The new POV

[texdionis]

Ok, you may be right, although rather pessimistic

Then my only consideration in favour of Sandor in ADWD is GRRM's statement that no more new POV will spawn in the latest installments (don't ask me to quote back pls)

It would be a shame if Sandor is not going to take the last train to be a POV, my hopes rely on that now

[SpaceNinja]

I don't think 'random NW brother' makes much sense. Are the chapters not going to tell us his identity? If they do, then the miniature isn't really of him. The miniatures aren't labelled Owen the Oaf or Left Hand Lew or Jeren, or whoever. They're not any specific character.

A very good point that (hopefully) puts to rest the idea of the random-NW-brother.

As for me:

I hope it is Sandor.

I think it will be Loras.

I don't want it to be Mel, since i think it is better not to know her thoughts and motivations. The mystery surrounding her serves the story very well, IMHO.

:fence:

[TheLoneliestMonk]

long time reader first time poster:

it will be loras because we need a gay pov. its the most progressive way to go.

[Starker Image]

I don't have a clue what GRRM has in mind for Sandor...any ideas?

(Sandor is probably dead, anyway...)

I haven't thought about a Loras POV until now. It might be interesting if he is part of some King's Landing double-cross.

[Jaime Goldenhand]

Hmm...I hope it is not Mel. I agree her whole allure so to speak is the mystery surrounding her. I am fine with it being either Sandor or Loras. I like both characters and I think it would be interesting to find out if there is a huge Tyrell conspiracry or not. As far as the Hound I just really have to say I hope he is not dead.

[jack-be-lucky]

long time reader first time poster:

it will be loras because we need a gay pov. its the most progressive way to go.

I have thought the same since the new pov was announced by GrrM. Although he claims not to read the boards, he does meet with and correspond with many of the members, and I assume he has heard of the criticism of his books because although there is loads of various kinds of sex, there is no first-person gay male sex. It may just be a recollection by Loras of his love for Renly, and Loras should have some juicy tidbits to add of his own. Perhaps even concerning his sister's sex life.

[Gaston de Foix]

We've already heard about the assault on Dragonstone. If there was an assault, then presumably Ser Aurane Waters' recounting is sufficient. It would hardly be the first time we heard about a battle only secondhand; there was the battle around Riverrun in A Game of Thrones, the battle of Oxcross in A Clash of Kings, the battle at the Bridge of Skulls in A Storm of Swords... we don't need Bowen Marsh's POV to fill in what happened there, and we don't need Loras to tell us about an assault we've already read about.

And if there was no assault at Dragonstone (something that I tend to believe), then Loras is almost certainly with the fleet on their way to fight the ironborn. Why would he go anywhere else? That's where the glory is, and where his family obligation would take him. He's not likely to go up to Eastwatch on a lark when a victory over the ironborn would be much more satisfying for a number of reasons.

Loras Tyrell is a sworn knight of the Kingsguard. He can't go fight with the Tyrells unless commanded to. And I'm absolutely sure that there was an assault on Dragonstone. There's no way Aurane Waters could sustain a lie of this size to Cersei. If no one else, Qyburn would have told her.

[Silverius]

Loras Tyrell is a sworn knight of the Kingsguard. He can't go fight with the Tyrells unless commanded to. And I'm absolutely sure that there was an assault on Dragonstone. There's no way Aurane Waters could sustain a lie of this size to Cersei. If no one else, Qyburn would have told her.

Like Jamie was commanded by Robert to attack Ned and lead a host against Riverrun? Different situations I know but it goes to show that when a Kingsguard knight is arrogant enough they can pretty much do anything. Since Waters controls the fleet and thus most of the information going between Dragonstone and the mainland it is actually quite possible for a Waters/Tyrell conspiracy to hide whatever went on at Dragonstone from Cersei. Remember not even Varys could find out what was going on at Dragonstone when Stannis halted all outgoing traffic from the island.

About the POV. I'm hoping for Loras. A Mellisandre POV would take away to much of her mistery and GRRM has announced that it will not be Sandor. (Bottom post)

[McCloskey]

I would like to get a Tyrell POV but I think it will make more sense to be Mel. She is where the action is in this one, at a "hinge of the world", and I think we will get more info on the impending war with the Others from her. I've posted this before but I think Mel will come to realize in ADWD that Stannis is NOT AA reborn. I can see her burning him once she realizes this - he's got plenty of King's blood after all.

[Gaston de Foix]

I would like to get a Tyrell POV but I think it will make more sense to be Mel. She is where the action is in this one, at a "hinge of the world", and I think we will get more info on the impending war with the Others from her. I've posted this before but I think Mel will come to realize in ADWD that Stannis is NOT AA reborn. I can see her burning him once she realizes this - he's got plenty of King's blood after all.

If it's Melisandre (which I think likely), then she'll dead at the end of her two or three chapters. You read it here first.

Silverius, we have to be careful here. Jaime never attacked Ned, he commanded Lannister guardsmen to kills Ned's men.

As for leading his host against Riverrun, he did it once Robert was dead and Joffrey was on the the Iron Throne.

[Loras]

While I am not concerned too much by who the new point-of-view is going to be, both Melisandre and Loras would be excellent additions to the cadre of characters that already have them, I wonder if the inclusion of Sansa Stark strengthens the case for Loras?

A number of the arguments against Loras come from the fact that he is a southern point of view and so would not be in the catchment area for "A Dance With Dragons". We now know that at least one point-of-view from the South will be included in "Dance" (Sansa) and that this book will continue her storyline from "Feast". I think that if Melisandre was going to be the new point-of-view then she would have been written as such from the beginning of the book - she is such a central character. However Loras could add some action to the book which would not have previously been included... especially if he only appears after he leaves King's Landing... that could be where his first chapter takes place. I also think the little time that elapsed (in terms of the wait for 'Dance') could also strengthen the argument for Loras, as one could argue that GRRM decided to include chapters from a new pov while he was planning and writing for characters who weren't originally intended for the book...

Also would having Melisandre as a point-of-view in book 5 dramatically reduce the tension in Jon's story. What if Melisandre is not a pov in "Dance" but teases information to Jon before becoming a point of view in "Winds". That would work very well imo.