Jump to content

[ADWD SPOILERS] Victarion 1


Xray the Enforcer

Recommended Posts

This chapter really moved forward at a fast clip. I sort of wish some of the other Essos-related chapters had moved so quickly.

One interesting thing here is the progression of Victarion's chapter headers:

The Iron Captain (AFFC) -> The Reaver (AFFC) -> The Iron Suitor -> Victarion

It's similar to Theon (Reek -> The Prince of Winterfell -> The Ghost in Winterfell -> Theon), whose progression reflects his character arc. Victarion doesn't become "Victarion" until he has his magic burned arm and seemingly accepts R'hllor alongside the Drowned God. Am I reading too much into it?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Victarion is such a boring and limited character, no depth. He likes reaving and battles, he's a great fighter, he hates Euron, and that's pretty much his whole personality.

His plot is fairly interesting in ADWD, but not enough to overcome his bland and cliched personality, especially compared to the other PoV characters, all of which are much more fascinating IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Victarion is such a boring and limited character, no depth. He likes reaving and battles, he's a great fighter, he hates Euron, and that's pretty much his whole personality.

His plot is fairly interesting in ADWD, but not enough to overcome his bland and cliched personality, especially compared to the other PoV characters, all of which are much more fascinating IMO.

I really like Victarion. His simple brutality and respect for strength is much more what I would expect of an Ironborn. It's almost refreshing in comparison to the cunning of Euron or the stifled piety of the Damphair. He's definitely my favourite Greyjoy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did anyone else crack a smile at Victarions dark sense of humor? Like when he cut the chains of the slaves, sent to work as oarmen in the iron fleet, and proclaimed "The dragonqueen frees slaves and so do I!" :lol:

Anyhow, I found his chapters very interesting. Much, much more interesting than the ones in AFFC, when I did not really like his character all that much. However, he has grown on me. I like his style. His burnt/cauterized hand is VERY cool. Kinda makes you wonder if Melisandre can do similar healing magic, and whether that will be used on the Wall if Stannis or Jon get badly wounded.

Moqorro seems to be very adept at reading the flames, more adept than Melisandre even, eventhough it was stated in Mel's chapter that she was the best at it in her order. Kinda makes you wonder why the Red Priests have not taken over the world.

Anyhow, I hope Victarion butchers Daario when he meets up with Dany. Daario was jealous of Quentyn, and he could be even more jealous of Victarion. It would be cool if they fought, and Vications split that retard into two pieces with his axe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moqorro seems to be very adept at reading the flames, more adept than Melisandre even, eventhough it was stated in Mel's chapter that she was the best at it in her order. Kinda makes you wonder why the Red Priests have not taken over the world.

There has been a lot of talk about how real magic only came back with the Dragons. So, I doubt they had such power prior to the eggs cracking open.

I suppose that was only directly mentioned with regard to the Pyromancers in COK, formally. I think it applies to all though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's similar to Theon (Reek -> The Prince of Winterfell -> The Ghost in Winterfell -> Theon), whose progression reflects his character arc. Victarion doesn't become "Victarion" until he has his magic burned arm and seemingly accepts R'hllor alongside the Drowned God. Am I reading too much into it?

I think healing his arm is part of it, and because of what he's doing in this chapter: sailing around, capturing ships, ordering people killed in a variety of ways.

But on the whole I think the chapter-headings have got a little out of control in the last two books. It's cheapening the effect a bit. If Martin wrote the series now he may well have called some of Arya's chapters "Arry", Bran's "The cripple", and Ned's "A northerner down south".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed with the names getting out of control.

Also, since the AFFC chapters have crept in, I feel the book's dropped quite a bit in quality. I haven't enjoy the last 1/3 nearly as much as the first 2/3. Boring characters about whom I don't care doing stuff I'd rather was summed up in a paragraph in a more interesting and empathetic character's POV. Actually feeling the book is dragging, now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just wanted to say that as brief this was, this was one of the best chapter in the book. Ominious and provides info that for once we did not already know.

It's very intriguing that GRRM has created a character in Moqorro who seems to constantly speak truth, someone who has real skill and magical ability, a genuine sorcerer priest. Constantly, his visions are correct, unlike those of Melisandre. It makes what he says about Tyrion and Victarion as important players in the near future, very interesting.

I found Victarion's burned arm very interesting as well, he notes it is stronger than it ever was. And then of course the Dragon horn, downright awesome in it's description, and Moqorro's explanation about it was fascinating. I wonder how Victarion will now claim the horn by blood.

Also interesting to read was that Moqorro claims that there only two gods in the World, and later that the Drowned God is just a thrall of the Other.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Did anyone else crack a smile at Victarions dark sense of humor? Like when he cut the chains of the slaves, sent to work as oarmen in the iron fleet, and proclaimed "The dragonqueen frees slaves and so do I!" :lol:

Haha, yes he can be unintentionally funny sometimes. What really cracked me up was his announcement to sail the Dothraki Sea. Victarion doesn't care, if he wants he will simply sail on land.

I liked his chapters so far in this book, they never really feel dragged out. So Moqorro is the so called Black Flame. I really wonder what's up to Victarion's arm, it seems to have gained some strength, I even wonder if this fire sorcery at his arm might have some effects to the dragons (just a wild guess with Moqorro saying he will lead him to his dragon). However I get an uneasy feeling about this, I have always to think about the line "fire consumes" and I wonder if this burned arm made Victarion into a tool of Moqorro/R'hllor (like this ruby Mance got from Melisandre). Magic always has a prize.

The stuff about the horn is also very interesting, finally we get to know a bit more of it. Wonder how this claim on the horn will work. Maybe giving the horn some dragonblood (I can see poor Quentyn's speaking of his ancient dragonblood already backfire for this matter), although I don't know how it will really work. God, too bad that I am almost through the book, I fear the best will be preserved for the next book... again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The stuff about the horn is also very interesting, finally we get to know a bit more of it. Wonder how this claim on the horn will work. Maybe giving the horn some dragonblood (I can see poor Quentyn's speaking of his ancient dragonblood already backfire for this matter), although I don't know how it will really work. God, too bad that I am almost through the book, I fear the best will be preserved for the next book... again.

Yeah, I think Quentyn and Victarion are going to meet when they're both going for the Dragon. At least one of them won't survive.

GH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Did anyone else crack a smile at Victarions dark sense of humor? Like when he cut the chains of the slaves, sent to work as oarmen in the iron fleet, and proclaimed "The dragonqueen frees slaves and so do I!" :lol:

Anyhow, I found his chapters very interesting. Much, much more interesting than the ones in AFFC, when I did not really like his character all that much. However, he has grown on me. I like his style. His burnt/cauterized hand is VERY cool. Kinda makes you wonder if Melisandre can do similar healing magic, and whether that will be used on the Wall if Stannis or Jon get badly wounded.

Moqorro seems to be very adept at reading the flames, more adept than Melisandre even, eventhough it was stated in Mel's chapter that she was the best at it in her order. Kinda makes you wonder why the Red Priests have not taken over the world.

Anyhow, I hope Victarion butchers Daario when he meets up with Dany. Daario was jealous of Quentyn, and he could be even more jealous of Victarion. It would be cool if they fought, and Vications split that retard into two pieces with his axe.

I was thinking about Moqorro's skill at reading flames versus Mel too. I think that Mel is really good at seeing the flames, but she pushes too much of what she desires or thinks she sees into the meanings. The visions seem correct, she just bends them to their will too much.

It's still interesting that Thoros is a red priest but we never see him looking into the flames or wanting to sacrifice people to his god, yet he seems quite powerful as well.

He's got to claim the horn with blood...it seems he might have to kill his brother after all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's too much Conan in Victarion for me. The movie Conan, not the one from the books. GRRM obviously tried to write Victarions POV in a very simplistic, force and strength driven manner. As fascinating as that might be, it feels a bit too much cliche, when you read it. And it makes a rather boring read, too. The character is so simple, you always seem to know in advance, how he will react. "Problem? Kill it."

It's the same trap GRRM has fallen into with Cersei. Whenever you read her chapters, you know how she will react to everything ("I am awesome. Everybody is my enemy. Let's do something completely stupid to prove how awesome I am!").

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...