Arataniello

After a scramble (never received the email when bookings opened, lots of folk seem to be having the same issue), I think I have got a room booked at the Moxy hotel, which wouldn't have been my first choice but it's super close to the SEC and cheap enough.

Just be aware that London 'suffers' from multiple airport syndrome, please check CHECK that any connecting onward flight to Glasgow is leaving from the same airport as your arriving international flight. Connection time between any two of Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted is recommended two to three hours. Echoing William's comments, the train journey can be fraught with cancellations, delays, strikes, but is a more relaxing (IMHO) way to get from London to Scottish cities. The time is a major factor - fastest service London to Glasgow is maybe 4hrs 30 minutes.

Does anyone have a feel for what sort of discount the conventions manages to agree with the convention hotels? I am looking on Expedia just now at the seven hotels listed on the WorldCon website, and prices being quoted for them are off-putting for a similar period as the convention. Can anyone recall details of the differential for previous WorldCons?

First two on the list, from a trip last year Shucks https://www.shucksglasgow.com/ Paesano Pizza https://paesanopizza.co.uk/ Folk rave about Crabshakk, but I was underwhelmed https://www.crabshakk.co.uk/

I think I bought a membership way back, I just started discussing accom options with a group of close (nonBWB) friends - looking at AirBnB as a more cost effective way for four of us to attend. Also starting to build the list of good places to eat in the old home town, of which there are many more than when I used to live there. My last worldcon was I think LonCon in 2013.

Highly doubtful GRRM will do that, ISTR him saying that there would be no further tWoW chapters until the book itself. The only situation I can see this is happening is when he actually finishes tWoW, and is persuaded to release one more, to start the hype build-up for the book release.

From comments I saw elsewhere (GRRM blog maybe?), there may in fact be more than the seven D&E stories, and he may not be working on them in chronological order. The comment (I need to go find this now) included reference to 'getting around' to writing about D&E adventure in Dorne, despite those occurring between tHK and the Sworn Sword.

I'm confused. This seems to an attempt to give every possible named character from the books some sort of title and position at Court. What are you trying to show?

The final volume in Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurtis - Song of the Mysteries. The series has gone on rather long, but I just want to now see how she winds it all up.

I'm pretty sure I paid for some sort of membership, and am planning to be there.

Head over to Twitter for a snippet of an update from GRRM on current status. I am sure it will be posted here in due course.

The accent was a dead giveaway. Ser Harold = Scottish accent; the Cargills = Yorkshire. Taking Rhaenys into the city while wearing his white cloak was a blindingly dumb move.

It was one of the twins.

And Melys clearly was the beast beneath the floor, and it’s not a reference to Blood and Cheese.

I guess we now know why Lord Commander Graham McTavish didn’t die earlier. He’s taken the place of Ser Steffon, who was the KG who first defected to Rhaenyra.

Interesting factoid - Aegon II's naked buttocks have now been played by two different actors. He is only character to have this unique "achievement".

Aren't the items in question though all listed in the List of Names at the end of the book? Edit : they are.

GRRM himself has said that Henry I and the Matilda/Stephen civil war that followed was a direct inspiration for Dance of the Dragons.

Have to say, blisteringly disappointed in this book, and increasingly the series as a whole. Pairs of characters or individual characters just blundering around the land achieving very little of anything in this latest installment. What was purpose of Miri's interlude with her captor? Binabik and his wife meandering around Aldeheorte, with their daughter and spouse doing the same elsewhere. Pasavalles as the baddie in Hayholt is nothing compared to Pyraxes, even Inch was better written. I am still hoping that TW pulls it off in the final volume of the series with some decent writing, but this is nothing like as good as MST tri/tetrology was.

You are thinking of Rhaenys Targaryen probably, who is half Baratheon (from her mother) and in the book has their dark hair.

7.5 out of 10. Lots of set-up, a bit too much gore for my tastes, and not enough dragons - in that we could have seen the older dragons that we know were alive at the time before the Dance started.

For those in the US who are unaware, the latest series of GBBO should be available on Netflix on the Friday after the airing of it in the UK on a Tuesday night - so the same week, but three days later. As usual, not doing too well on my predictions for who will do well. Based on review of all the contestants' postings on Instagram, I touted Tom and Jarzinho to go pretty far in the competition. Eliminated in the first two weeks were - Tom and Jarzinho.

Planning to aim for Chicago in 2022 and the Glasgow in 2024. All subject to The Plague's progress.

I've signed up in the hope once again of being able to make it to Chicago. DC next year is not an option I don't think.

I enjoyed A Brightness, especially the links that it built between The Sarantine Mosaic and Children. It has also given me an interest in reading more of the real world history that formed the basis of the story.