The Zone

by **Wolfpack** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:10 am

I am feasting upon George R. Martin's A Feast for Crows.

by **thomasgaffney** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 2:14 am

Wolfpack wrote:I am feasting upon George R. Martin's A Feast for Crows.

A good book, but slightly disappointing due to only half the main characters showing up. The story got so big, he split the character arcs with some in Crows and the rest in the forthcoming A Dance With Dragons.

by **Bob Samonkey** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 2:06 am

thomasgaffney wrote: forthcoming A Dance With Dragons.

Hmmm....

by **thomasgaffney** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 2:28 am

Bob Poopflingius Maximus wrote:
thomasgaffney wrote: forthcoming A Dance With Dragons.

Hmmm....

Heh. Did I say forthcoming? I meant to say: "Should appear at your local bookstore some time before the Rapture. Hopefully."

by **TonyWilson** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:14 am

Just started on A Feast For Crows myself, I've been well prepared for the fact half the cast won't show up until the next book so it's not a disappointment but after having sped through the first 3 books in about a month and a half I'm going to have to take this one very s-l-o-w-l-y to avoid the cravings for A Dance With Dragons.

I may also try and get Mexican food banned in Santa Fe as Martin is getting too old and tubby to write another 3 books while imbibing that much cheese.

by **Bob Samonkey** on Tue Jan 05, 2010 1:50 am

TonyWilson wrote:I may also try and get Mexican food banned in Santa Fe as Martin is getting too old and tubby to write another 3 books while imbibing that much cheese.

Thats what I am saying. This guys is going to pull a Robert Jordon...

by **Wolfpack** on Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:54 pm

Although, admittedly, amyloidosis is not the same as an overdose of cheese.

by **TonyWilson** on Thu Jan 07, 2010 4:30 pm

That's just what the Cheese council want you to think

by **thomasgaffney** on Sat Jan 09, 2010 6:40 pm

from GRRM's "Not A Blog" LiveJournal

I meant to post yesterday on the weekend's (NFL) games, but got busy writing instead, and finished a Tyrion chapter that I've been struggling with for six months. Nibbling away at that knot. We'll see if the finished chapter holds up to reread and polish today.

I hope him actually working on A Dance With Dragons (and not any of other series) means he'll be done soon and we can get the next book...

by **thomasgaffney** on Fri Jan 29, 2010 4:33 am

More from GRRM:

Dancing : Jan. 28th, 2010 at 6:52 PM

Snowing like hell in Santa Fe today. I feel like Jon Snow on the Wall. White everywhere I look, and still coming down.

Of course, I'm writing about Meereen, where the weather is hot and muggy, oppressive. If the snow keeps falling, I better take it as an omen, switch to a Jon chapter tomorrow.

The good news: finished a chapter today.

The bad news: it's one I've finished at least four times before.

This time, though, I think I finally got it right. We'll see. Still whacking at the Meereenese knot.

I took an especially vigorous hack two days ago, by switching to a new POV. It seems to have helped. Helps to have a pair of eyes on the inside rather than the outside here. And back story works better in recollections than in dialogue.

Let's hope that when next week comes, I still like what I did this week.

Writing, writing...

by **thomasgaffney** on Sun Jan 31, 2010 3:59 am

It seems Martin has been doing a LOT of writing on Dragons lately. His last two blogs posts:

"A Good Day, With Snow. 'nuff said."
and:
"Jeez, guys. Calm down.
This is why I hate to do updates.
I say I have good day, and immediately I have a hundred people deciding this means that DANCE is finished.
I'm not the oracle at Delphi. Whatever casual comments I make on this Not A Blog are just that, and should not be subjected to analysis, interpretation, or decoding.
When I finish DANCE, you'll know it. I will write something like this: "I have finished A DANCE WITH DRAGONS." You won't need to parse any hints.
For the record, I have not finished A DANCE WITH DRAGONS. I just had a particularly good day yesterday. I hope to have another one today."

He also posted this:

by **Ribbons** on Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:28 am

Look Martin... of course people are gonna get excited if you post a cryptic message on your Not-A-Blog that it was a "good day," even if that doesn't mean you finished!

[/totally not excited... or totally excited... or appropriately excited... or something]

by **thomasgaffney** on Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:39 am

More GRRM updates!

Not Done Yet
Feb. 8th, 2010 at 8:06 PM

Spent the day in the rainwood. 1205 pages. More to come.

DANCE has now passed A CLASH OF KINGS to become the second longest volume in the series, though still three hundred pages shorter than the monster that was A STORM WITH SWORDS.

by **stereosforgeeks** on Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:52 pm

Just started Game Of Thrones this week.

I think Im finally start to get a handle on the major players (so far) involved at 60 pages in.

by **Al Shut** on Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:07 pm

Inspired by the awesome TV show (Screw you Ribbons :twisted:

) finally airing over here for free I picked up the first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire. Or I should rather say volume one pages 1- 359 as the publisher obviously thought this would be a good opportunity to fuck me over, splitting the books in two.

by **Al Shut** on Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:16 am

And four month later I've finished the 10th (fucking cash grabbing publishers) volume, only taking so long because not all were already released in April. Pretty much brilliant.

The next one will be released when hell freezes over you say? Can't wait to read some Frankenmountain action

by **Ribbons** on Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:01 pm

I'm currently 500 pages deep in A Storm of Swords (Book 3). It's my favorite of the bunch so far, certainly moreso than the last book, which was well-written as always but seemed to tread water most of the time. But it set this book up beautifully, and I'm enjoying the fallout from all the kings' failed attempts on the throne.

by **TonyWilson** on Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:31 pm

Ribbons wrote:I'm currently 500 pages deep in A Storm of Swords (Book 3). It's my favorite of the bunch so far, certainly moreso than the last book, which was well-written as always but seemed to tread water most of the time. But it set this book up beautifully, and I'm enjoying the fallout from all the kings' failed attempts on the throne.

Oh dude. Man, just, just... when it happens and then keeps happening and happening, just remember to breathe.

by **Ribbons** on Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:02 pm

Here's a tres cool map of, um... whatever the earth is called in A Song of Ice and Fire:

http://tinyurl.com/3pjuj6p

by **Ribbons** on Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:36 pm

TonyWilson wrote:Oh dude. Man, just, just... when it happens and then keeps happening and happening, just remember to breathe.

You weren't kidding, holy shit. So many jaw-dropping moments I don't know where to start; from the "Red Wedding" on it's one blow after the next. My stomach may have actually dropped during the duel between The Mountain and Oberyn Martell. And I'm not sure what to make of that epilogue and its implications: pleasant surprise or ominously grotesque?

by **Al Shut** on Tue Oct 16, 2012 2:18 pm

If I remember correctly I was surprised, but not pleasantly

by **Al Shut** on Fri Dec 28, 2012 3:40 pm

I've been browsing through those books again

anybody got a clear idea of who is who in the story about the tournament in A Storm of Swords?

I figured out or didn't care about almost everybody except for a guy who would be called something like Knight of skulls and kisses in english (I think)

by **Ribbons** on Fri Dec 28, 2012 9:54 pm

You're referring to the book Jaime reads when he rejoins the Knightsguard? If I recall, some of the names were familiar and some of them not. I don't know for sure. I have to see a name a couple of times before making the effort to figure out who they are.

by **Al Shut** on Sat Dec 29, 2012 5:23 am

No the story Meera tells Bran (pretty early in the book) about one of the swamp people going on a journey and visiting a tornament

by **so sorry** on Mon Apr 29, 2013 11:14 pm

Mother fuck me. Just read the Red Wedding chapter in Storm of Swords and I don't know what to do with myself. Unfortunately I knew it was coming due to me being a stupid spoiler-reading douche, but knowing was no less brutal. I want some revenge in the worst way right now. Seriously, I want to kill someone I'm so angry.

by **so sorry** on Mon May 13, 2013 8:45 am

Finished Storm of Swords last week and jumped head first into Feast of Crows. Without a doubt Storm of Swords has been the best of the series so far. The second half of that book...just one oh shit moment after another.

Ribbons wrote:And I'm not sure what to make of that epilogue and its implications: pleasant surprise or ominously grotesque?

Seriously, after all that I just read, THAT was like the biggest WTF moment.

by **so sorry** on Mon Jul 08, 2013 4:35 pm

I finished A Dance with Dragons this past weekend. This book took me a lot longer to get thru than the previous 5 novels. Maybe I hit the tipping point with my Game of Thrones love. I devoured the other books, reading just about every night after the wife and kids went to bed. But this last one…there were longer gaps in my reading habit. 2 or 3 times a week instead of 7 days a week. My mind wandered more too. So much so that as I starting reading thru the (excellent) westeros forums (http://asoiaf.westeros.org/) yesterday and today, I was noticing topics and plot points in DwD that I totally don't remember. I must have mentally skipped chapters!

That said, now that I'm done with them all, I can't believe I have to sit and wait another two years for the next installment (or however long it'll take). I think I'll take a short break, then go back and watch my GoT BluRays, then start over with the novels.

For anyone who has read all the books, check out that forum for some serious dissections and discussions about all things Fire and Ice. As I go thru those threads and read other fans opinions and theories, I can't believe how much I missed. Sometimes I feel like I read a Dr. Suess book, and they read War and Peace. Yes, they geek out to an EXTREME level (you learn that they have shorthand for names and places, like "KM" for the Kindly Man, and "LC" for Lord Commander, but they have some seriously interesting theories, and some of them are written out like college dissertations (some of them probably ARE college dissertations).

And for the biggest (that I came across) theory of them all, R+L+J!!!!

by **Ribbons** on Mon Jul 08, 2013 5:28 pm

I have read enough to think I know what those initials stand for, unfortunately. Mostly due to little fan theories I've seen on other sites. I've gotten sucked into the rabbit hole of Song of Ice and Fire wikis a couple times. It's pretty addictive, really. I spent like a whole day reading about Braavos.

by **Al Shut** on Tue Jul 09, 2013 5:04 am

so sorry wrote:And for the biggest (that I came across) theory of them all, R+L+J!!!!

I'm 100% convinced that this is true although if I remember correctly (haven't read a thorough internet summary of that theory) all the "evidence" mount to "it's possible and would fit really well"

Hopefully Martin will suprise on some stuff that seems that obvious to me (and prove me a fool).

by **Fievel** on Tue Jul 23, 2013 3:24 pm

I just wanted to pop in and say I'm almost halfway through Book 3 thanks to audiobooks and a shitload of summer projects around the house.
Fucking loving it and I'm amazed at the differences (subtle and grand) between book and show. Like all adaptations, the books will be the books and the show will be the show, eh?

Quick audiobook review thus far - only a fair reader (Roy Dotrice - played Hallyne the pyromancer in the show). With as many characters as there are, his vocal range is thin and he tends to repeat "voices" for characters a lot. I've been spoiled by epics like the Harry Potter series where there is a huge cast of characters and each has been given its own true voice by one single reader (I listened to the Stephen Fry version .... because it was fucking Stephen Fry!!!!....and have heard the Jim Dale version is excellent as well). Did I just call the Harry Potter series an epic?..... hmmm... anyways, yeah, the reader is serviceable, but not great. He'll get me there. But I can't help but wonder how much better of an aural experience it would be with a more proficient reader like Fry or Dale.

by **so sorry** on Tue Jul 23, 2013 5:03 pm

Do they have audio books for all of them done already? I wonder if they'd invest in more character voices for Dance with Dragons for example because of the relatively new popularity of the series (thanks to the show). Maybe they can double dip and reissue the audio books with the Harry Potter treatment! :lol:

Personally, if I were to get an audio book, I think I'd rather have every character be a seperate voice OR just have one person read it without trying to do different voices.

by **Fievel** on Wed Jul 24, 2013 1:22 am

Oh yeah, they all have audiobooks - and good ol' Roy Dotrice :roll:

is the reader for them all.

When I said Harry Potter had a huge cast of characters, I was referring to the actual books themselves in total. Stephen Fry read all of the characters' voices for the audiobook* and did a wonderful job. His Haggrid sounded exactly like Robbie Coltrane's Haggrid. That character/voice was the only movie similarity in that series.

But with audiobook narrators, a bad reader can kill a book. I stopped listening to The Shining because Campbell Scott's narration was so fucking dry I wanted to stab my ears with an icepick and end the misery. But if you get a good reader that can create unique voices, it's easy to get lost in the book - like the Harry Potter books read by Fry, or Stephen King books read by Frank Muller. Some audiobooks can even be enhanced by the reader - like The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy books, actually read by Douglas Adams, or the World War Z audiobook (I found it much more entertaining than the book).

*UK version. Jim Dale read the US version.

by **Fievel** on Fri Aug 09, 2013 12:14 pm

Just finished A Storm of Swords. I'm guessing the second half of this book will be the entire next season...?

I accidentally spoiled myself regarding the very ending of the book after watching the Red Wedding on the show - I hit up Wikipedia to get clarification on something and had that aspect spoiled, not knowing that it would be there. Regardless, it did not lessen the impact of her presence - nor of her condition. Wow. Can't wait to see that on screen!!!!

On to A Feast for Crows! (actually a few chapters in).

by **Lord Voldemoo** on Fri Aug 09, 2013 1:38 pm

Fievel wrote:Just finished A Storm of Swords. I'm guessing the second half of this book will be the entire next season...?

I accidentally spoiled myself regarding the very ending of the book after watching the Red Wedding on the show - I hit up Wikipedia to get clarification on something and had that aspect spoiled, not knowing that it would be there. Regardless, it did not lessen the impact of her presence - nor of her condition. Wow. Can't wait to see that on screen!!!!

On to A Feast for Crows! (actually a few chapters in).

Hey, we're in nearly the exact same spot. I took a break to cleanse the palate following Storm of Swords but am now about to start A Feast for Crows. I've heard from several people that it's their least favorite of the books, but I'm still looking forward to heading back to Westeros after a couple of months off.

I'll have to read fast, catch up, and then spoil each chapter for you before you read it. :twisted:

by **so sorry** on Fri Aug 09, 2013 1:58 pm

I think alot of the negative reaction to Feast may have had something to do with the second half of Storm, in the sense that it was SO fucking full of gut punch after gut punch. Even the epilouge chapter was a kick in the balls. It was inevitable that Feast couldn't live up to its predecessor. That said, Feast is a slowdown book. Kinda setting the stage as it were for upcoming novels. From what i understand, Feast and Dance were really written at the same time, and he had to break them apart into 2 different books.

If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket I suggest the official ASOFAI app (called A World of Fire and Ice). its 5 bucks, but it gives excellent summaries of every character/place/house as well a decent map. And the best part is you can set it to what book you are reading so you can't get spoilery information! I used it quite often when reading the books ("who was that guy again?" "where the fuck are they now?").

by **Lord Voldemoo** on Fri Aug 09, 2013 2:08 pm

so sorry wrote:I think alot of the negative reaction to Feast may have had something to do with the second half of Storm, in the sense that it was SO fucking full of gut punch after gut punch. Even the epilouge chapter was a kick in the balls. It was inevitable that Feast couldn't live up to its predecessor. That said, Feast is a slowdown book. Kinda setting the stage as it were for upcoming novels. From what i understand, Feast and Dance were really written at the same time, and he had to break them apart into 2 different books.

If you have a few bucks burning a hole in your pocket I suggest the official ASOFAI app (called A World of Fire and Ice). its 5 bucks, but it gives excellent summaries of every character/place/house as well a decent map. And the best part is you can set it to what book you are reading so you can't get spoilery information! I used it quite often when reading the books ("who was that guy again?" "where the fuck are they now?").

I've heard similar things about Feast. I've set my expectations appropriately low and I actually don't mind that this series burns slow from time to time. I find the various machinations pretty interesting (at least when there are eventual payoffs as great as those found in Storm).

That app sounds awesome!!! I've had to go to the wiki a few times to refresh my memory as to who someone is and have been pretty horribly spoiled a couple of times as a result by accidentally reading too far down the page. sounds like it's totally worth $5.

by **Fievel** on Wed Oct 23, 2013 3:43 pm

So I'm nearing the end of A Dance with Dragons and hit a certain part last night....

For the watch....

Will go back in the thread to see what you all said about this when I'm done.

by **so sorry** on Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:35 am

Fievel wrote:So I'm nearing the end of A Dance with Dragons and hit a certain part last night....

For the watch....

Will go back in the thread to see what you all said about this when I'm done.

I'm not sure there was a discussion about that in this thread, but I'm willing to chat with you when you are!

by **Ribbons** on Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:48 am

There might also be some stuff in here!

http://zone.aintitcool.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=75698

Haven't looked too closely since I haven't read Book 5 yet.

by **so sorry** on Thu Oct 24, 2013 11:19 am

Ribbons wrote:...since I haven't read Book 5 yet.

Must be rectified...

by **so sorry** on Fri Mar 21, 2014 9:30 pm

Martin has released one full chapter of The Winds of Winter (a Tyrion chapter). It's currently only available on the official Song of Ice and Fire app. Just read it and its pretty cool. Last year there was an except from the chapter (Martin read it at some convention). This is the full chapter. I'm sure it'll be transcribed and released on the intertubes shortly...

by **so sorry** on Thu Mar 27, 2014 1:53 pm

Another new chapter from Winds of Winter

by **Al Shut** on Fri Mar 28, 2014 5:07 am

Anyone else feel a bit dumb because he didn't saw that coming although in hindsight it was set up nice and clearly in last books epilogue?

by **so sorry** on Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:22 am

Al Shut wrote:Anyone else feel a bit dumb because he didn't saw that coming although in hindsight it was set up nice and clearly in last books epilogue?

Are you referring to Raff the Tickler? If so, yeah I'd say it was a pretty far stretch that he would leave his post, travel a bit across the city, up 5 flights of stairs to screw a little girl. When he probably would have just bent her over in the back alley (which he tried to do, but she convinced him otherwise). Also, any thoughts on who he was guarding?

by **Al Shut** on Fri Mar 28, 2014 12:52 pm

Don't know if that's how he's spelled in English but it's Haris Swift. In the epilogue of the last book it's said that he probably has to go to Bravoos to negotiate in person with the Iron Bank. When he say's he feels unsafe it's suggested he should hire some of the Cleganes men that nobody else seems to want. I was referring to the fact that that was when I should have combined that 1+1 is 2 and that the bloodsheet forecast shows a 90% chance of bloody revenge by a certain wannabe assassin currently living there. But I didn't :oops:

by **so sorry** on Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:39 pm

Al Shut wrote:Don't know if that's how he's spelled in English but it's Haris Swift. In the epilogue of the last book it's said that he probably has to go to Bravoos to negotiate in person with the Iron Bank. When he say's he feels unsafe it's suggested he should hire some of the Cleganes men that nobody else seems to want. I was referring to the fact that that was when I should have combined that 1+1 is 2 and that the bloodsheet forecast shows a 90% chance of bloody revenge by a certain wannabe assassin currently living there. But I didn't

Oh OK. I didn't remember that part of the epilogue from Dance with Dragons. Good memory my German friend!

by **SilentBobX** on Sun Jun 01, 2014 4:48 pm

Feast of Crows! Yeah, I'm late but the fact that I'm up to this book is miraculous for me.

Mahalo

by **so sorry** on Thu Jun 05, 2014 10:23 am

SilentBobX wrote:Feast of Crows! Yeah, I'm late but the fact that I'm up to this book is miraculous for me.

Mahalo

I just started it as well. This is my second time thru the series. To be honest with you, I'm pretty much skipping the ironborn chapters this time around. I found them to be pretty damn boring.

by **Wolfpack** on Thu Jun 05, 2014 4:43 pm

I wonder if this is the season where Tyrion kills Tywin and Shae as they lie together in bed. That's some hardcore Imping.

by **so sorry** on Thu Jun 05, 2014 5:24 pm

Wolfpack wrote:I wonder if this is the season where Tyrion kills Tywin and Shae as they lie together in bed. That's some hardcore Imping.

With only two episodes left, I have a feeling this ain't happening this year. More like a season 5, episode 1 or 2 shocker. And how can you forget, Tywin was killed on the shitter with his pants down!!!! Unless you were making an Imp/Pimp joke, in which case, carry on!