Twists that got you again on a re-read

[Belandra Waters]

The Frey Pie totally took me off guard the first time. I completely missed it. Just completely. When I got on the forums I was so surprised to hear about the Frey Pie. I'm in the middle of AGOT reread, but I'm looking forward to getting to this part in the later books. As it's been said, there are so many little details you miss when you are just reading for plot that you can take the time to enjoy during a reread.

I agree...I read all the books quickly the first time through anxiously wondering what was going to happen next. I am paying much more attention to details this time through and am amazed at all the hints/foreshadowing/possible red herrings that I'm encountering. GRRM is an absolute genius, IMO.

Two of the many things that I have come across it the past couple of days:

Sam describing Dalla's baby as the "son of Mance Rayder and grandson of Craster" which made me take to the forums to learn what other readers are saying about this.

The other is Jaimie's dream(?) in AFFC where his mother appears to him and seems to be a "silent sister" and wonders if Jaime ever really knew his father. Hmmmm...never knew who his biological father really was or never understand the man that Tywin was?

So many similar type questions that I wonder about now. I'm grateful to have found this forum where people have the freedom to ask other fans' opinion and put forth your own theories (even if they might be crack-pot!)

I cannot think of any other books that I have had to read so carefully and needed to "research" for answers to so many questions. And to think that I resisted the idea of reading them because "fantasy" was not something I was interested in!

[The Butcher of Dorne]

I just started rereading GoT and paying more attention to the subtle details. In a Jon chapter there is a conversation between Jon and Donal Noye. Donal seems to have an unintentional prediction/foreshadowing about Jon.

"Yes, life," Noye said. "A long life or a short one, its up to you, Snow. The road youre walking, one of your brothers will slit your throat for you one night."

[Ghost wife]

My first time reading the series a few months ago, I spent about a book and a half after reading the scene Arya overhears in the KL "dragon" dungeons in GOT trying to figure out who those people were, and then after awhile I forgot about it.....

And then when I picked up GOT for a second read about 3 weeks ago, I got to that first Dany chapter and when they describe Illyrio as having a yellow, forked beard I almost SHOUTED on the bus "That's HIM!!!!". So I flip forward to the Arya scene and read it through --- I assume the guy with him is Connington, right?

As much I fight the desire to speed through again, its having little revelations like that, that make me sloooooowwww it down, and telling myself there are so many tiny details I missed.

I'm pretty sure when I'm done I'll need to do a third re-read.

OMG, i gotta re-read that again. Connington!

[Ghost wife]

I am now re-reading A Game of Thrones, and am at the Bran chapter, where he started getting them raven dreams, asking him to try to fly, and when he first succeeded, he saw ALL the things that would happen in all the subsequent books! Check AGOT pg 162-163. I punched my leg sooo hard when i read all the foreshadowing! I mean, no writer would give away the plot so early on, and i am sure all of us here did skim through and did not give them that much thought.

Anyway, bravo GRR Martin. You mock us, LOL!

[Born amidst salt and smoke]

@?Ghost wife I just checked it , you're right, I can't believe there's that much foreshadowing so early on !

[Blisscraft]

The "Reek" switch confused me as well. I went back and re-read it, too and still found it confusing.

The presence of so many subtle details is part of the brilliance of GRRM's writing. It's really amazing and a whole lot of fun to read over and over again. It's like Old Nan's stories. I want to hear (read) them over and over again.

[Lord Manwoody]

I really enjoyed the revelation that Prince Doran had been secretly working for vengeance for almost two decades. The last page or two of that chapter when he reveals the truth to his daughter never gets old.

Up to that point the picture of Prince Doran is one of a man of weakness who is afraid to act. Then we find out otherwise. I also loved the later chapter when he informs the Sand Snakes that the "grass hides the serpent" and he and Oberyn had worked more closely toward the same end than anyone knew.

[ArianneOfSunspear]

I'm glad I'm not the not the only who read everything so fast the first time that it's now like wait? what? When did that happen? Then you re-read and it stares you blindly in the face!!

I just finished round 2 on GoT but as I've missed that Bran prediction thing mentioned abov I better go back to it haha!!

In addition to all the little details I think I also like the fact that now I understand who many of the characters are that are maybe only so briefly mentioned in GoT but have more of a focus later on. It's like oh you're speaking about this person yeah ok I know who that is - easier to keep track of the many characters the second time around!

I definitely see the hints with all of Ned's promises this time around!

I hope the Renly + Loras thing is more obvious on my re read of CoK coz when I watched the TV show I was like why did they decide to make them gay? The I came here and everyone said it was hinted at. Well it went waaaaaaaay over my head lol

[Lord Manwoody]

^You're definitely not alone in that. Getting on this site has made re-reading much more enjoyable, and in some ways, it seems like a necessity now.

I just finished re-reading the whole series (second time for the entire series...third time for the first three books and AFFC). I'll probably start through them again before the year is out. At the least, I'll re-read the last two books, possibly the last three.

[Dornish Hen]

I had completely missed that Euron had been drinking nightshade with the warlocks and that's why his lips are blue, or that Euron had dealings with the warlocks at all. Actually, I missed a lot of information about the Greyjoys and Slaver's Bay because I skimmed through most of these parts the first time around. When I re-read the series, I really enjoyed these parts much more and realized how much I had missed.

[Saxony]

HA! Just watched 1.5 and said, "They were GAY?" :stunned:

Never got that from the books. Not even a wiff. I was like, "How did I miss that?!"

[WolvesWillRise]

Just read that Bran Portion, What's everybody's thoughts on the giant armored in stone w/ nothing inside but darkness & thick black blood??

Obvious choice is the mountain but it just seems that...... to obvious!!!

Also shows that Bran has been farther north than any other character this early on, I think this ability/knowledge will be big in TWOW. As GRRM has said we will venture farther north into the lands of always winter...(sorry maybe a little off topic)

I'd say my most surprising moment in the re-reads were just how Greywind was acting the whole time from Rob's wedding on especially right before entering the twins!!!

[Knight ofthe Laughing Tree]

er don't know it matters but just a quick note-- from page 1 I believe, it's Patchface that does that lil "blood on the maiden's thigh" song.... sure it was just a typo so-to-speak

I had completely missed that Euron had been drinking nightshade with the warlocks and that's why his lips are blue, or that Euron had dealings with the warlocks at all. Actually, I missed a lot of information about the Greyjoys and Slaver's Bay because I skimmed through most of these parts the first time around. When I re-read the series, I really enjoyed these parts much more and realized how much I had missed.

That's very interesting actually... I remember about the nightshade but not that Euron was dealing with warlocks. Your note jogged my memory--- way interesting. Last night I was just reading in ADwD and when Dany receives Xaro (? spelling? The guy from the 13) of Quarth and he tells her Pyatt Pree has stirred up the warlocks and has been seeking her..... is Euron working with Pyatt Pree now? Would that be posisble timewise?

[callmedodge]

I never copped that Roose Bolton was the one to finally kill Robb. I just reread that chapter for a third time there and I`m a mixture of despression, anger and awe.

[Jaime4Lyfe]

Sandor being alive surprised me. I didn't catch it until the 2nd read through.

[SER BOND OF BTOWN]

That Gendry almost hooked up with a possible half sister in ASOS when he's at the inn with the brotherhood without banners

[DirePuppy]

That Gendry almost hooked up with a possible half sister in ASOS when he's at the inn with the brotherhood without banners

& I believe he may have had a realisation, which was why he backed out of the hook up.

[Myrish Swamp Thing]

That Cressen's failed method for poisoning Melisandre was the one used succesfully on Joffers.

[Kasrith]

I never noticed before that Jon dreams about talking to Tree Bran who is described as smelling of a tree, wolf and boy. He also says how he likes being in the dark. That is a fair bit of foreshadowing.

This is the reason I've spent a good two days looking around this forum for Bran theories and reread the DwD chapter. A friend of mine is reading CoK for the first time and mentioned how weird it was that Jon had a dream with a tree that looked like his brother. I was dumbfounded, picked up the book and kicked myself for missing such a puzzle piece (albeit it 3 books later it's hard to remember everything)

[Cynthia Snow]

It's not really a twist, but I was surprised when I reread the beginning of the great ranging when they're at Craster's for the first time. LC Mormont told Craster that his family could come back to the Wall with them and shelter there because of the rising threat of wights. In the fifth book when Jon's talking to his useless advisors, they claim Mormont wouldn't have allowed the wildlings over the wall and Jon says he doesn't know what Mormont would have done... but he'd already offered shelter to Craster and his wives, meaning that Mormont was thinking along the same lines Jon was. Though Mormont probably wasn't thinking of letting anyone through as Jon was, I thought it was pretty cool that Mormont and Jon were both in the same mindset. It also grants legitimacy to Jon's efforts to treat with the wildlings.