The new POV

[TheSeedisStrongest]

I think it's Sandor. I don't see there being much to gain with Melisandre, and I don't think Loras would be the Tyrell to go with for a POV character.

[Daena the Defiant]

Maybe we get 4-5 chapters from a Loras POV, after he leaves King's Landing to take Dragonstone.

I think it will be Loras, since we need a pair of eyes to tell us what, exactly, happened at Dragonstone, plus someone will need to be our eyes in Kings Landing to sort out the "Two Imprisoned Queens" fiasco -

I think a hale, un-crispy Loras will return to save his sister.

Or something.

[Padraig]

I think it will be Loras, since we need a pair of eyes to tell us what, exactly, happened at Dragonstone, plus someone will need to be our eyes in Kings Landing to sort out the "Two Imprisoned Queens" fiasco

But the book wouldn't be about the South. It starts at the same time as aFfC, so the timeline is also out. And if GRRM wanted to resolve some of the KL story at the end of aDwD then he already has a POV in KL.

[Daena the Defiant]

But the book wouldn't be about the South. It starts at the same time as aFfC, so the timeline is also out. And if GRRM wanted to resolve some of the KL story at the end of aDwD then he already has a POV in KL.

Ah yes; I had forgotten about the North/South split.

Fooey.

[WinterPaysForSummer]

Do we know for sure it's a "real" POV, with several chapters? Or could it be, like, a one-off POV with one or two chapters?

I kind of would rather not see Mel, mostly because I am so iffy on GRRM's female characterization skills ---> especially after Brienne in the last book, ick. If anybody could turn it around and surprise me though, it would be GRRM, of course.

Loras I just don't see fitting into the setting.

That leaves Sandor. And I would LOVE a one-off chapter with Sandor (as long as it doesn't end with him getting killed).

I'm not so sure that I would want to add him as a full POV though. I like him a bit more mysterious I guess. I like leaving his true good guy or bad guy nature up to interpretation. And maybe I don't really want to know his true intentions regarding Sansa. I'd rather make up my own subplot. I mean, if the guy was any greyer of a character, or if you "gritted" him up any more it would just be way over the top.

[Cruella_Da_Oz]

I agree about Sandor. He's one of the characters who are better with a hint of mystery, when we're unclear about his motivations/intentions. I find some characters more fascinating from the "outside", anyway.

I would like Loras, major gay POV would be cool, and Tyrells are interesting family. OTOH, he's rather simple person, not the smartest or most prone to self analysis, but then again, Jaime isn't brightest guy either but I love his POV. Perhaps loss of pretty face AND love of his life will put Loras in interesting transition period.

Melisandre's interesting too, and if her roads with Jon separate, I'd love to hear from her too.

[Anatole Kuragin]

I would like Loras, major gay POV would be cool

We've had some major gay POVs, Bran for one..

[Elrick]

We've had some major gay POVs, Bran for one..

You may not like Bran but I actually find him to be a rather interesting character and besides I suspect Bran happens to like the oppisite sex, it's shown that he likes Meera Reed for one. Anyway I doubt Loras will make it as a POV character but even if he does he will only be a brief POV character and not a main pov kinda like Asha.

[Jon Targaryen]

Do we know for sure it's a "real" POV, with several chapters? Or could it be, like, a one-off POV with one or two chapters?

It could be two chapters but one seems to be out of the question due to GRRM's words.

"I'll throw out one small teaser, and mention I'm adding some chapters from the point of view of one of the characters featured in the first lot of Ice & Fire miniatures from Dark Sword."

[Cruella_Da_Oz]

"Gay" here was meant in a sense of being "lame", which is not very PC. Although I admit I chuckled a bit.

Bran is straight of course but IRL sexuality can be fluid and liking a girl doesn't mean you're 100% heterosexual.

I don't want HUGE POV but quite a few of current ones bore me and every choice sound more interesting to me than Jon, Sam, Aryanne, etc.

[ithanos]

Just looking at the miniatures site and specifically the four brothers of the Night's Watch I note the Raven. Could this be Mormont's Raven? Could GRRM be sneaky enough to drop in a few brief chapters from the Raven's POV. The idea is tantalising if it reveals another character altogether as has been speculated in these forums (how many eyes...). The idea is also very far fetched and would be difficult to pull off although it might not be too different from a dream or warging passage which have formed the start of more than a few POV chapters.

[Loras]

I'm really torn on who I want to be the new PoV character... but first here is my reasoning for discounting the third character:

Sandor:

I just can't see Sandor fitting into "A Dance With Dragons", because apart from Tyrion Lannister he has had no contact with any of the characters who are going to be featured in this book. If George had ever been considering a Sandor point-of-view I believe he would have slotted him into "A Feast For Crows" because Sandor has had an impact on the 'central' characters of Cersei and Jaime and Brienne spent a great deal of her screentime in an area where Sandor could have crossed paths with her... regardless it would have led to 'the Hound' subplot being much more involving if we were wondering exactly WHO was posing as the hound. Also if Sandor has a storyline it seems quite likely that it will heavily involve the re-armed faith in some context -> which is really a plot point of "Feast" and probably won't have any significance to "Dance".

So I am torn between Melisandre and Loras - both characters have their merits, which I will outline below:

Melisandre:

On the wall we are really going to have two camps; the Night's Watch and Stannis' Queen's Men. I think it would be interesting if we could have a point-of-view from both sides of this divide so that we can compare and contrast where the situation is going to go. Also one of my favourite ideas for a scene is one between Melisandre and Mance Rayder - now we know that the King Beyond The Wall is going to be a major plot point of early ADWD... however we haven't seen him have any screentime in either Jon I, Jon II or Sam I... so why not just kill him off in the battle or at the conclusion of ASOS?

Melisandre would also be able to give us more information on the Red God - which I think is something which needs to be rectified, we know an awful lot about the faith through Catelyn and Sansa as well as more recently through the Cersei PoV; we also know a deal about the Drowned God through Aeron and I personally think it is only fair that we learn something about the Red God; especially if he is going to have a role to play in the war of the dawn.

On the other hand I love the enigmatic side of Melisandre and wouldn't want to learn too much about her character with the fear of losing some of the potentcy of what she says... yet I think Martin is a deft enough authour to create a character as compelling as Catelyn and as crafty as Cersei and still retain that certain seductive and enigmatic tone which is trademark Melisandre.

Loras:

He too could give us an insight into the major events which take place at the end of "Feast", by which I mean the capture of Dragonstone. We really don't know an awful lot about the home of the Targaryens - due to the fact that I don't think that either Davos or Stannis know a great deal about it. I think it would interesting to find out what a Targ loyalist (The tyrell family) knows about the fortress. Also with Loras we could fill in some very interesting and integral backstory about the Loras/Renly/Marge triangle and more about Renly's reign in general.

Also as pointed out a number of similarities can be drawn to Jaime - but I think that this may be a ploy by Martin to show us that there are similarities but also major differences between the two white knights. As pointed out he would appear later in the book, which may also rule him out.

[Elrick]

It's interesting to note that everyone ass-u-me that Sandor is going to be joining up with the Faith like they are the writers and Martin is the reader. I think personally that Martin wont do this because it just doesn't seem his style also Sandor may very well be dead and we hardly know if he's alive at all. Either way if he is alive I would be interested in reading a Sandor pov. Maybe he ends up taking the black or doing something unexpected. Either way this other pov character isn't going to have a lot of chapters am I right?

[wvlr]

I really don't see Sandor as all that godly/religious. Sure he tried as a captive audiance to see things the way they do on the Quiet Isles, but even though he obviously had a good side - I just do not see him going religious - enough to do a "Lancel".

Now that he is well enough to dig graves - I think that Bernie's appearance - looking for Sansa - might just be the trigger that get's him moving again. That was pretty late in AFfC so it would happen late in ADwD. Just enough time for a couple Sandor Chapters. So it is possible!

I still hope for First Mel and second Loras.

[Prince of the North]

Just looking at the miniatures site and specifically the four brothers of the Night's Watch I note the Raven. Could this be Mormont's Raven? Could GRRM be sneaky enough to drop in a few brief chapters from the Raven's POV. The idea is tantalising if it reveals another character altogether as has been speculated in these forums (how many eyes...). The idea is also very far fetched and would be difficult to pull off although it might not be too different from a dream or warging passage which have formed the start of more than a few POV chapters.

What a great idea! However, It seems to me the only reason to have a POV from Mormont's raven's perspective is if all of my (and others') wild speculation about the Three Eyed Crow is true. And I'm not at all too sure about that

Also, was the Mormont's Raven miniature in the first lot of miniatures? I believe Martin said the POV would be from the first lot.

[Jon Targaryen]

Loras,

Mance is in Jon 2. We have seen Dragstone through Davos.

[adriandarco]

But the book wouldn't be about the South. It starts at the same time as aFfC, so the timeline is also out. And if GRRM wanted to resolve some of the KL story at the end of aDwD then he already has a POV in KL.

That was before the last update. Martin could have changed his mind, and there will be only some chapters from the new POV.

[OldNanwasmywetnurse]

All I know is I've been praying since book 2 to see a chapter entitled Sandor and am keeping my fingers crossed!

[Fallax]

As has been said, I think a Mel POV would ruin her mystery and make her less interesting. It would reveal too much of her power and would seriously disappoint me if her mystique went up in smoke.

I also doubt a Sandor POV simply because of the hanging mystery of him being alive or dead and, also already said, it would be hard to write the perspective of such a complex character. I much prefer him without the POV.

I think, therefor, it will be Loras. A lot of Loras/Renly shippers will be dieing to see if any of Loras's thoughts allude to the relationship, of course, and I think most (if not all) of his would-be POV chapters would feature his battling at Dragonstone. Maybe something goes on there that will further the plot?

Of course, any of them would reveal big pieces of other plots or other important information. So I'm leaning on GRRM choosing some random black brother and chuckling to himself.

[Bird of the Canals]

As has been said, I think a Mel POV would ruin her mystery and make her less interesting. It would reveal too much of her power and would seriously disappoint me if her mystique went up in smoke.

I also doubt a Sandor POV simply because of the hanging mystery of him being alive or dead and, also already said, it would be hard to write the perspective of such a complex character. I much prefer him without the POV.

I think, therefor, it will be Loras. A lot of Loras/Renly shippers will be dieing to see if any of Loras's thoughts allude to the relationship, of course, and I think most (if not all) of his would-be POV chapters would feature his battling at Dragonstone. Maybe something goes on there that will further the plot?

Of course, any of them would reveal big pieces of other plots or other important information. So I'm leaning on GRRM choosing some random black brother and chuckling to himself.

The problem with Loras would be that he's at King's Landing throughout what is likely a considerable time in A Dance with Dragons, and even Dragon Stone is set in The South. If Dance is supposed to cover events in the North and overseas, then Loras really doesn't fit in unless he only has a few chapters towards the end of the book, since A Dance with Dragons' timeline runs parallel with that of A Feast for Crows. Melisandre is already at the wall, so she's a possibility, and Sandor will mayhaps start in the South but he may likely travel North or across the sea.