I Think I Made a Tactical Error...
So after finishing the lovely Delia Sherman's absolutely beautiful (yet simultaneously creepy) The Porcelain Dove on Friday morning, I turned toward that book that has been sitting and taunting me since October. Perhaps you've heard of it? It's called A Game of Thrones.
I had planned on cleaning. Or, you know, finishing my book. Yeah, not so much.
While I liked Ned Stark at the beginning, all his issues with honor are really starting to try my patience.
Catelyn Stark has earned my life-long emnity for acting like a total bitch to two of the three characters I've come to really enjoy so far - Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. What kind of person tells a boy of fourteen "It should have been you"? And while I suspect her information regarding Tyrion isn't entirely accurate and thus her kidnapping him is not entirely her fault, I still don't have to like her for it.
As for the little Starks, I like Robb and Arya, am constantly annoyed by Sansa, and a bit bored by Bran. I feel bad about the last part, because it's not exactly the kid's fault that he's recovering from a fall that broke his spine.
Oddly enough for everyone who knows of my love of Milady de Winter, I cannot abide Cersei. It's one thing to be cunning and devious and use sex to get what you want, and quite another to be a perfect whiny bitch. Cersei, I fear, has too much of the latter. At least for Catelyn I can muster some sympathy. Cersei escapes me entirely. (This feeling could be from the POV characters, of course, but what can you do?)
Tyrion is a refreshing perspective. I think I'm looking forward to seeing his interactions with Daddy Dearest, should they happen. Robert doesn't strike me as long for this world. In addition to letting himself go in the worst way, he's also in the way of said Game of Thrones. Plus, his wife's an evil bitch.
Ah, Daenerys. She would be the third of the characters I really like so far. I wish there was a nice picture of her out there. Part of why I enjoy reading her sections is because they're new and almost independant of the rest of the story. Viserys is the sort of petty tyrant in the vein of what I expect his father was, but Dany actually uses her head for something other than shouting futile orders. I'm wondering if she doesn't deserve to get that throne back after all. (What happens after is an entirely different story. She seems an able queen, but what about after her?)
And queenofthorns will be delighted to learn that I am already greatly enjoying Jaime Lannister. "Enjoying" is the best word, as he's not very likeable at all, yet. But I have found that he's that breed of fictional character I simply adore to read about, yet would probably hate to be around in real life. (Alec Campion of Swordspoint is the example I always provide.) Thus far, he's done nothing worthy of affection, but what he's done, he's done with style.
Also, I really don't see why Kingslayer is an insult. I mean, both Robert and Ned were planning on doing that anyway. Presumably for what they regarded as good reason. They really should have just thanked the poor guy and gotten on with their lives.
Ah, bah. I guess I'll read and see.
I had planned on cleaning. Or, you know, finishing my book. Yeah, not so much.
While I liked Ned Stark at the beginning, all his issues with honor are really starting to try my patience.
Catelyn Stark has earned my life-long emnity for acting like a total bitch to two of the three characters I've come to really enjoy so far - Jon Snow and Tyrion Lannister. What kind of person tells a boy of fourteen "It should have been you"? And while I suspect her information regarding Tyrion isn't entirely accurate and thus her kidnapping him is not entirely her fault, I still don't have to like her for it.
As for the little Starks, I like Robb and Arya, am constantly annoyed by Sansa, and a bit bored by Bran. I feel bad about the last part, because it's not exactly the kid's fault that he's recovering from a fall that broke his spine.
Oddly enough for everyone who knows of my love of Milady de Winter, I cannot abide Cersei. It's one thing to be cunning and devious and use sex to get what you want, and quite another to be a perfect whiny bitch. Cersei, I fear, has too much of the latter. At least for Catelyn I can muster some sympathy. Cersei escapes me entirely. (This feeling could be from the POV characters, of course, but what can you do?)
Tyrion is a refreshing perspective. I think I'm looking forward to seeing his interactions with Daddy Dearest, should they happen. Robert doesn't strike me as long for this world. In addition to letting himself go in the worst way, he's also in the way of said Game of Thrones. Plus, his wife's an evil bitch.
Ah, Daenerys. She would be the third of the characters I really like so far. I wish there was a nice picture of her out there. Part of why I enjoy reading her sections is because they're new and almost independant of the rest of the story. Viserys is the sort of petty tyrant in the vein of what I expect his father was, but Dany actually uses her head for something other than shouting futile orders. I'm wondering if she doesn't deserve to get that throne back after all. (What happens after is an entirely different story. She seems an able queen, but what about after her?)
And queenofthorns will be delighted to learn that I am already greatly enjoying Jaime Lannister. "Enjoying" is the best word, as he's not very likeable at all, yet. But I have found that he's that breed of fictional character I simply adore to read about, yet would probably hate to be around in real life. (Alec Campion of Swordspoint is the example I always provide.) Thus far, he's done nothing worthy of affection, but what he's done, he's done with style.
Also, I really don't see why Kingslayer is an insult. I mean, both Robert and Ned were planning on doing that anyway. Presumably for what they regarded as good reason. They really should have just thanked the poor guy and gotten on with their lives.
Ah, bah. I guess I'll read and see.