A Dance With Dragons
A few thoughts, halfway through A Dance With Dragons:
It should go without saying: Beware of spoilers! ... I just finished "The Turncloak" chapter, so anything before that is game... but spoil me for anything after that and I cut you. ;)
I know I should feel sorry for Theon, but I just can't do it. I feel sorry for Jeyne, and I feel revulsion for Ramsey... and slightly LESS hatred than before for Roose, oddly enough... but I just can't bring myself to CARE about Theon. (I also couldn't care less about Asha.)
Griff/Aegon (or was it Aemon? I get the names so confused!) ... I had been wondering for a while if we were going to find out that the baby Targ hadn't been killed after all, but I sort of feel like his introduction here was kinda out of left field. We're 5 books in, and this is the first he's ever been mentioned? I'm also a little wary of him being all "Who needs my aunt anyway? I'm a Targaryen! Rawr!" Dany frustrates me at times, and I don't think she's capable of ruling Westeros yet, but if they're just going to push her aside for a long lost Targ king, I'm going to be pissed.
Bran's chapters are frustrating me in that they're kind of interesting on a concept level, but rather lacking in substance. I am curious, though, to see what he finds out with his newly discovered talent for watching tree-vee. ;)
I love Jon. I know a lot of people don't, and I can understand the complaints of him being whiny and emo, but I still love him, and while it saddens me to see him lose his simplicity and innocence, I like that he's becoming more mature and accepting the role that has been asked of him. I actually think he's doing as good a job as could be expected.
I'm also in the minority in that I really like Stannis. Or rather, I respect Stannis. He's stubborn, and he's angry at the world for its slights against him (perceived or otherwise), but I think he truly has a good heart and WANTS to do what's right for his kingdom and its people. I don't trust Melisandre any further than I could throw her, but her viewpoint chapter left me scratching my head. I want to know what her endgame is.
I'm also getting annoyed with Tyrion's chapters, and it's purely because I want to roll my eyes at GRRM. "Oh, look... here's Yet Another Person who's going to kidnap Tyrion and carry him off somewhere..." He's worse than a damsel in a Harlequin Romance! We've gotten a lot of "history" in his chapters, but so much of it just passes over my head. I don't *care* how all of these people are related to folks 500 years dead. Honest. I have enough characters to keep track of in the here-and-now!
Overall, I think my biggest frustration so far is that even though the chapters are from viewpoints of characters we've known from the start-- Bran, Dany, Tyrion-- it's still introducing new characters and new information and just dragging out the point where these people actually get together and DO SOMETHING. I just find it hard to keep all of the characters and all of the nations and all of the cities and all of the allegiances straight.
Oh... and I don't trust Daario whatshisface. Not one bit.
It should go without saying: Beware of spoilers! ... I just finished "The Turncloak" chapter, so anything before that is game... but spoil me for anything after that and I cut you. ;)
I know I should feel sorry for Theon, but I just can't do it. I feel sorry for Jeyne, and I feel revulsion for Ramsey... and slightly LESS hatred than before for Roose, oddly enough... but I just can't bring myself to CARE about Theon. (I also couldn't care less about Asha.)
Griff/Aegon (or was it Aemon? I get the names so confused!) ... I had been wondering for a while if we were going to find out that the baby Targ hadn't been killed after all, but I sort of feel like his introduction here was kinda out of left field. We're 5 books in, and this is the first he's ever been mentioned? I'm also a little wary of him being all "Who needs my aunt anyway? I'm a Targaryen! Rawr!" Dany frustrates me at times, and I don't think she's capable of ruling Westeros yet, but if they're just going to push her aside for a long lost Targ king, I'm going to be pissed.
Bran's chapters are frustrating me in that they're kind of interesting on a concept level, but rather lacking in substance. I am curious, though, to see what he finds out with his newly discovered talent for watching tree-vee. ;)
I love Jon. I know a lot of people don't, and I can understand the complaints of him being whiny and emo, but I still love him, and while it saddens me to see him lose his simplicity and innocence, I like that he's becoming more mature and accepting the role that has been asked of him. I actually think he's doing as good a job as could be expected.
I'm also in the minority in that I really like Stannis. Or rather, I respect Stannis. He's stubborn, and he's angry at the world for its slights against him (perceived or otherwise), but I think he truly has a good heart and WANTS to do what's right for his kingdom and its people. I don't trust Melisandre any further than I could throw her, but her viewpoint chapter left me scratching my head. I want to know what her endgame is.
I'm also getting annoyed with Tyrion's chapters, and it's purely because I want to roll my eyes at GRRM. "Oh, look... here's Yet Another Person who's going to kidnap Tyrion and carry him off somewhere..." He's worse than a damsel in a Harlequin Romance! We've gotten a lot of "history" in his chapters, but so much of it just passes over my head. I don't *care* how all of these people are related to folks 500 years dead. Honest. I have enough characters to keep track of in the here-and-now!
Overall, I think my biggest frustration so far is that even though the chapters are from viewpoints of characters we've known from the start-- Bran, Dany, Tyrion-- it's still introducing new characters and new information and just dragging out the point where these people actually get together and DO SOMETHING. I just find it hard to keep all of the characters and all of the nations and all of the cities and all of the allegiances straight.
Oh... and I don't trust Daario whatshisface. Not one bit.