Jump to content

GRRM's new Not a Blog post


marwyn

Recommended Posts

I actually have no good guesses myself on who the mystery POV could be, although, I do find it curious that the writer has refrained from giving any hints or outright telling us who it is. Contrast this with the other new POVs (i.e., Quentyn, Barristan, and Melisandre). There must be a good reason why he's not divulging at this point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I actually have no good guesses myself on who the mystery POV could be, although, I do find it curious that the writer has refrained from giving any hints or outright telling us who it is. Contrast this with the other new POVs (i.e., Quentyn, Barristan, and Melisandre). There must be a good reason why he's not divulging at this point.

That it is a very good point.. Maybe Martin revealing the identity of the remaining POV is a spoiler! Maybe it is the Hound! Obviously revealing Sandor having a POV chapter would reveal he is still alive. This is reason enough to keep the last POV a surprise.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm hoping the mystery pov will be from someone east of mereen, and is traveling to Dany with the hopes of marrying/joining her, like the western povs going east, this is an eastern pov going west. :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Bran's role being reduced should not come as a shock to anyone. Bran's storyline is heavy with magic and GRRM isn't going to have Bran playing around with serious magic until the end. That tells me he won't have a lot to do except learn a bit until the final book.

What? Jon's story obviously gonna be heavy with defeating the others, obviously that won't happen till the end so how much could he possible get? Answer: Just as much as everyone else if not more.

If the Magic part wasn't gonna happen till the end, maybe Bran's story shouldn't have been a straight line to the magic with no alternations, detours or anything beyond it whatsoever, unlike everybody else in the story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My take on number of chapters each POV has:

Meereen POVs (31 Chapters)

Dany 13

Barristan Selmy 3

Tyrion 10

Quentyn Martell 3

Victarion 2

The North POVs (31 Chapters)

Theon (Reek) 6

Asha 4

Davos 3

Osha (speculation) (unidentified new POV) 2

Jon 12

Melissandre 4

Other Area POVs (11 Chapters)

Bran 4

Arya 2

Jaime 2

Cersei 2

Areo 1

Prologue - Varamyr Sixskins (Skinchanger north of the Wall)

Epilogue (speculation) a Faiths Militant/Pilgrim journey through Riverland to (Kings Landing / Eyrie) with the re-introduction of Sandor Celgane accompanied with the news of (Robert Arryns death/ Harrod Harddyns impending wedding to Alayne).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As to the unidentified POV, I think Martin's language makes it very probable that we don't (and can't) have any idea who this person is.

He says: "Some of them are new CHARACTERS, introduced for the first time in this book."

Given that we know the prologue character from ASoS, the fact that he uses the plural makes me think that he's referring to the epilogue character and the missing "proper" POV as introduced for the first time in this book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The mystery POV has to be some guy who did not appear actually in the series, as GRRM mentioned that there would be entirely new characters as POVs, not just a character (Quentyn Martell). This could this POV make a ofttimes mentioned character (like Willas Tyrell), but it's just as likely that it's going to be a character that was never mentioned at all in the first four volumes, and is introduced in ADwD.

It might be really be a character we can't guess because we don't know him yet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm hoping the mystery pov will be from someone east of mereen, and is traveling to Dany with the hopes of marrying/joining her, like the western povs going east, this is an eastern pov going west. :)

I hope the new POV is not involved with Meereen and Dany. Between them, Dany and Tyrion will likely have more than twenty chapters. Combined with the chapters of the other characters already in Meereen or on their way there, I hope they'll be enough to complete the storyline there and (finally) get Dany on her way to Westeros without having to involve the all-new mystery POV. Still, you could be right and the new POV will prove to be the one that was necessary to deal with the infamous Meereenese knot.

Oh, and I think the attempts at guessing the new POV's identity are futile. Given that GRRM hasn't been shy about divulging the identities of POVs of characters we've already met or heard about like Melisandre, Barristan and Quentyn, I believe that the new POV will be a complete unknown.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Theon and Asha's story arc seems quite critical to me:

It depends how soon he turns 4 after the start of AGoT. If it's quite soon, Rickon should be 6 by the time ADWD ends. If not, he should be about 5.

I agree with you that Theon and Asha's story arc is critical in ADwD. I do have a different take though.

I believe the destruction of the Boltons won't happen till Stannis rallys the remaining North. His force after Blackwater is too small to guard the Wall and fight the Boltons even with the settling wildlings. That's why I think the mystery POV is Osha. With Rickon on hand as one of the heir of Winterfel (through the action of Davos in White Harbor interacting with Osha), Stannis will finally have the resource he needs to finalize his plan laid out to Jon at the end of ASoS.

I think ADwD will end with the destruction of the Bolton force and Dany's arrival in Westeros at the Iron Islands.

Here are my thoughts on the path of all the POVs in ADwD: (Hopefully more than 1/2 are right in the final book :-) ) (Warning: major speculation on all the actions in ADwD)

Jaime (2 chapters) - rush to KL.

Cersei (2 chapters) - got out of jail, deploy unGregor.

Arya (2 chapters) - finish training, ready to be sent to Westeros to assassinate Cersei (paid by Doran off stage) or Dany (paid by LF off stage). (Dorne and LF are the only 2 sources have enough gold to paid for a faceless man) (BTW, I think Jaqen is paid by Doran to figure out the secret of the dying of the Dragon at the hand of maesters in KL and Oldtown.)

Bran (4 chapters) - finish training, on the way to the wall or the Gift to help save Jon from the Others.

Theon (6 chapters) - Witnesses Bolton's campaigh in clearing out Iron Island's force in the North and their eventually downfall to Stannis + North's combined force.

Asha (4 chapters) - defeated by Bolton, shunned by Euron, links up with Dany and Victarion in Iron Islands to destroy Euron.

Davos (3 chapters) - discovers Osha and Rickon in White Harbour. Died for the cause (one of the shock-kills by GRRM. No more fake death - too much of it in the series already.)

Osha (2 chapters) - links up with Stannis and Jon, replace Davos/Sam as Stannis's/Jon's other witness.

Melisandre (4 chapters) - helps Stannis win against Bolton, stands with Jon against the first attack of the Others at the end.

Areo (1 chapter) – Doran’s failed attempt to avoid conflict with King’s Landing with the news of Dany’s inpending arrival to Westeros.

Quentyn Martell (3 chapters) - presents Tyrion as a gift to Dany, try to win Dany's heart without success. However, succeeds in convincing Dany to leave Meereer with the understanding that Dorne will rise for Dany in appropriate time.

Victarion (2 chapters) - agrees to ferry Dany's force to Westeros with the understanding that she will destroy Euron in return without the promise of marriage. Showdown in Iron Island.

Tyrion (10 chapters) - becomes Dany's Hand of the Queen and one head of the Dragon.

Barriston Selmy (3 chapters) - Dany's trusted advisor in dealing with Quentyn, Tyrion, Marwyn and Victarion. Reveals the shocking truth of Tyrion being Aery's son with Joanna hence help to secure Tyrion's place in Dany's inner circle. (Otherwise, Dany will never fully accept Tyrion with his Lannister heritage)

Dany (13 chapters) – the only question left is whether Dany will stop at Asshai by the Shadow on her way to Iron Islands. (My feeling is that she will gain control of Iron Islands, win against Casterly Rock and Lannisport , prevail against Highgarden with the help of Dorne, topple King’s Landing and then face the Others at the end of AWoW.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

REID1990:

Could the new pov be the fake Arya?

Unlikely, given that we'll already have Reek/Theon to witness what the Boltons are up to.

SugarVampire:

Welcome to the board. :) Oh, and I believe you left Jon off your list. ;)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm actually hoping that the new POV character will be the wizard, or last green-seeer, that Coldhands has been referring to. He's someone whom we have not met before and I think he could add a lot to Bran's story. It would also make up for the lack of Bran chapters, imo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What? Jon's story obviously gonna be heavy with defeating the others, obviously that won't happen till the end so how much could he possible get? Answer: Just as much as everyone else if not more.

If the Magic part wasn't gonna happen till the end, maybe Bran's story shouldn't have been a straight line to the magic with no alternations, detours or anything beyond it whatsoever, unlike everybody else in the story.

I agree. GRRM planned for three books to follow the five-year gap and meant for the five-year gap itself to give Bran (and some of the others) off-screen time to hone their abilities. Unless GRRM radically changed the trajectory of the story after getting rid of the gap, Bran should have at least two books of an important role to play at the height of his powers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a bit of a bummer to know that so many chapters will belong to Theon. On the bright side, that means we could see more of Roose Bolton. I dearly hope so, though I also have the feeling that it could mean we see more of Ramsay only. That would doubly suck. Ramsay is a clutz, a thug, a fool. Roose on the other hand, has real class.

The series should end with the Bolton's on top. It wouldn't be ASOIAF if the Boltons got what they deserved, after all. Roose has worked hard and cannily to elevate his house, he should be rewarded with supremacy in the North.

IMO Roose should unite the North under him, and Stannis, when realizing that Roose is too powerful, decides to focus on events beyond the Wall instead of dealing with Roose.

When the Others invade Roose cuts a deal with them, giving him more power.However, he later betrays them when it seems they will loose. He is then lauded as a hero and rewarded with the title of Warden of the North. By the end of the series, House Bolton stands the strongest it has ever been, while House Stark is lost and forgotten.

THAT would be the ASOIAF we know and love.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's a bit of a bummer to know that so many chapters will belong to Theon. On the bright side, that means we could see more of Roose Bolton. I dearly hope so, though I also have the feeling that it could mean we see more of Ramsay only. That would doubly suck. Ramsay is a clutz, a thug, a fool. Roose on the other hand, has real class.

This I completely disagree with. I think actually Ramsay is way more clever than Roose Bolton and ten times more dangerous in his own right. The guy takes pleasure in what he does while Roose does too not quite in the same way. Plus this so called fool tricked everyone into thinking that Bran and Rickon are dead.

We'll probably see more of whats going on in the North in Theon's pov and get a good indication whats up with the Freys and Boltons, etc. This is all important info in my opinion at least.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

REID1990:

SugarVampire:

Welcome to the board. :) Oh, and I believe you left Jon off your list. ;)

Sorry, my list was so long, I had a hard time pasting it altogether in the editor.

Here is my speculation on Jon's part:

Jon (12 Chapters) - resists Stannis, handling Mance, trains the Black brothers, excites about Rickon, fights with the first Others attack. Otherwise, not a lot of things happening. His part is like Bran, won't have major actions till AWoW when the wall collapses and the Others flood the Gift and the North, threatening the Riverland. Then he will be rescued by Bran, find out his real id from Howland Reed and link up with Dany and Tyrion in the South.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also get the very weird feeling like we'll eventually get an Edmure guest chapter or two, probably in WoW. Assuming the Freys will be killed to a man, the Tullys still need to regain control of the Riverlands.

I don't think your assumption is true or necessary. There are Freys who were specifically sent away to prevent them from being present at the Red Wedding. Some will survive the series. I think they'll keep the Twins, but lose lands and status, much as the Darry's did after Robert's Rebellion. Since most of the lords bannermen of the Riverlands consider the Tullys the rightful Lords Paramount of the Trident, regaining control does not require stamping out the Freys to the last man, woman, child and jinglebastard. Only usurpers have to destroy every shred of the legitimate line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think your assumption is true or necessary. There are Freys who were specifically sent away to prevent them from being present at the Red Wedding. Some will survive the series. I think they'll keep the Twins, but lose lands and status, much as the Darry's did after Robert's Rebellion. Since most of the lords bannermen of the Riverlands consider the Tullys the rightful Lords Paramount of the Trident, regaining control does not require stamping out the Freys to the last man, woman, child and jinglebastard. Only usurpers have to destroy every shred of the legitimate line.

As long as the Freys hold the Twins and thus the crossing of the Trident they will always remain a power in the area, even if strapped of their titles and lands.

Even giving the Twins to someone else - like the Tully - won't solve the problem because you'll never know if in the future the Tully might become your enemies.

The only possible solution is destroying the Twins, building more bridges to allow the crossing of the Triden without being subject to the will of the Lords of the Crossing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The series should end with the Bolton's on top. It wouldn't be ASOIAF if the Boltons got what they deserved, after all. Roose has worked hard and cannily to elevate his house, he should be rewarded with supremacy in the North.

IMO Roose should unite the North under him, and Stannis, when realizing that Roose is too powerful, decides to focus on events beyond the Wall instead of dealing with Roose.

When the Others invade Roose cuts a deal with them, giving him more power.However, he later betrays them when it seems they will loose. He is then lauded as a hero and rewarded with the title of Warden of the North. By the end of the series, House Bolton stands the strongest it has ever been, while House Stark is lost and forgotten.

THAT would be the ASOIAF we know and love.

I really don't see the Others making any deals with anyone... And the Boltons coming out on top is not the ending I'd like to see. You must really root for the bad guys to be looking for this kind of ending.

I'm not certain, but the last book was originally titled A Time for Wolves before Martin changed it to A Dream of Spring... in my mind that change came because the original titled gave away the fact that there would be a Stark restoration.

Personally I hope the Boltons and Freys go out in the Field of Fire 2. Roast them all, let the gods sort them out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...