Arataniello

My first reaction to Silverwing flying over KL was that they were going to bring forward Ulf's betrayal and thus make the balance of dragon-power between the two sides more balanced, thus making it seem less overwhelmingly in the blacks' favor. But I guess it was just a device to get Aemond to follow Ulf back to Dragonstone so that the show could give us the money shot at the end of Rhaenyra + Syrax + Vermithor + Silverwing. Without spoilers for the finale, it seems (from preview and comments on it) that how I thought this season would end is NOT how it is going to end.

Never underestimate the ability of WI to chuck it away, or maybe have it wrenched from their grasp by England bowlers plus Ben Stokes with the bat.

RJD coming back to MCU reeks of desperation, and I think it will be hard to NOT think of him as Tony Stark in any Avengers movie. Unless perhaps he just keeps his mask on the whole damn time. I still think they should have just recast Kang and continued on with the films as planned. The screeching handbrake turn that is required to reorient Phase Six will be immense. I suppose they have some runway left in Phase Five with which to start laying the ground work for the change. Fantastic Four title - Marvel have changed titles on previous films between announcing them and their release. It could happen again.

Bermuda contingent as always looking like they were having a whale of a time. The rest of this procession was decidedly - different.

ITYM Aemond?

Preview for next episode suggests yes

England rather withered at the end of the third innings. WI now need 385 to win with four sessions in which to do it. Providing the visitors do not flub the session after tea today (Sunday), then tomorrow should be a great final day. It's nice to see a Test go the full five days (cue WI batting collapse).

I am sure everyone has assiduously been reading the Progress Reports from WorldCon, but in case you haven't - there is discounted travel available https://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/conference-rover

After a scramble (never received the email when bookings opened, lots of folk seem to be having the same issue), I think I have got a room booked at the Moxy hotel, which wouldn't have been my first choice but it's super close to the SEC and cheap enough.

Just be aware that London 'suffers' from multiple airport syndrome, please check CHECK that any connecting onward flight to Glasgow is leaving from the same airport as your arriving international flight. Connection time between any two of Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted is recommended two to three hours. Echoing William's comments, the train journey can be fraught with cancellations, delays, strikes, but is a more relaxing (IMHO) way to get from London to Scottish cities. The time is a major factor - fastest service London to Glasgow is maybe 4hrs 30 minutes.

Does anyone have a feel for what sort of discount the conventions manages to agree with the convention hotels? I am looking on Expedia just now at the seven hotels listed on the WorldCon website, and prices being quoted for them are off-putting for a similar period as the convention. Can anyone recall details of the differential for previous WorldCons?

First two on the list, from a trip last year Shucks https://www.shucksglasgow.com/ Paesano Pizza https://paesanopizza.co.uk/ Folk rave about Crabshakk, but I was underwhelmed https://www.crabshakk.co.uk/

I think I bought a membership way back, I just started discussing accom options with a group of close (nonBWB) friends - looking at AirBnB as a more cost effective way for four of us to attend. Also starting to build the list of good places to eat in the old home town, of which there are many more than when I used to live there. My last worldcon was I think LonCon in 2013.

The final volume in Wars of Light and Shadow by Janny Wurtis - Song of the Mysteries. The series has gone on rather long, but I just want to now see how she winds it all up.

I'm pretty sure I paid for some sort of membership, and am planning to be there.

Head over to Twitter for a snippet of an update from GRRM on current status. I am sure it will be posted here in due course.

The accent was a dead giveaway. Ser Harold = Scottish accent; the Cargills = Yorkshire. Taking Rhaenys into the city while wearing his white cloak was a blindingly dumb move.

It was one of the twins.

And Melys clearly was the beast beneath the floor, and it’s not a reference to Blood and Cheese.

I guess we now know why Lord Commander Graham McTavish didn’t die earlier. He’s taken the place of Ser Steffon, who was the KG who first defected to Rhaenyra.

Interesting factoid - Aegon II's naked buttocks have now been played by two different actors. He is only character to have this unique "achievement".

Aren't the items in question though all listed in the List of Names at the end of the book? Edit : they are.

Have to say, blisteringly disappointed in this book, and increasingly the series as a whole. Pairs of characters or individual characters just blundering around the land achieving very little of anything in this latest installment. What was purpose of Miri's interlude with her captor? Binabik and his wife meandering around Aldeheorte, with their daughter and spouse doing the same elsewhere. Pasavalles as the baddie in Hayholt is nothing compared to Pyraxes, even Inch was better written. I am still hoping that TW pulls it off in the final volume of the series with some decent writing, but this is nothing like as good as MST tri/tetrology was.

You are thinking of Rhaenys Targaryen probably, who is half Baratheon (from her mother) and in the book has their dark hair.

7.5 out of 10. Lots of set-up, a bit too much gore for my tastes, and not enough dragons - in that we could have seen the older dragons that we know were alive at the time before the Dance started.