First Read of AFFC

[JD44Irish]

Yes to both. For whatever reason (there are many theories on this, but no concrete info), there is now a Faceless Man at the Citadel.

No chance he was resurrected? I got the sense he wasn't the most popular boy at the Citadel but with all the experiments with blood magic and flame magic couldn't someone have re-animated him?

Then again, I suppose it is more likely that he dusted the coin with poison, infecting Pate when he bit into it so that he could steal Pate's identity and wander freely about the castle with the stolen key.

Maybe or maybe not off topic.. doesn't the Red Lady w/ Stannis get information by staring into a flame? Any chance she is in communication with those back at the Citadel?

[Aegon II]

What happened to arya?

after drinking the milk, she wakes up blind. kind of a letdown if she becomes a blind girl after all her adventures. bran a cripple then arya blind?! wtf lol

[Xray the Enforcer]

No chance he was resurrected? I got the sense he wasn't the most popular boy at the Citadel but with all the experiments with blood magic and flame magic couldn't someone have re-animated him?

Then again, I suppose it is more likely that he dusted the coin with poison, infecting Pate when he bit into it so that he could steal Pate's identity and wander freely about the castle with the stolen key.

Maybe or maybe not off topic.. doesn't the Red Lady w/ Stannis get information by staring into a flame? Any chance she is in communication with those back at the Citadel?

Putting this in spoiler tags just in case...

1) Maybe they could have, but it's pretty clear from the text that this was a FM killing someone and assuming their identity.

2) Indeed. That is exactly how it went down.

3) I doubt it, but stranger things have happened. I believe that the flames are only for divination purposes, rather than communication purposes, but I could be misremembering something. :)

What happened to arya?

after drinking the milk, she wakes up blind. kind of a letdown if she becomes a blind girl after all her adventures. bran a cripple then arya blind?! wtf lol

She is indeed blind from the milk. But ask yourself, how could Arya benefit by being intentionally blinded?

[samwelltarly84]

I'm just finished with the 2nd Arya chapter.

I really like the Arya, Sansa and Jaime chapters, but god Brienne is so boring. I couldn't care less about her search for Sansa. She doesn't really strike me as a character I want to know more about but I liked her story about Renly's men trying to seduce her.

Having read most of the book (I'm on the final Sansa chapter), I have to agree with you about Brienne. She is dull when seperated from Jaime. I really think that the search for Sansa is pointless as we know that she is with Petyr Baelish. Why doesn't she just go back to her father?

I like Cersei in the book as her grasp on power is waning and she is doing everything to stop Kings Landing falling into the Tyrell's hands.

[Lord Topo Gigio]

{My 1st ASOIAF post anywhere}

I'm currently on the chapter of Samwell on the boat. I've really liked AFFC so far.

I read THK (graphic novel) and I'm reading THK 2 SS (graphic novel) now as well. I didn't know it before, but Dunk & Egg do help add something to reading AFFC.

I read a quote from Martin about how he prefers people read his books slowly & savor them (and hopefully reread them) vs. breeze through them in a few days because he's put so much work into them. I kept this in mind when I started AFFC & I'm really enjoying it. It's very different in flavor & pace.

I enjoy & appreciate the Lannister chapters quite a bit. I'm not saying I love Jaime & Cersei's personalities, but they are great characters. I really like Jamie's POV thus far starting in ASOS. The chapters shows his complexity & make him a more believable 3-dimensional person. Jamie & Cersei, who were very strong in power & identity in previous books, are struggling

I think Martin's intent in AFFC is to break from the action as Westeros recovers. The war left a void in Southern Westeros & he explores the voids in his characters giving them depth & humanity. This also makes characters that haven't been central to the main storylines more interesting. As crows feast on the dead, people take advantage of the insecurities or weakness of others. .

*(Background info)*

*I read AGOT & ACOK back in 2006 or 2007 & started ASOS, but never got far. I drifted away from the series, but when I saw ads for Game of Thrones on my OnDemand screen, I realized hey that's George R.R. Martin. I remembered how I thought it'd be an awesome show when I read those books! So I happened across AGOT in the airport & bought it. I reread it, keeping pace with the episodes (reading ahead, so I'd read the book & finish a section & then watch the episode to see how it was portrayed.)

*I read AGOT & ACOK and really enjoyed them a second time around. I went on to read ASOS & finished it right before ADWD came out. I can't believe I didn't get into ASOS the first time around. Anyway, all this is important because I knew AFFC was a big let down for a lot of people & I knew it'd be different.

We'll see where this all goes, but I'm trying not to rush through everything because I fear waiting five years for a new volume. I plan to finish a few books I was reading when I started rereading AGOT this spring, then I'll read Acacia or The Name of the Wind (or both.) I haven't read much fantasy, but I really like Martin's series. I'm open to recommendations

[Sundara Hai]

She is indeed blind from the milk. But ask yourself, how could Arya benefit by being intentionally blinded?

How could she benefit? I imagined that she was just being punished and it wasn't permanent. What's your theory? Is it to open her "third eye"?

Or is it a part of her training? I remember there was a blind acolyte who was in charge of candles. Maybe this is the next step in her becoming a FM?