Gaston de Foix

I usually find Wert's recommendations excellent but I have to disagree on this one. I read 20-30 pages and gave up after finding it confusing and weirdly imaginatively flat. I couldn't visualize anything. Maybe it's because I could never really get into Gormenghast which is an obvious influence. Or maybe it improves after a slow start.

What's the worst country in the EU?

Hmm. Does this mean that Doors of Stone is not releasing this year either? Gollancz is PR's UK publisher...

Born in India to Indian parents. Moved to the UK at age 12. Now living in Washington D.C., USA. US and British citizen and overseas citizen of India. Categorize that however you like

Great news if true. Scott is a hugely talented writer and his world is worthy of a broader readership/television series.

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

I've been looking for a new book to pick up. Any insights into style/character/prose quality?

LOL. I am in the midst of a re-read myself. Now backtracked to RSURS. My recollection was that it was pretty stand-alone and didn't have much to tell us about where the series was heading. I'm not so sure now. There is the obvious question of who Merrain is working for, since she succeeds in spoiling the relationship between Stragos and the GB very effectively (by murdering the officers at the prison). The Black Table of Emberlain would be my guess. There are tantalizing hints that there exist magical forces in the world that have not summoned the doom of the Eldren upon themselves, such as the sirens/creatures in the Parlour Passage, whose powers extend to some form of telepathy. There is the mysterious fate of the settlers of Hope of Silver. There is the Eldren underwater city. I suspect we will revisit some of these places and mysteries.

Is the Falconer weaker than the 4-5 ring magi? I understood the Dreamsteel to be augmenting his abilities such as through his control of multiple birds. If the other Quietists realize what happened to Patience and can unite then of course they can take him to the cleaners. But you have to wonder if Patience's death will disrupt their ability to coordinate. I actually think the solution to (1) is that Locke or others will try to provoke the Visigoths to come visit as a way of counterbalancing the magi, if it is in fact true that Visigoths destroy magic users. After all they did not destroy humans or the Eldren buildings the last time they visited... I guess the other possibility is an alliance between the remaining Quietists and Locke.

The Visigoths would be the shapes moving in the dark, the ones that Patience was trying to avoid, the ones responsible for the disappearance of the Eldren. Just reread Book 1 and 3. Here's my best guess; now that the Falconer is a viewpoint character (and shaping up to be the antagonist), the series is shaping up to be a showdown between the Falconer at the head of a school of Magi and Locke/Jean (with human kingdoms supporting them). A sort of Bondsmage v. the Therin throne Part II. The Visigoths will be the force that eradicates magic from the world.

Me too. Am I the only one who spots a similarity between the Eldren and the Romans/Builders of the Expanse series?

What is the source for the information that Mathis Rowan remains with a token force besieging Storm's End? I've read various theories on this board that he might turn his cloak and support Aegon, but I've seen nothing in either book or the excerpts from WOW that states he is still at Storm's End.

because Doran (1) sees a weak King, (2) Cersei as Queen Regent, (3) they tried to kill his son (Trystane), (4) he has heard reports that Quentyn is on his way, and (5) he thinks sealing an alliance with the Golden Company and Jon Connington, may smooth the way for Dany, (6) because he can't trust any other envoy, and (7) because Connington would be an idiot to inform King's Landing that Doran is contemplating an alliance when he needs Dorne much more than Dorne needs him. It is though that funny that Doran thought Jon Connington was worth a close look but didn't even think twice about Stannis.

Jurble, where do you get this data point from?

[quote name='Crazydog7' post='1500868' date='Aug 31 2008, 03.28']This sample was very cool. I never thought I would thought I would say this about Theon the whiny little weakling but I hope his sister is able to spring him somehow. Two questions Why is he still alive and why are they letting him go?[/quote] He's alive because, as Roose Bolton observed to Robb Stark in ASOS, he's useful. And they aren't letting him go. They're taking him somewhere.

[quote name='RWHamel' post='1461822' date='Jul 30 2008, 10.43']Also it seems strange that the Umbers are siding with the Boltons, since the Greatjon trusted his Uncles enough that he left them joint castellans of Last Hearth.[/quote] Robb Stark gave Roose Bolton command of half his army. What was your point again ;)

[quote name='Kaede' post='1454199' date='Jul 24 2008, 12.41']Do you think it’s something Martin added to justify a change of direction from what he`d originally planned? He`s probably been doing a lot of that lately, due to the unTimeskip mess. I suspect Cersei`s prophesy was one example that didn`t turn out very well. Still, when I read that line, I thought it fit the way Theon’s mind works. There`s that time he wonders what Eddard would have thought about his “paying the iron price” and then has to remind himself that Eddard meant nothing to him. I also seem to recall a line...first AcoK chapter, maybe...where he says something about how the Starks made sure/saw to it that he never became one of them, which left me thinking he would’ve been willing to do so if he`d thought they wanted him. It`s still a couple weeks before I come back from Japan and get to see my books again, so I`m not sure. At the end of the day, though, what “works” in a story is pretty subjective. That said, I'll start rolling my eyes if Theon decides to run off and die heroically for some Stark. If Martin's not going to let us have Harry Potter-style fanfiction, we shouldn't get Harry Potter-style redemption cliches either. ^_-[/quote] I think it is something that he's put, not necessarily to change a plot point, but to change a character. I never spent much time reading Robert Jordan, but it always seemed all the antagonists in the book acted as they did because they were pissed off at the sheer awesomeness of Rand and couldn't match up or become his lover or what have you. If GRRM does the same with Ned Stark, I'd be very disappointed. Stannis' unwillingness to ally with the Starks has already been attributed in some part to his jealousy of Ned. Not to mention the fact that Ned suffered the most from Balon Grejoy's decision to avenge the war he and Robert waged.

[quote name='Kaede' post='1452176' date='Jul 23 2008, 12.23']What do you want to bet [i]that's [/i]the part that was left out of the sample? -_-;[/quote] I thought this business of Theon wanting to be Eddard's son is kind of a weird point to bring in this far into the series and despite your convincing attempts, Kaege I'm not fully persuaded that it works on a human level.

[quote name='Ibsen's Crawfish' post='1441733' date='Jul 16 2008, 00.21']Hum. That sample is way shorter than a usual chapter, yet the begining and ending do look like the real ones. I wonder what is missing ? Description ? That would make a lot of description. Maybe a flashback/account of the immediate afterfall of Winterfell. Like Theon's arrival to the Dreadfort.[/quote] I think it's just a very short chapter. The next Theon chapter should be more interesting and informative.

[quote name='qbunnie' post='1382938' date='Jun 4 2008, 10.09']Is anybody willing to xerox and mail OR scan and email the Reek chapter? The mag isn't on ebay (at least anymore) and I can't find a full text anywhere online, so this is my only option. Thanks. Also, I'd be willing to make a small (~$5) paypal donation to anybody who helps me out. (Am I allowed to say this? Mods, feel free to edit out this part if you feel its solicitation. It isn't meant to be).[/quote] The chapter is online. I have no idea when it went up, but since it's on amazon's website I assume it is legitimately online.

[quote name='Prince of the North' post='1347838' date='May 8 2008, 21.11']I don't really think Ramsay is planning on using Theon as an assassin either and you're right that he may not be able to even hold a dagger anymore. But, I wonder if he could still draw a bow if he gets a bit healthier and is given the chance? We know he was quite deadly with one at one time. Maybe he could demonstrate his archery skill on Ramsey? I can only hope ;)[/quote] It depends on the fingers. There's an old Indian story about a young, formidable, low-caste archer who was asked to sacrifice his thumb as a gift-offering to his teacher, because the teacher did not wish his low-caste pupil to surpass the prince he was training. Without the thumb the low-caste archer couldn't wield a a bow. I don't see Theon escaping and assassinating Ramsay on his way out though. I don't see him having the courage, and monsters don't die so easily in GRRM's world. Ramsay will be attacked at Deepwood Motte and will most likely flee before Stannis Baratheon, leaving Theon behind. I second your post, hackhamster which I really liked.

[quote name='Ran' post='1337264' date='May 1 2008, 15.28']GRRM's been asked about this in the past. As I recall, his answer was that it was just a book, and the scene was there to show the sort of man Bolton was. If something wasn't useful to him, he'd be willing to destroy it just to deny it to anyone else. Even if it was old, or rare, or valuable.[/quote] That's very helpful, but also a little disappointing. Thanks for clearing it up Ran. I thought it was a fiendishly subtle plot point, but sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

[quote name='Daena the Defiant' post='1337213' date='May 1 2008, 14.57']He was just burning all the books in Harrenhal as general measure of making Harhenhal less of an asset to whomever would assume it when he decamped.[/quote] really? Hmm. I don't think Vargo Hoat had a great love of reading myself, but in any event there seems to be no evidence he was burning any other books = just this one. It's possible there was something in this book that would make it valuable though...

[quote name='Jak o the Shadows' post='1337208' date='May 1 2008, 14.55']Wow. Nice pick. I never noticed that. Yeah why burn a book? Maybe it was from the Frey's with details on the red wedding. Maybe they responded to Roose in a book rather than by raven. Damn now I'm going to be thinking of this all day.[/quote] The book sounds quite old though...and why would they respond by "book" when there were a host of Freys with Bolton at Harrenhal?

I was skimming through ACOK when I came across this curious passage which I had hitertho overlooked. "Roose Bolton was seated by the hearth reading from a thick leatherbound book when she entered. "Light some candles," he commanded her as he turned a page. "It grows gloomy in here." She placed the food at his elbow and did as he bid her, filling the room with flickering light and the scent of cloves. Bolton turned a few more pages with his finger, then closed the book and placed it carefully in the fire. He watched the flames consume it, pale eyes shining with reflected light." (ACOK- Arya POV) Any idea on what the book is? It might be something to do with geneaologies and the parentage of Joffrey Baratheon, since Roose later hints to Jaime that he knows the truth, but it might be something else entirely. Either way I doubt the passage is there for no reason whatsoever, and that Roose burns the book is particularly significant since it implies that there is information there that he does not wish to share. At this point he has already decided to sabotage the Stark war effort, by sending Tallheart and Glover to Duskendale. So, any guesses?