Archive | August 2011

A Read of A Dance with Dragons – Part 23

Aug21
Chapter 22 – Tyrion

By the time Tyrion wakes up they have docked at Selharys. Haldon tells him to check for signs of greyscale, that Lemore saved him and he may never know that he hasn’t got greyscale. He eats. The others go ashore for provisions.

Aegon has to stay aboard but is not happy about it. He and Tyrion play cyvasse. They discuss Daenerys and Tyrion asks why Aegon thinks Daenerys would want him. She has achieved so much and what can Aegon offer her? Tyrion says he would be best off going to Westeros and raising his banners. Then she will come to him because she is a rescuer. Aegon gets bratty.

The others return with news for Griff. It appears that Volantis is arguing for war. Haldon is sent to get more information and takes Tyrion with him. They listen to a red priest arguing that supporters of R’hllor should support Daenerys as she is Azor Ahai reborn.

They then go to an inn and speak with a customs man who says that Volantis will go to war against her. The Wise Masters are splashing the cash and all the other cities are against her as well. On the way back Tyrion wants a whore. Haldon lets him go. He is looking for Tysha but, of course, she’s not there. He gets drunk as well as laid. On the way out he is captured by a knight, with bear arms, who says he’s going to take him to the Queen.

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Yay! Tyrion’s not dead, and back on form.

The Meereen situation feels like what happened to Haiti after the revolution. Economies that use slaves cannot tolerate an example of free slaves ruling themselves right next door. Just as all the powers of the eighteenth century refused to trade with the new nation of Haiti (thus driving the country into poverty), the free cities are refusing to trade with Meereen. Not only refusing to trade but actively disrupting Daenerys’ every effort to trade.
Who is the knight? I think it’s probably Jorah. Which Queen is he taking Tyrion to? Cersei or Daenerys?
Aegon comes off spoilt and immature, especially compared to Daenerys. Tyrion’s description of Daenerys makes her sound awesome.

A Read of A Dance with Dragons – Part 22

Aug19
Chapter 21 – Jon

Jon is taking supplies to Mole Town to feed the wildling refugees and the remaining townspeople. They are hungry and angry.

Along the way he sees three trees carved with faces and realises that Melsandre’s ceremony was empty. The people want more food and say that the Watchmen eat better than they do. Jon says that anyone prepared to fight to defend the kingdom from the Others is welcome to come to the Wall where they will get better rations. He wins over sixty-three of them, but no Thenns, which is a problem.

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Oh, well done Jon, that was nicely played. More will come afterwards I think. It looks like Jon is making some much needed changes and I hope it all works out for him.

Things I have liked this week

Aug18
Astronomy picture of the day
Lots to choose from this week, so I’ve picked two: this summer triangle over Catalonia and this castle and meteor by moonlight.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Went to see this on Friday and I enjoyed it much more than I expected. The CGI was very well done. I was expecting a fun romp but the film was much more than that. Having seen it, I really want to see a remake of the original.
Starting a new writing project
After nearly three years of working on Immortal/Sacrifice I’ve decided it is time to move on. I’ve learnt so much about writing a novel with this project but I’ve reached the point where I need to take that and start something new. I said I would do the next one differently and am going to start with planning it out and building up my world. I’m very excited about the new WIP, working title Wormfeeder.

100 Books in 2011 challenge: Bride of the Solway

Aug17
More short books! Bride of the Solway by Joanna Maitland is a Mills & Boon (and yes, I still have more of them on book mountain).
Our heroine, Cassie, is the prisoner of her step-brother, the Laird of Langrigg. He has gambling debts and plans to marry his sister to a wealthy but weak husband, just as soon as he can find a suitable mark. Cassie tries to escape and runs into Captain Ross Graham, a man searching for a family. The step-brother captures Cassie, beats up Ross and throws him in gaol.
On getting out of gaol, Ross renews his acquaintance with Colonel Anstruther, whose wife is very sick and is expected to die soon. Cassie’s brother decides that Anstruther will need a new wife soon and that should be Cassie. During visits engineered to endear Cassie to Anstruther, she confides in Ross and they plan an escape to her godfather in England. Once there, Ross discovers that his family are distantly related to Cassie’s godfather. Her brother chased them in their escape and they believe that he died. But he didn’t and snatches Cassie from her godfather’s garden and takes her back to Scotland, where he forces her to marry an old man who paid £5,000 for her.
But Ross comes for her and rescues her at the altar. They are then married and live happily ever after.
This one annoyed me a lot less than the other Mills & Boon have, largely because there was a lot more plot and a not very much mooning about by either protagonist. Having said that, the plot was still pretty thin and really lacked tension. Without the artifical tension created by the mooning about, i.e. the protagonists’ internal monologue about how they love the other but mustn’t, love the other but also hate the other, love the other but don’t want to admit it, love the other but think the other hates them, etc – the tension must derive from the plot. Will Cassie end up in Bedlam or married off for money? Well, no, the possibility is never believable. I suppose if it was, it couldn’t be a Mills & Boon story. I wonder whether my expectations of this genre are so unshakeably set that there is nothing the author could do to make me doubt what the ending will be. The only way would be to tell a different story. And then Mills and Boon wouldn’t have published it.
The other elements were quite thin as well. Characterisation relied on tropes and the dialogue was actually quite bad, especially when it was in dialect. The one exception was the character of Colonel Anstruther, an old man clearly in love with his dying wife – it was sweetly and poignantly drawn.

A Read of A Dance with Dragons – Part 21

Aug16
Chapter 20 – Reek
Theon is approaching Moat Cailin to take it by subterfuge. He is terrified of what Ramsay will do to him if he fails. The ironborn in the castle are dying of wounds caused by poisoned arrows, bad water and poor food. They are the dregs left behind by Victarion.
Theon tells them that Euron Crowsfeet was crowned at the Kingsmoot and Victarion has abandoned them. If they pack up and leave, Ramsay will let them all go home. They agree, after some debate, and come out. Ramsay congratulates Theon and asks him if he wants to stay or to go with his countrymen. Sensing a trap, Reek says he wants to stay and serve. He is allowed to become one of Ramsay’s dogs and is collared and chained.
The ironborn are killed and Ramsay tells his father, Roose Bolton, that he can come through Moat Cailin. Bolton brings his forces north. He is riding in a litter with a decoy in his armour. He gets out of the litter with Fat Walder and Arya. Theon realises that it’s Jeyne Poole because Arya had her father’s eyes and Jeyne certainly does not.
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A few glimpses of the old Theon and a masterly show of what torture and fear can do to a person. Martin manages to create an absolutely believable depiction of a person so scared of what his abuser will do to him he is incapable of taking action to get away.
Jeyne Poole is going to pretend to be Arya, eh? That’s not going to go well for her, is it. Poor girl. And it seems clear that Roose Bolton won’t do anything to rein in his son.

A Read of A Dance with Dragons – Part 20

Aug15
Chapter 19 – Davos

Davos is in a well-appointed room waiting the pleasure of Lord Manderly. Despite the comfort of his surroundings, he is a prisoner. Finally, he is brought to the Merman’s Hall to an audience with Lord Manderly. The hall is full of people, Manderlys and their sworn men, as well as a bunch of Freys.

The Freys say that Robb Stark turned into a wolf at the Red Wedding and killed everyone, including Manderly’s son. Davos calls them liars.

Manderly notes that the Freys and Lannisters have put a lot on the table and wonder what Stannis has to offer that would be comparable. He also points out that the Lannisters hold his other son hostage. Davos’ first response is duty; supporting Stannis is the right thing to do. Manderly’s brother asks some pointed questions about the strength of arms Stannis can bring to the field and Davos concedes that it is not much.

Lots of people chip in on one side or the other and in the end Manderly says that Davos hurt White Harbour when he was a smuggler. For that, he will give the Freys and Lannisters what they want and behead him.

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The Merman Hall is cool. It’s decorated like an undersea palace and Martin’s description of it is awesome.

Really, I don’t want Davos to die. Not like this. It feels wrong. Northmen are supposed to be all about honour regardless of the personal cost. What do we gain from Davos’ point of view if it’s just leading up to his death? In AFFC we learn via Cersei that Davos dies but I want to believe that it’s a ruse in some way. Just otherwise, it seems a bit pointless.
Oh, and apparently Wylla Manderly has to marry Little Walder. Poor girl.

Book Mountain II

Aug14
It’s over a year since I began the concerted effort to read all the books on book mountain. There were 229 books. Now there are 189.
In that time, I’ve bought loads more books, been given books and picked up one or two from the book drop at work. I’ve made a net gain of 40 books, but I’ve probably read at least twice that. And the bookcase that housed most of book mountain collapsed, causing a bookslide. Still, mountains are there to be climbed so I will carry on until I get to the top. Or bottom, depending on how you look at it.

A Read of A Dance with Dragons – Part 19

Aug13
Chapter 18 – Tyrion

Tyrion and Griff’s party are in the Sorrows, part of the River Rhoyne which is shrouded in fog. There are tales of sorcery and strange creatures, but it seems to be a colony for those afflicted with greyscale. They approach the Bridge of Dreams, the dangerous last part before where the fog should end and Griff sends Young Griff below. He doesn’t want to go. There follows an altercation where Tyrion reveals he knows who Young Griff is – Aegon, Rhaegar’s son and Daenerys’ nephew. Tyrion also reveals who he is.
Then some stone men (the ones with greyscale) jump on the ship. They fight two of them off. The third is going for Young Griff who freezes in terror. Tyrion jumps to the rescue and drives the stone man to the edge. The man goes overboard – and so does Tyrion, sinking beneath the water.
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I did not see that coming. Aegon was supposed to have had his head smashed in by Gregor but clearly that was not true. Plots within plots. Where does this leave Daenerys? Aegon’s claim is better than hers.
And I don’t believe Tyrion is dead for a second, even if Martin is trying hard to make me believe it. That cliff hanger, character death, chapter ending is getting a bit common, and it’s been a while since Martin killed off someone unexpectedly. I’m not buying it this time!

A Read of A Dance with Dragons – Part 18

Aug12
Chapter 17 – Jon

Jon goes beneath Castle Black to check the stores with Dolorous Edd and Bowen Marsh. There seems like a lot of food but Marsh says that with Stannis’ men and the wildlings what should have lasted 3-4 years will only last one year. Jon thinks it’s colder than it should be beneath the Wall.

When he surfaces he finds Stannis wants to see him. Stannis is planning to attack the Dreadfort and wants arms and armour. They discuss half the Umbers declaring for Stannis. Jon says they can’t take the Dreadfort and recommends they ask the mountain clans to join them, then go to take Deepwood Motte. Stannis likes this idea. Melisandre is staying at the Wall.

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Someone needs to take down the Boltons and it might as well be Stannis. But can he do it? Men don’t follow Stannis for love.

So there’s not much food at Castle Black, compounded by not being able to go out ranging. That’s going to be a problem. Plus, Melisandre staying at the Wall can only be bad news. Jon’s idea to get the wildlings to defend the Wall is a really good one. Let’s hope he can make it stick.