Darzin

@Zorral Again a very good take. One of the things that first struck me with these books is the story of Micah the butcher's boy. It shows the powerful impact of class duty and station on the world. Arya and Micah both step outside their role and obligation. Arya loses a wolf for it because of who she is it's really a slap on the wrist wheras Micah gets killed but because he doesn't matter it's rather brushed off even by the "good" characters even if it upsets them. I think pop culture commentators are used to writing about media and content through a modern cultural lense and not a historical one. They analyze Game of Thrones the same way they do Breaking Bad. And in some way that works Game of Thrones does resemble a soap opera with Dragons a lot of the time. But it would come off a bit better if they blended those lenses of pop culture, history, and pop history as Game of Thrones itself does.

Someone somewhere should give you a column this is better than most of the proffessional recap/reactions I've seen. Somehow I don't think Rhaenyra's upcoming marriage will go off with out a hitch. But I've no idea what the hitch is except the King dying but it feels a little early for that. I do wonder though with Rhaenyra so worried about childbirth maybe Daemon isn't that bad of a match after all. And who will be named hand I wonder? The next episode's title "we light the way" makes it seem that the hightowers might not take Otto's dismissal lying down. And Otto certianly won't. Overall I'm very excited to see how the drama of this episode pans out in the next. For those of you lurking be the change you want in the world and post we need more people in the unsullied section.

Thanks for clarifying. I thought he was borrowing Daemon's dragon. But I'll bet if i look back the color will be different.

The Sea Snake show sounds interesting a lot of Essos really lends itself to an adventure story. I really really hope one of the animated series is set in one of the free cities, I'd love something like Aryas chapters that just explores one if them inside and out could be Braavos could be another but I really like the idea of a more narrow city focused story.

The first chapter of the Wisdom of Crowds is available on Joe's website a long with a summary blurb. The first chapter opens up with the armies vanguard returning to a riotous Adua and we get Orso's Leo's and Savine's POVs. Judging from the chapter where half the union seems to be in revolt including Adua which seems half in revolt and a "people's army" ominously set to arrive on the doorstep of Adua, as well as the blurb which mentions of Citizen Brock and Citizen Savine. It seems like the union government is poised to fall pretty early in the book and most of the book will be dealing with the post revolutionary government and society. I'm pretty excited for this and can't wait to see what Joe does with it. My only regret is I wish we had more than one book to explore it. Predictions: I don' think Bayaz is behind the revolution. One of the Burners key goals is to burn the banks, and we see both the Breakers and the Burners kill multiple agents of Valint and Balk no way Bayaz tolerates his power being assaulted like that. If he was behind the Breakers and the Burners his agents would be among them rather than being strung up by them. I think the whole revolution is going to blindside Bayaz he's used to intimidating nobles not mass popular revolts. I think the new parliament of whatever sort of regime replaces the Monarchy will imprison and eventually execute Orso. A group of owls is called a parliament and given that Joe read a lot of books on the French and Russian revoltions I think the outlook is grim for Orso. Plus he hates hangings and Joe Abercrombie loves irony. My fanfic is that Orso runs away to the North and becomes Rikke's kept prince/househusband but you have to be realistic about these things. I think Rikke will unite the North and annex Angland, but at some personal cost. How much I don't know she could be a shell of herself or have a chance to let a sliver of light into her stone heart.

I've enjoyed these two episodes a lot. This season seems to be above four hopefully they are getting back into a groove.

The thing about the Second Apacalypse is it was so close to being amazing 10/10 fantasy. If Bakker had an editor for the last bit and not been well Bakker things could have ended up much better than they did.

I would love this. Hopefully if they do make movies at least one or two will be exploring locations in Essos.

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