again off-again on again tonight," (thank you, Trent Willmon) relationship with David Weber and his Honor Harrington series. I'm up to #7, Echoes of Honor, which I have barely begun, let alone finished. This puts me about two books behind.

The Graysons and their sister / enemy world, the Masadans, would drive you nuts. They're THAT backwards and chauvinistic.

The People's Republic of Haven is exactly what you're talking about. Every time I get straight on who's who, what's what and who's the least of the evils ... Oops! The Havenites are having yet ANOTHER revolution / purge, and I'm back to square one.

As for the Star Kingdom of Manticore itself, the Centrists and Crown Loyalists are in power, under the reign of Queen Elizabeth III, so the good guys, at least, have a pretty stable government.

And don't get me started about Honor falling for Paul Tankersley in #2,The Short Victorious War, only to have him murdered in #3, The Honor Of The Queen. Grrrrrrrrrrr. But from what I've heard, she does seem to be getting cozy with Lord White Haven. Except he's married, and the Graysonites really aren't into extramarital affairs, and with her being the ONLY female Steadholder on Grayson (and an off-worlder, to boot!) ...

As you might expect from "Space Opera," body counts after battles are exceedingly high, especially if fleet actions are involved, and 'the good guys' all too often do get it. Pavel Young did eventually Get What Was Coming To Him, but his adherents still lurk in the Royal Manticoran Navy, and the Manticoran government. They cannot STAND that Queen Elizabeth raised Honor to the peerage.

I really do need to get back to that series.

Music: Statue Of A Fool, the Ricky van Shelton cover.