Prof. Cecily

Oh, yes, indeed. Also, Cat has some features of Lady Jessica.

No worries.The forum is a friendly place and the convos are the best welcome anyone could ask for.

Yes!

The Tywin/ Padishah Emperor is based solely on their language and speech patterns. And, yes, their descriptions. Of course. Kingmaker. Tyrion as a nod to Clarence? Could Sansa end up being an Irulan? I must say I like the Leto/Ghanima 'marriage' very much. Ghanima's projected marriage to prince Farad'n, for example, would be a neat little parallel treatment. And the Baron Harkonnen? Ser Barristan Selmy, Thufir Hawat? Incest. We had a rather odd news item recently (a case of accidental incest) and as a result I've read a bit on the subject. Granted, neither The Independant nor the Guardian are my sources of choice, ranking with that peculiar Thomas More document, but anyway http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/genetic-sexual-attraction-husband-and-wife-discover-they-are-brother-and-sister-9653274.html And then, of course, Craster. To tell the truth, I find teacher/student sexual goings on, or therapist/client, more distasteful than incest. Anyway, back to Planetos. The only Heinlein I've read was the story about 'grokking'. Yes. Stranger in a Strange Land. Which of his books do you find are reflected in ASOIAF?

Nice one with the Mapes MMD imagery. Much better than Meera. How about Lord Tywin as the Padishah Emperor? The conversation of these two characters is strangely similar, at least to my eye. And Arya. St Alia of the Knife? The parallel of the hidden lineage of the teen messiah figures? With its attendant negative aspects?

Maesters= BG+Suk doctors+Mentats? The idea that the Maesters are bound to a House first set off the idea of the influence of Dune on ASOIAF. And of course , all your analogies are spot on. How do you feel about the odd parallel between Lysa's coded message to Cat and Lady Fenring's coded message to Jessica. Obviously, Lysa is not BG trained, poor darling, but even so. And the shadout Mapes as a Meera type?

I find Eddard XV in AGOT, especially the conversation with Lord Varys to be a distinct nod to the similar scene in Dune between Duke Leto I and dr Yueh.

That's true, I hadn't thought of it. Very Robert E Howard. Still, Lovecraft has those lyrical moments that sometimes I miss in ASOIAF http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/texts/fiction/ws.aspx Oh, absolutely, Braavos. A city founded by those who rejected Valyrian slavery and Valyrian dragons. Iron Bank and the House of Black and White. Canals and theatre. Sounds good.

Ha! You are so right. Asshai and environs sound horribly familiar, yes. The Iron Islands hold little attraction. Nor Skagos, nor... You're familiar with this meme, of course. http://cdn.emgn.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/GoT-emgn-9.jpeg

I'd be happy with a ASOIAF at least twice as long. There are so many tales to tell in Planeteros, so many places to visit.

Ha! The leisurely consideration of the finer points of the text. *More tea?*

Ahem. We say "discuss", not "argue".

Ozzy Man has a sense of humour which I enjoy greatly, even if he does calls us "book wankers".

Could you shout a link for that Abrams rom com trailer, please? Anything to make the wait for the publication of TWOW more bearable is highly welcome!

Possibly, but in the alternative universe proposed by Ozzy Man... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mby-sZQu17E and especially in part two https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47A02Tq13Cc that smirky gentleman shows another side of his 'charm'. Definitely NSFW.