A Blog of Ice and Fire

I thought I'd better change the title of this blog, since after all we've now moved beyond "the game of thrones" to "clasing kings." I guess it was pretty thoughtless of me to name the blog after the first book in the series. Anyway, as you see, I've changed it, for the time being, to A Blog of Ice and Fire. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

BTW, I've run into a couple of interviews with Martin lately. One of them is at a site called SFF World. And Jay at Fantasy Book Spot provides another.

posted by Bob @ 4:53 AM 2 comments links to this post

The Final Page

That final scene sure was a hot one! But what a closer- the image of Khal Drogo, legendary, undefeated Dothraki warlord, consumed on a funeral pyre. A great event to save for the last scene of the book. I must say I had to read the part about Dany being buried in the burning logs a couple times. Did she really not get burned by the fire? This is some interesting development. If it's as I read it, she seems to truly have dragon-like imperviousness to fire. Is this something she was aware of, or something new, perhaps having to do with her entering the tent as the maegi woman performs her spell? She is not even surprised by it. Or maybe I shouldn't be approaching it too scientifically.

The whole mood of the chapter had a sadness and finality, even something like nostalgia. Nostalgia for Dany's homeland, for her marriage to Drogo, her child, and the child that she once was. The phrase "if I look back I am lost" permeates the chapter, giving a hint of melancholic onwardness of life despite wounds old and new. Truly, these are words that are meant for many characters in this book. Arya and Sansa having witnessed the public execution of their father. Catelyn as she watches her son, thrust into a young manhood, lead an army against the enemies of her house. Jon as he finally(?) lays down his devotion to family and realm for the commitment of the Night's Watch, the taste of his father's death still on his tongue.

I would never have guessed that this book would end with the Starks and the seemingly just cause in such an advantageous position. The Kingslayer, a prisoner of the Stark/Tully forces? Martin did an excellent job at making the underdog's victory believable. No hint of a deus ex machina. Another stroke of brilliance was to write A Game of Thrones without any heavy action taking place Beyond the Wall. Only talk and a few episodes that hint at terror. This ignites the thrill, but only allows it to burn low and slowly. It's as if there's a campfire(if you'll indulge me in a metaphor), and everyone knows there's a gasoline can nearby and someone will probably do the inevitable later on. But no one will even mention it until deep into the night. Learning of Lord Mormont's intentions to take a great host in search of Benjen had me saying "YESSSSS!"

Another YESSS! moment: Robb, The King in the North. Robb seems to have gone from green boy to noble lord and warrior. There is an allusion to the history of this phrase, which only left me wondering about it more. Robb's reaction to his liege lords' shouts is not recorded. What on earth does he think of all this? Another awesome scene, with the various lords tossing their weapons, one by one, at Robb's feet.

I think I will post my predictions for each of the major characters for the coming books. I am definitely caught up in these characters' lives. Some predictions will be more general, some specific. I'm interested to see how on track I am with Martin's plans for the characters.

posted by Nate @ 5:58 PM 7 comments links to this post

Whoa!

I finished the book! A couple of days ago, actually. I've kind of been digesting that final scene. In a way, it stands out from the rest of the book much like the opening scene does, as an invasion of the supernatural into a book that is relatively bereft of that sort of thing. So at either end of the book, and also at the geographic extremes within the book, there invades a shocking "otherness," and we are reminded that there is more to this world than men and women and what they do to one another. There is an "outside" to this drama, remnants of which persist in the tales of Old Nan, or in the dragonheads stored in the deep cellars of the castle at King's Landing, or in the petrified dragon's eggs that hatch so preposterously in the final scene, and of course in the appropriately named "Others" and their walking-dead victims.

Anne McCaffrey called these books "fantistorical." A combination, in other words, of fantasy and historical writing. I had gotten so comfortable with the "historical" aspect of these books that when the "fantasy" breaks in, it is truly shocking. I must say, I think this is rather brilliant of Martin. That final scene, with Dany walking into Drogo's funeral pyre, is so totally off-the-charts bizarre, drawing on imagery from the old lurid fantasy mag covers, but lifting it all to the level of nightmare . . . well, to finish on such a note puts to silence all my wondering if I really want to read on. Yes, I've purchased the next book. But I can't go on without hearing from Nate. Dude, what are your thoughts on this final scene? How would you sum things up so far?

posted by Bob @ 4:09 AM 3 comments links to this post

A Masterful Chapter

Sometimes Martin puts together a chapter that is quite simply a little masterpiece. I am speaking now of Arya's chapter, in which we find ourselves with Arya amidst the taunting crowd that witnesses (and revels in) the execution of her father, Eddard Stark. This is so well-done, and by the way so exemplary of the best way to handle gruesome violence in a novel [my opinion: would that Martin were as nuanced and humane in certain other scenes], that it should be studied in creative writing classes. I confess that the entrance of Yoren at the end of the chapter had be stumped. I had to look him up here. Oh yeah, THAT Yoren!

posted by Bob @ 7:02 AM 1 comments links to this post

Now For the Final Battle

Will we see the redemption of the Stark "cause" in the final pages of this book? Tywin Lannister certainly seems over-confident enough to make the mistake of celebrating before the battle is over. I can only hope that Robb will prove that Stark blood truly runs hot (cold?) in his veins.

As for the Dothraki hordes, I wonder about the rift growing between them and Daenerys as well. Specifically, I wonder what is keeping her so married to the idea of retaking the Seven Kingdoms and having a dragon sit on the throne once again. With Viserys gone, and Khal Drogo only casually interested in said conquest(at least until recently), it seems she would have turned her mind to other things. Returning to the land of her infancy I suppose might hold some appeal, although she has no remaining relatives...except Maester Aemon I guess(will they ever meet, and how closely related are they, I wonder). Now with the "stallion that mounts the world" on his way, I suppose she a slightly more solidified intention.

It looks like two of the more admirable characters-- Robb, and the Stark family, and Dany-- might enter a collision course with each other. Depending of course on the outcome of the coming battle with the Lannisters. It seems strange that these two, should they meet, would be enemies, although Robb's father did help usurp her own father's throne.

Now that we've met Lord Tywin, it seems that Tyrion has little more love for his father than for the Starks. I wonder how he will end up, considering he "never bets against his family."

posted by Nate @ 9:04 AM 4 comments links to this post

We're Back!

Oh my, it has been too long of course. What sort of bloggers are we, to let so much time go by! Ah well, in answer to Ben, no we have not given up on this. But for both of us other things have taken precedence lately.

We're moving into the homestretch of this book, though. I have read through Tyrion's chapter (to p.695). The first battle has taken place along the kingsroad, and Robb & Catelyn's "stunt" has clearly worked, misdirecting the enemy. BTW, note the contrast between the way the 7 Kingdoms folk plan for war (intense conferencing, endless discussion and negotiating between factions) and the way the barbarian horseman do so ("Aaargh, let's go kill their men and rape their women, who needs a plan!").

The Daenerys chapter (beginning at p.665) shows us something new. A rift has opened between Daenerys and her adoptive people. This is going to turn out to be very significant, I think.

posted by Bob @ 4:18 AM 0 comments links to this post