Who (or what) is the Three-Eyed Crow?

[LynnS]

5 minutes ago, Dragonsbone said:

How do I know? I am not GRRM in disguise. Everything regarding those theories is completely off the books and therefore completely speculative and possibly fanfiction.

I'm not challenging you.  I don't know either.  I'm just asking the question:  how the hell did Bloodraven end up a greenseer?  Of course we haven't been told.  Like everything else we don't have an answer to and have to think through for ourselves.

[Dragonsbone]

9 minutes ago, LynnS said:

I'm not challenging you.  I don't know either.  I'm just asking the question:  how the hell did Bloodraven end up a greenseer?  Of course we haven't been told.  Like everything else we don't have an answer to and have to think through for ourselves.

I know you were not challenging me. I was just kidding. As I already said, my best guess is, that the former Greenseer, whomever he may have been, has called him, just like he called for Bran.

[LynnS]

26 minutes ago, RhaegoTheUnborn said:

Awesome post, everything you mentioned here is certainly eye-opening. And like I mentioned before, I definitely believe the Raven is connected to Jon, I'm just not sure if it's also the 3EC, whomever is skinchanging into the 3EC though, and then skinchanging or watching through the eyes of Mormonts raven, is certainly a possibility.

Well thanks. I'm not saying that Mormont's Raven and the 3EC are the same thing.  I don't think they are the same.  But I do think the bird is someone's skinchanger familiar and I think that points to Benjen.  We do know that the Starks have that latent ability.  Also that animals that are bonded with a skinchanger take on something of the personality of their human half.  If Benjen is alive; then he might be keeping track of Jon and the Lord Commander with the bird and if not, the bird could be housing Benjen in his second life.

I'm not sure about Bloodraven.  Certainly at this point, he has the ability to observe anything he wants without skinchanging an animal.

 

[LynnS]

3 minutes ago, Dragonsbone said:

I know you were not challenging me. I was just kidding. As I already said, my best guess is, that the former Greenseer, whomever he may have been, has called him, just like he called for Bran.

Don't be afraid to speak up, if you any thoughts at all about it.   I too question whether there was another greenseer or whether there is still another greenseer lurking about.  Just because Leaf says that Bloodraven is the last greenseer; should we trust her?  We know there are others attached to the roots, Bran sees them and the GoHH tells us that the old powers are weak and feeble, but they exist.  The Isle of Faces for example.  Then there is the monstrous weirwood at Whitetree which I think operates as the Black Gate.  Another human greenseer.          

[Dragonsbone]

16 minutes ago, LynnS said:

Don't be afraid to speak up, if you any thoughts at all about it.   I too question whether there was another greenseer or whether there is still another greenseer lurking about.  Just because Leaf says that Bloodraven is the last greenseer; should we trust her?  We know there are others attached to the roots, Bran sees them and the GoHH tells us that the old powers are weak and feeble, but they exist.  The Isle of Faces for example.  Then there is the monstrous weirwood at Whitetree which I think operates as the Black Gate.  Another human greenseer.          

That is very kind of you. But I have sometimes made the experience that if you beg to differ here, you are very fast viciously atacked by some or if you protect yourself, banned for weeks from the forum, no reason given whatsoever. 

But I also think that we will meet more greenseers at the Isle of Faces. So far we know nothing about Bloodraven after he joined the Nights Watch. Who called him? Why did he decide to follow? Why did he left the Nights Watch and broke his vow? 

[Faera]

1 hour ago, LynnS said:

How did Bloodraven end up impaled on a weirwood throne?  Did a 3EC come to him in his dreams? 

It depends whether the 'Last Greenseer' is a role that Bloodraven learned from the last bloke who got wrapped up in that tree. I can't quite remember but... is there a moment where the 3EC actually tells Bran directly that he needs to go North to find BR/3EC? As I recall, going North to find the 3EC was Jojen's idea and we have no idea whether that information came from a 3EC itself or just a green dream.

Either way, it is possible that he had a dream that led him to the cave, stayed in a Weirwood vision too long and then became trapped on his throne. After all, the cave is littered with corpses and bones of several species - men, singers and I think they even mention a giant skull? - so it is entirely possible that the 3EC (who may or may not be the active 'Last Greenseer') lures promising candidates to the cave to train them.

I don't know if it would be the 3EC, though, because it still bugs me that the moniker seemed to confuse BR when first put to him; he hears "crow" and thinks they mean "brother of Night's Watch". If he had met the 3EC, presuming he is not the crow himself, he would have probably known what they meant by "crow". That said, it would be interesting if people are lured to that cave with promises only to become trapped -- for Bloodraven the insight and knowledge of the trees would be enough whereas with Bran it was the promise of possibly walking again, or being able to fly.

2 hours ago, LynnS said:

Perhaps he kept his eye on the LC when he went on his rangings and now 'speaks to Jon' in his second life as the raven. 

2 hours ago, LynnS said:

The bird has quite a vocabulary and names Jon the corn king:

Quote

A Dance with Dragons - Jon XII

He rose and dressed in darkness, as Mormont's raven muttered across the room. "Corn," the bird said, and, "King," and, "Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow." That was queer. The bird had never said his full name before, as best Jon could recall.

The bird only ever speaks one other name:

Brilliant post and some great quotes you pulled! I especially love how you noted that Mormont's raven has only really ever said two names: "Jon Snow" and "Benjen". Also, I never noticed that "Corn. King. Snow. Jon Snow" before. I know the Watch is facing a food shortage and the word corn is coming up a lot but the symbolism of Jon as a "John Barleycorn" figure is hard not to read into. Like, a lot!

[LynnS]

1 hour ago, Dragonsbone said:

That is very kind of you. But I have sometimes made the experience that if you beg to differ here, you are very fast viciously atacked by some or if you protect yourself, banned for weeks from the forum, no reason given whatsoever. 

But I also think that we will meet more greenseers at the Isle of Faces. So far we know nothing about Bloodraven after he joined the Nights Watch. Who called him? Why did he decide to follow? Why did he left the Nights Watch and broke his vow? 

You are not alone in that experience.  When someone is being contemptuous and boorish; just use the ignore feature in your preferences and carry on.  You don't have to respond to every knucklehead with little grace and a vast opinion of themselves.   

[LynnS]

15 minutes ago, Faera said:

Brilliant post and some great quotes you pulled! I especially love how you noted that Mormont's raven has only really ever said two names: "Jon Snow" and "Benjen". Also, I never noticed that "Corn. King. Snow. Jon Snow" before. I know the Watch is facing a food shortage and the word corn is coming up a lot but the symbolism of Jon as a "John Barleycorn" figure is hard not to read into. Like, a lot!

Blush!

John Barleycorn - exactly!  That's not coincidence.  

[LynnS]

20 minutes ago, Faera said:

for Bloodraven the insight and knowledge of the trees would be enough whereas with Bran it was the promise of possibly walking again, or being able to fly.

Exactly!  How was Bloodraven tempted, what did he want? I wonder if he was as engaged about the prophecies as Aemon and Rhaegar.  I find it hard to believe that Aemon never discussed it with him.  Bloodraven has three 'prentice boys: Bran, apprentice greenseer; Arya, apprentice faceless man and Jon, apprentice Lord Commander. Bloodraven's dragon has three heads as well.

It's a little creepy that Bran's legs had to be broken in order to get him across the Wall to the Greenseer.

[Faera]

50 minutes ago, LynnS said:

John Barleycorn - exactly!  That's not coincidence.  

It is quite a fitting analogy, considering the violence done upon "poor John Barleycorn" from the folktale and Jon Snow at his assassination. Together with the analogies of birth, suffering, death in prime but eventual rebirth being hinted at so much in Jon's story it really makes me think, and I would never have thought about it had it not been for that quote aha!

 

47 minutes ago, LynnS said:

Exactly!  How was Bloodraven tempted, what did he want? I wonder if he was as engaged about the prophecies as Aemon and Rhaegar.  I find it hard to believe that Aemon never discussed it with him.  Bloodraven has three 'prentice boys: Bran, apprentice greenseer; Arya, apprentice faceless man and Jon, apprentice Lord Commander. Bloodraven's dragon has three heads as well.

1

Two men with Targ blood hanging out? I agree they probably swapped notes.

Bloodraven was known for his "thousand and one eyes", which, to me, feels like he was probably skinchanging ravens to spy on people. My first instinct would be that whatever lured him there might have promised him the ability to see even further. It is definitely creepy that Bran had to lose his legs to "get the message" about going North.

I never thought about Arya being part of his plans, though.
 

2 hours ago, Dragonsbone said:

But I also think that we will meet more greenseers at the Isle of Faces. So far we know nothing about Bloodraven after he joined the Nights Watch. Who called him? Why did he decide to follow? Why did he left the Nights Watch and broke his vow? 

Tinfoil: Possibly he might have received the 3EC call when he lost his eye? It seems to turn up when people are injured or sick. Might even be it purposely appears to people desperate to cling onto life. As for why he broke his NW vow - maybe he never intended to? The roots have literally grown through him, which might suggest he was green-seeing too long and got trapped?

I agree that there are probably more greenseers than the singers are letting on. That entire operation they have going at BR's cave seems pretty sketchy to me. The only reason Bran found out about the room with all the other COTF is because he's been sneakily skinchanging Hodor.

The Green Men of the God's Eye... I would be very surprised if they aren't greenseers.

[LynnS]

5 minutes ago, Faera said:

Two men with Targ blood hanging out? I agree they probably swapped notes.

They went to the Wall together and BR disappeared on a ranging after he became LC.

Quote

Night's Watch

When Maester Aemon sailed for the Wall in 233 AC, he was escorted by King Aegon V's friend, Ser Duncan the Tall of the Kingsguard, and accompanied by an "honor guard" of recruits for the Night's Watch. These were two hundred men and prisoners, among them Brynden Rivers and archers from his Raven's Teeth.^[8][1]

Brynden rose to the position of Lord Commander of the Night's Watch in 239 AC.^[1][8] However, he disappeared while ranging beyond the Wall in 252 AC.^[1]

 

[LynnS]

1 hour ago, Faera said:

I never thought about Arya being part of his plans, though.

Notice any similarities between Bran's description of Bloodraven and Arya's encounter with the Kindly Old Man?

Quote

 

A Feast for Crows - Arya I

"Let us see." The priest lowered his cowl. Beneath he had no face; only a yellowed skull with a few scraps of skin still clinging to the cheeks, and a white worm wriggling from one empty eye socket. "Kiss me, child," he croaked, in a voice as dry and husky as a death rattle. 

A Dance with Dragons - Bran II

His body was so skeletal and his clothes so rotted that at first Bran took him for another corpse, a dead man propped up so long that the roots had grown over him, under him, and through him. What skin the corpse lord showed was white, save for a bloody blotch that crept up his neck onto his cheek. His white hair was fine and thin as root hair and long enough to brush against the earthen floor. Roots coiled around his legs like wooden serpents. One burrowed through his breeches into the desiccated flesh of his thigh, to emerge again from his shoulder. A spray of dark red leaves sprouted from his skull, and grey mushrooms spotted his brow. A little skin remained, stretched across his face, tight and hard as white leather, but even that was fraying, and here and there the brown and yellow bone beneath was poking through.

"Are you the three-eyed crow?" Bran heard himself say. A three-eyed crow should have three eyes. He has only one, and that one red. Bran could feel the eye staring at him, shining like a pool of blood in the torchlight. Where his other eye should have been, a thin white root grew from an empty socket, down his cheek, and into his neck.

 

[TheSeason]

ETA: Although I'd been working on my response, I didn't post it, and @LynnS beat me to it!  to you, my lady. 

I'm kind of torn between naming Bran himself (reaching back into his own dreams) or Jon Snow the three-eyed crow (reaching out to Bran from the death cycle as the Corn King). There's a surprising amount of evidence that can be read in support of the latter, especially in the symbols and themes surrounding the Corn King and Jon Snow's place in the prophecy (and that of the ancient Corn King, naturally) of ice and fire detailing the roles of the deities below. Bloodraven, meanwhile, in addition to not understanding what/who the three-eyed-crow is, appears to watch Bran "knowingly" from the heart tree at Winterfell, even in his dreams, but remains unable to communicate through it (or so he claims). 

In Bran's coma dream, there are multiple parties reaching out to him or watching him learn to fly--the three-eyed-crow, who teaches him how, opens his third eye, and demands "corn" as a sacrifice (his seed and his soul), the heart tree watching at Winterfell (it meets his eyes and watches him "knowingly" but never speaks or instructs him in any way), and Bran himself, perhaps. (The heart tree was "brooding over" its own reflection in the godswood black pool prior to meeting his eyes, which could also indicate that Bran too is peering through the heart tree simultaneously, if from another point in time). 

The three-eyed-crow is death itself (or reads like it, anyway), but if it's Bran himself (who is not death) it feels odd that he would speak to himself in the third person that way ("Bran" the crow calls him), but it's possible. I think there's a distinction though, with Bran being, well, "bran" and much like the seed an earthly deity (Corn King) would demand in exchange for such godly powers and an extension on life from someone standing at the portal to death/hell. 

In reading the earlier chapters (Bran I and Bran II, Game), Bran is also very friendly with the crows, and feeds them corn, but he's not a kindred spirit with them. Bran is more a "raven" character than a "crow"* (and there is a distinct difference in the symbols of each--which also makes Bloodraven seem much more "Mormont's Raven"** and the "Winterfell Heart Tree" and maybe some of the ravens at Raventree than "the Three-Eyed-Crow"). The "crow" is tied as tightly (symbolically, thematically) to death, the Corn King, and the green giant, as can be, and the crow is clearly the one with the power over life and death, dispersing the "grey mists" that acted as the "veil" that blinded him (even to his own peril) and drew him down (into death, hell). Bran peers into "the heart of winter" with the crow's guidance, and is deathly afraid, but also learns why he must "live" (again, the crow acting as the psychopomp and the avenue by which the "reborn" emerge from the depths of death and hell), at which point the crow gives him his words ("Because winter is coming.") to strengthen his resolve.

*As Bran's name, derived from Bran the Blessed, can mean either "raven" or "crow," I think Martin went ahead and chose "raven" for Bran's association, and with good reason. Meanwhile, his brother, Jon Snow, is associated with the crow, also with good reason--hearkening again back to that symbolic distinction between them, and, of course, "the crow calls the raven black," they being two halves of the same coin. 

I've also heard the argument that because the "crow" speaks without quotation marks that he's speaking directly in Bran's mind and therefore must be Bran's own thoughts. I'm not certain I buy that interpretation, because the crow is clearly a power bestowing of that power to another (Bran), so can be read as an unearthly voice or manifestation of that power. 

As far as crows go, the most important and most frequently-identified character with the crow is Jon Snow (and other brothers of the Night's Watch, which is Bloodraven's sole claim to being any type of "crow," in his own words!), who, as Mance says, plays the "tricksy bird" and a "liar" (as Old Nan would say). 

There's so much more to it than that, but...  Still deciding (but leaning toward the Corn King is the Three-Eyed-Crow is Death for now). 

**Unfortunately, and adding to the confusion, Bloodraven is also associated with "mist" and "carrion crows" (said to be his spies), and ravens also can eat corn, and Mormont's Raven in particular appears to favor corn over meat (which is noted as strange), and even demands corn of Jon Snow, who he also proclaims "Corn...King... Snow, Jon Snow, Jon Snow," (lest we should be too confused about what role he is to play there, especially right before letting the Free Folk below the Wall, having indebted himself--to the IBB--to feed them, and--naturally--getting himself killed in the process). At this point, we all just want to throw our hands in the air, I'm sure, right back where we started. The thing is, I'm convinced it's not just a duo acting in this cycle (Bran, Jon Snow), but it is in fact a trio acting in cycle or in concert (Bran, Jon Snow, Bloodraven), which makes more sense with the nature of the deity, although it can (and does!) blur the lines between them quite a bit. You can see below the evidence of how this trio impacts and influences one upon the other upon the other, and therefore how their symbols becomes blurry and confusing--because sometimes they do share symbols. However, it must be said that Bloodraven, in particular, has either one eye (sometimes even skinchanging one-eyed animals!), two eyes (one physical red eye, one "third" eye, or the two physical eyes of creatures he might skinchange), or a thousand and one eyes--never three. It's a startling lack. 

Quote

The Mystery Knight

How many eyes does Lord Bloodraven have? the riddle ran. A thousand eyes, and one. Some claimed the King's Hand was a student of the dark arts who could change his face, put on the likeness of a one-eyed dog, even turn into a mist. Packs of gaunt gray wolves hunted down his foes, men said, and carrion crows spied for him and whispered secrets in his ear. Most of the tales were only tales, Dunk did not doubt, but no one could doubt that Bloodraven had informers everywhere. 

As far as "mists" go... I'm noticing (maybe) some slight distinctions: "grey mists" (like the ones in Bran's dream), "morning mists" or otherwise mist above water, etc., "pale" mists or "pale white mists" (like the mist of Alyssa's tears), "mists of time," "misting" (such as breath and blood, and other natural occurrences), dream/vision "mists" such as "ribbons of mist"  and Rhaegar "crowned in mist and grief" (Jaime's dream, much like the "grey wraiths made of mist" from Eddard's), Sons of the Mist (a Mountain of the Moon clan), "mists of evening" (very rare!), people "made of mist" (in Cersei's dream visiting Maegi Spicer), alleys "shrouded in mist and mystery" (Sam, Feast), "mist" that seems like "pale, sorcerous flame" about fingers (Jon of Mel), "skulls that turned to mist" (Mel's vision), "mists of memory" and "seas of shadow" (Bran, Dance), Eddard dissolving like "mist in a morning sun" (Bran's vision through weirwood), "mist of centuries" (Bran, Dance), crescent moon in dark sky "half-obscured by mist" like an watchful eye (Theon, Dance) and a "godswood grey and ghostly, filled with warm mists and floating lights" (Theon, Dance; but mist over hot springs), again in godswood "tendrils of mist" (Theon, Dance), "mists of Braavos" (Arya, over water, distorting sound), "red mist" (Jon, Dance, blood; also from Arya, Storm), "white mist" Others and "how do you fight a mist, crow?"*** (Tormund asks of Jon, Dance), "dim mists of the Dawn Age" (WoIaF), "pale blue mists" that move over water and "mists so cold" and "freezing mists" (Others/Ice Dragon, Shivering Sea, WoIaF), world ends at (Mossovoy) "giving way to a realm of mist, then a realm of darkness" and "then to realms of storm and chaos where sea and sky become one" (WoIaF, East of Ib). 

We've got magical mists (e.g., "grey mist" becomes "pale, sorcerous flame" and "skulls that turned to mist" both in association with Melisandre, her visions, and her magic/mummery), dream/vision mists, mist as metaphor for or allusion to time, morning, evening, memory, mystery, and death, as well as Others/Ice Dragons, colored mists (usually magical and/or coupled with another category) "grey," and "white," and "pale blue," and "pale/pale white," mist, mist in godswoods or other woods and over rivers, seas, canals, hills, and plains (that may or may not carry symbolic/thematic significance to the individual scene), and plain ordinary mists--people's breath, rivers/other water sources, fogs, blood, etc. It might be worth it to review each category and break down its symbolic and thematic meaning, and other allusions linked to them. "Travel through mist" (on boat, horseback, foot, etc.) might be an interesting category to define in terms of symbolic/thematic power, as well, as it happens a lot. As well as "obscured by mist" and "viewed through mist." 

***Quite an ironic question, if Jon Snow really is the Three-Eyed-Crow, who indeed fought a mist ("grey mists" of death) as a crow, in teaching his brother to fly, opening his third eye, and giving him strength for the coming of winter (having guided him to peer deep into the heart of winter)! Also fittingly, as Jon Snow would be unaware of this connection until the moment of his death, Bran also opens Jon Snow's third eye (or Ghost's, depending how you read the passage) when visiting him from the Crypts of Winterfell as Ghost stood above the Milkwater in the Frostfangs (spying upon the Free Folk, nearly killed by Orell's eagle), giving us a bit of a paradoxical loop: Jon Snow opens Bran's third eye so Bran can later open Jon Snow's third eye so Jon Snow can formerly open Bran's third eye! Of course, we must also not forget, that Jon Snow was the first Stark descendent to "hear" his (silent!) Direwolf singing to him (Bran I, Game), having made the sacrifice (of Ghost) so his siblings might have and bond with their Direwolves instead ("Lord Stark!" Jon tells Ned, pointing out that there are five pups, three male, two female, like his children, and that "The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord." To which Ned, understanding, answers, "You want no pup for yourself, Jon?" and even young Bran knows what he is giving up, as he says, "The direwolf graces the banners of House Stark... I'm no Stark, Father" Only then does Ghost sing to him, urging him to come back for him. Of course, Ghost was alone, apart from the others, the first to "open his eyes" whilst all his siblings were "blind"--eyes closed--and set aside for Jon Snow, as he was meant to have "Ghost" out of all the direwolves, and it would not have done had Robb or Bran picked up the albino pup for themselves--not that I think such a thing would have happened; they were each meant to have the pup they got, naturally, but it could also be read as "luck of the draw." Theon Greyjoy mocks Ghost as if he were the runt of the litter "An albino,"--more like the alpha of the litter--and the first to "die" accordingly, to which Jon goes frosty and proclaims, "I think not, Greyjoy... This one belongs to me." The other albino bastard in this tale does manage to live quite a bit longer than one might ordinarily expect, as well, and he was certainly no runt!).

[Buddhakin]

There is so little we know about all this when we take a step back. Mormont and Maester Aemon warn Tyrion before anything real actually goes down about the Long Night and are quite cryptic without real evidence for Tyrion and these are two highly sensible men. Qhorins party say they are spotted by the enemy when Jon sees "eyes like harvest moons" big yellow eyes which likely mean they see the children and refer to them as "the enemy". We know little to nothing about the intentions of the Others and their culture or lack of. We know little to nothing about Bloodraven as he has been lost and presumed dead for decades besides the fact that he has likely spent much of that time in the tree if he watched Bran and his father like he said but nothing of what convinced him to climb into the weirwood and we know little of the nature of his alliance with the children. We know so little about the children. If Leaf walked amongst men for as long as she said she did then there must be more COTF activity below the Neck than we are aware of. We know that the Isle of faces is a good place for them to take refuge but that is just one place that needs to be accessed by boat so there is likely other places with easier access. The implications of this is that there may be an active net of men below the neck that have provided safe havens for children over the centuries in the south but that is too speculative. We dont know if the 3 score children in the cave are the last ones left and we don't know if all the children (if there are more groups) get along with each other or have the same goals.

 

[Faera]

1 hour ago, LynnS said:

Notice any similarities between Bran's description of Bloodraven and Arya's encounter with the Kindly Old Man?

 

 

I suppose there might be something there. I do feel as if there are similarities between the House of the Undying and what is going on in BR's cave even though I don't necessarily think they are literally connected at this point.

[LynnS]

1 hour ago, TheSeason said:

The other albino bastard in this tale does manage to live quite a bit longer than one might ordinarily expect, as well, and he was certainly no runt!).

Excellent post!

[Dorian Martell's son]

 

18 hours ago, Slowpoke Martin said:

Oh wow that is some deep insight. Never mind that even the person assumed to be the 3EC avoids the actual question and confirms himself to be something else. Even our POV has doubts and tries to pretend it is true. And the best part of all, this entity is known as the 3 eyed CROW, while the person we're introduced to is ironically named BloodRAVEN.

GRRM never includes any mysteries in his writing, nope, none at all. Unreliable narrators don't exist and everyone in the story is all knowing and all seeing. We're all so lucky that highly intelligent people such as yourself exist and set the rest of us morons straight when we're wrong.

that is a lot of assumptions to make without quotes to back it up. How about the parts where he did confirm his identity to bran and co. where he did refer to himself as a crow and how he has been waiting for bran to get there. None of that? 
GRRM includes all sorts of mysteries in his writing. Not sure why you need to make a tremendously half assed and failed attempt at sarcasm to drive the point home
Now, what you can't do it give any hints as to who or what the three-eyed is. not just ideas, but characters. and don't give me some more round about conspiracy theory. give me something concrete if you have it, which I bet you don't, hence my repeated comments about the time between book releases.
so show me what you got. we are all waiting.  

[Dorian Martell's son]

11 hours ago, Eiko Dragonhorn said:

Seriously the conspiracies are totally out of hand. First people think Lyanna is Jon's mom even though BOTH Neds say straight up that it's Wylla... and now this? Sheesh.

first of all, lyanna mormont is Jon's mother, and once bran works out his time travel ability he can make anything happen even though he will just make Rhaegar impregnate Lyanna mormont through time and then Bran will bring jon back before she was even born to hide his identity. 
It is known 

[ravenous reader]

1 minute ago, Dorian Martell's son said:

once bran works out his time travel ability he can make anything happen

Finally, you are coming round...

[Dorian Martell's son]

8 hours ago, LynnS said:

Seriously? Totally?  Everything is out of hand?  And you want to make sure everything is under control by ridiculing anything that isn't under your control?  You have an awful high opinion of yourself.  Sheesh.  So now what?

again, this is what happens when an author spends time touring around to cons, working on other books and tv shows instead of working on his magnum opus. the fans get extremely rabid and look for things where there aren't any