Most contrived moment in the books?

[Florina Laufeyson]

Barry's chapters gives depth to that area which is refreshing.

[James Arryn]

There are a kazillion zillion trees in the North, and yet the Pyke kid just happens to be hiding in the one the Winterfell escapees choose to cluster under, discuss their plans, and decide on splitting up.

[Young Nan]

There are a kazillion zillion trees in the North, and yet the Pyke kid just happens to be hiding in the one the Winterfell escapees choose to cluster under, discuss their plans, and decide on splitting up.

And that kid also conveys his farfetched and detailed story to the manderlys, despite being both mute and illiterate.

Dont ever challenge a Manderly to charades, they're obviously really, really, really good at it.

[rejndjer]

The whole destruction of Winterfell/death of Bran and Rickon thing in ACOK felt totally forced because it depends on so many unlikely events :

- Balon rejectsTheons offer and attacking the North instead of the easier wealthier West.

- Theon decides to take Winterfell with a very dodgy plan

- The plan works! Ser Rodrik proves stupid enough to leave Winterfell guarded by 10 cripples (it's not like the castle is massive and your house is in the middle of a war, right?)

- Bran and Rickon escape. So the best thing to do is to kill two feigned boys; stupid, pointless gesture that will only doom Robb and bite him in the back.

- Theon frees Ramsay in disuise and actually trusts him.

- Ser Rodrik is back with 2000 guys (note that if he had kept 1/20th of them in the castle, it would be strong enough to wistand pretty much any threat...), but Ramsay arrives and backstabs everyone because he's evil.

- At least Bran is free to seek the 3 eyed crow.

+1 on this one.

also, i gotta stand against all people bitching at rattleshirt being mance's disguise. description of mance's execution was so out of his character that when i finally saw rattleshirt, i was like "aha there u are".

[Ser Leftwich]

One element that has always bothered me: no one ever seems to have any thoughts about why the three KG were no where to be found during the end of the Robellion. Then Ned returns and says, "Oh, me and my mates killed all three of them. Everything is cool."

[Jasta11]

Cercei's plan to kill Robert actually working. There are a hundred ways this could have gone wrong with old Bob surviving, but the plot requires him to die so off he goes.

Also, Arya turning into a 9 years old superninja capable and willing to kill grown soldiers on a whim.

[David Selig]

Everything about the Unsullied.

Mance not killing Jon after discovering Jon lied about the rangers at the Fist. And then to make it even more ridiculous, he send Jon with the Magnar's group.

Cersei's idiotic plan to get Bron killed in AFFC - why not just have him executed, she's the Queen Regent and he's a nobody?

[Son of a Harpy]

Young Griff.

[The Wolves]

Jon being named Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. I love Jon but after being accused of a traitor and other stuff and than getting elected was a bit much

Arya not naming Cersei, Joffery, and Tywin as her 3 deaths not only was contrived but pissed me off

How after nearly 5 books the Lannisters still hold the crown

[Young Nan]

Honorable mention to all of the sandsnakes except for sarella. They all seem like ridiculous "dangerous woman" cliches.

[Francis Buck]

Do the people who have problems with the Mance/Rattleshirt fake-out also have issues with the Faceless Men? I mean it's literally the same type of magic (use something related/belonging to another person to create a glamour in their appearance). And it's not like it's totally out of left-field for Melisandre to be capable of it, since she's already using a ruby to glamour Stannis's glowing sword, has been since the second book.

EDIT: As for mine, I don't like people running into each other half a world away, particularly in the case of Tyrion and Penny. He could just as easily have somehow come into the company of a female dwarf without it being the same one that was at Tyrion's wedding.

[total1402]

The Demon Road preventing Dany moving to Westeros (also lacking any ships despite having taken two of the biggest cities in the region) and also preventing Aegon from linking up with her as the Golden Company aren't willing to make the trip. The impact this has on the plot is extreme and essentially just because of an arbitrary geographical feature. Obviously slavers bay would be cut off by Valyria and impossible to march an army out of the region with killing half of it and the other half deserting.

[sertravisredbeard]

Karstark being mad about his sons dying in battle, like it was Jaime's fault. I've complained about it before but that dude was a douche. Like being killed by the best swordsman in the realm is really that surprising when you attack him.

[KOM]

Penny. Penny in ADWD. Tyrion 1) should've been free from that 2) it was a whole lot of text/plot we didn't need that could've speed us along to Mereen 3) chance encounters in far off cities.

Hound at QI. I understand the theory that he's there. But it mucks up the whole "people can die" vibe when everybody lives, gets resurrected, etc.

[Balerion06]

Tyrion running into both Jorah and Penny while wandering around Essos. I could swallow one chance encounter, but two within 100 pages is just ridiculous.

[Minsc]

The whole destruction of Winterfell/death of Bran and Rickon thing in ACOK felt totally forced because it depends on so many unlikely events :

- Balon rejectsTheons offer and attacking the North instead of the easier wealthier West.

- Theon decides to take Winterfell with a very dodgy plan

- The plan works! Ser Rodrik proves stupid enough to leave Winterfell guarded by 10 cripples (it's not like the castle is massive and your house is in the middle of a war, right?)

- Bran and Rickon escape. So the best thing to do is to kill two feigned boys; stupid, pointless gesture that will only doom Robb and bite him in the back.

- Theon frees Ramsay in disuise and actually trusts him.

- Ser Rodrik is back with 2000 guys (note that if he had kept 1/20th of them in the castle, it would be strong enough to wistand pretty much any threat...), but Ramsay arrives and backstabs everyone because he's evil.

- At least Bran is free to seek the 3 eyed crow.

:agree: Especially, as it seems like that Theon was the only one to actually attack the North as his actions were the only ones to have any relevance to the plot. Basically, both Vic and Asha could easily be dropped out of existence and nothing would have changed at all.

[Florina Laufeyson]

Arya not naming Cersei, Joffery, and Tywin as her 3 deaths not only was contrived but pissed me off

If she had done that, people would have decried Mary Sue and Asspull Cop Out. Im glad it didnt work that way at all.

[Minsc]

If she had done that, people would have decried Mary Sue and Asspull Cop Out. Im glad it didnt work that way at all.

I think that asks the question was Arya being given three magical assassin kills contrived in and of itself.

[Smertios]

Also, Arya turning into a 9 years old superninja capable and willing to kill grown soldiers on a whim.

This, a thousand times this. And later when she talks about killing the inkeeper for a boat she doesnt even know how to use.

[FuriousGeorge]

If she had done that, people would have decried Mary Sue and Asspull Cop Out. Im glad it didnt work that way at all.

It doesn't matter that your glad it didn't turn out that way it is still the most ridiculous thing in the entire series. She is literally consciously aware every day of the people she wants to kill in retaliation for what has happened to her family, then some dude gives her the perfect way of killing them and she somehow manages to forget. I agree with the other guy above me GRRM should just never have given the opportunity to give him three names, or should have put some limit on it. He can still be a sick assassin without having to be able to eliminate anyone at a given time.