Vicki’s Comments (group member since Jul 17, 2015)

Vicki’s comments from the A Song of Ice and Fire - A Chapter a day group.

*SPOILERS FOR A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE*(view spoiler)[While I favor the R+L=J Theory, before I was introduced to it I was perfectly willing to believe that Jon was sincerely Ned Stark's bastard. I mean, you have a very valid point, Dani. Both Robb and Jon broke their vows for women (though I still doubt Jon and Ygritte "loved" each other, exactly). Why is it so impossible for the honorable Ned Stark to have made a little blunder in his marriage in the early years? Marriage almost never stems out of love in this world, and I doubt Ned had much time with his new wife before he was carted off to war, and it's very possible he was taken with another woman, made a "mistake," and felt the need to take his "penance" back with him to Winterfell after it was all over. But still, the R+L=J theory would make even more sense than that, that Ned is keeping Lyanna's great secret with him. How horrible Catelyn will feel when she finds out the truth! (hide spoiler)]

About Ned Stark, just because he beheads someone that doesn't make him a "bad" person. It also helps his personality greatly when he later explains his actions to Bran in a fatherly way, that the person who passes the sentence should be the one to swing the sword, and if he cannot bear to do it, perhaps it means the man doesn't deserve to die. And also there is a lot of truth behind fear is the only time one can be brave. It is incredibly wise to feel that way, and I wish my dad was Ned Stark. haha

I would love to read The World of Ice and Fire but I don't see it in the library. Looks like someone's going to have to go online shopping! :D

Very in-depth, Dani! I do agree that though this chapter is told in Bran's point of view, it does seem to center around Jon Snow, his bastard brother, which I find odd and intriguing. When I first read the book I didn't quite understand the importance here, though I right away fell in love with Bran and his father and brothers. The Stark's definitely feel like a "good" family, and Bran, I think, is quite privileged, especially since their father took it upon himself to let his bastard son come and live with them. It was this chapter that got me hooked to the books, in fact. This part: "Robb and Jon sat tall and still on their horses, with Bran between them on his pony, trying to seem older than seven, trying to pretend that he'd seen all this before." That's what got me hooked. Right away I like Bran. Plus, the fact that in A Song of Ice and Fire some of the main characters are actually younger than 16, which quite surprised me. I think we all can remember a time when we were young and wanted so very much to feel like a grown-up. This seems like a recurring motif in future chapters.

*SPOILERS FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS OF A GAME OF THRONES, BOOK 1* (view spoiler)[Oh I very much believe this is a symbol of future events to come, that someone from the house of Baratheon will be the one to kill the "mother wolf," which in this case would be Lord Eddard. I think he has every right to be chilled to the bone when he sees the bloody antler. I hadn't put much thought into the theory that Robert brought the Doom on Winterfell, though. I suppose you could be right. When Robert comes to Winterfell certainly seems to be the catalyst part of the story in A Game of Thrones, the point that shakes up the characters. (hide spoiler)]

*SPOILERS FOR A DANCE WITH DRAGONS*(view spoiler)[You know, I hadn't thought of the three-eyed-crow doing such a thing with the wolf-pups before. It's a very intriguing idea! It seems possible, though I don't know how he would have been able to do it since I thought he could only influence creatures with his mind, and imagining him purposefully making a pregnant direwolf travel so far down from the Wall just to fight and be killed by a stag seems a bit much. More likely it just so happened to be magical coincidence, a sign, like Jon Snow says. Gods bless him. (hide spoiler)] That is one more thing I like about Jon Snow: he doesn't miss much. He's the one who puts the pup into Bran's hands, and the same one who convinces their Lord father to keep them. He's every bit a good brother to Bran as warm-hearted Robb. Plus, I love how he excludes himself from owning the five pups, only to be rewarded when he finds the albino at the end of the chapter.

I also like the subtle introduction to Theon Greyjoy that I didn't notice before. When I first read AGoT I didn't think much of Theon at all, (view spoiler)[which is strange because later on he becomes a lot more important, in my opinion, anyway (hide spoiler)]. The second time reading it I'm finding Theon much more deplorable and naive, though he is mentioned to be 19. By his antics, like kicking the dead man's severed head and laughing, he seems to function more like a rude 14 year old boy. I'm curious, what does everyone else think of Theon at this point?

Jean, that makes a LOT of sense, now that I think about it. Of course Will would be able to track them; he used to be a poacher, duh, lol. I guess I was just curious as to why this particular band of wildlings? Anything special about them? Probably not, but I was just curious.

I'm wondering the same thing on Ser Waymar. He kind of seemed like a jerk, to me. Maybe there was something he did to deserve the ride to the Wall.

And sorry for some of my original posts, I accidentally let slip some spoilers and had to go back and fix all that. Still getting used to participating in book discussions, here. :)

(view spoiler)[Do you think that's what happened with Benjen Stark? 'Too many Starks in Winterfell, so I'll just join the Night's Watch instead'? (hide spoiler)] Still, I would have thought most young men would rather choose a wife before a life of abstinence. Unless he was fooled into believing the Night's Watch was made up of a brotherhood of gallant men, like somebody else we know, or will know. ;)

After reading the prologue I realize I got the names mixed up, lol. I really like the hints to A Song of Ice and Fire that you pointed out, Dani. How "it burned like ice" and "it steamed in the cold." Gared does say that nothing burns like the cold.

"...But only for a while. Then it gets inside you and starts to fill you up, and after a while you don't have the strength to fight it. It's easier just to sit down or go to sleep. They say you don't feel any pain toward the end. First you go weak and drowsy, and everything starts to fade, and then it's like sinking into a sea of warm milk. Peaceful, like."

I know he's talking about hypothermia here, but a part of me thinks he's inadvertently explaining the process of becoming one of "them."

When I think on what I've read so far, I wonder why the Others are building an army, which I'm pretty sure is what's happening here. It's important to note that the prologue, for the first book in A Song of Ice and Fire, introduces to us the Others, who I believe are the ultimate enemy in the entire series.

Two things I'm curious about. One is, WHY are these three rangers hunting this particular band of wildlings? How did they find them in the first place? And how long have they been following them? And two, why did Waymar Royce choose to join the Night's Watch when he is noble born. All it says is that he's but one of many heirs to the noble house of Royce. Either way, I wonder what might have happened to him to have chosen the Watch over having land and a family?

I'll be re-reading the Prologue tonight so my memory right as I am typing this may be bad, but I thought it was Gared in the show who made it back to the Wall, and Will in the book? *SPOILERS FOR UPCOMING CHAPTERS OF A GAME OF THRONES, BOOK 1* (view spoiler)[I don't think it matters much since they both are beheaded shortly later. (hide spoiler)] And to answer your question about the Others, Samwell Tarly in A Feast for Crows starts to learn more about them in his books, but even the accounts he has read about is vague, and by the end of A Dance With Dragons they still are a mysterious breed of humanoids George R. R. Martin has yet to enlighten us with. I'm hoping in Winds of Winter we will learn more about them then.

Forgive me, I do not know how to hide spoilers in my comments.

Just plain old paperback in English. I'm going to a used Bookstore to see if I can get them for a cheap price, then, later, I'm going to try to get brand new hardcover copies for them all, because I'm a collector of books I think are great.

One of the things I love most about ASOIAF is that it captures all those readers who previously didn't like the fantasy genre (my sister is one of them; she's the reason I started reading Game of Thrones) and knits us together. There is so much to offer in these five great books, I find it amazing, and rare, for a book series to be able to do that. Also, my other favorite characters are:

1. Jon Snow
2. Arya Stark
3. Bran Stark
4. Tyrion Lannister
5. Jaime Lannister (such a dynamic character!)
6. Theon Greyjoy (also a dynamic character!)
7. Danaerys Targaryen
8. Samwell Tarly (totally reminds me of Sam from LoTR)
9. Davos Seaworth
10. Ned Stark
11. Brienne of Tarth
12. Jojen Reed
13. Hodor
... but I'll stop there.

I thought Kit did a good job playing Jon Snow (though I still imagine Jon with that dark brown hair, sullen grey eyes, and that look on his face like he wants to punish himself for existing, poor kid - I love a good internal struggle - *SPOILER FOR A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE* (view spoiler)[and especially because he's a warg, I think the concept of the warg is awesome, especially when he thinks to himself: "If I am a warg I must be a pretty poor one"). (hide spoiler)] Overall I thought he did a good job portraying this humble character who puts everyone before himself, despite always wanting to be something great. What I like about Kit is that he's one of the few actors on the show who's actually READ the books. Sorry... I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll save it for a Jon Snow read.

Hello! I'm Vicki from, erm, the USA. I first read A Game of Thrones about two months ago and couldn't stop reading, finishing A Dance With Dragons just last month. I have been wanting to reread the books for a while now so I can pick up on things I've missed the first time round. Then I saw a link to this group in the ASOIAF book discussion only group on facebook and decided to join in. This will be my first book discussion group and I am looking forward to doing this with you all!

EDIT: Oh, and my favorite character is also Jon Snow, even before I realized a hot dude was playing him on the show, haha.