ADWD: Three chapters in - initial impressions (possible spoilers)

[Brad Theado]

I couldn't sleep this morning so I got up at 4 and read a couple chapters. Glad to see some characters we haven't heard from in a while. Any initial impressions?

[Jason G]

I too am 3 chapters in, and so far it's everything I had hoped it would be. The first several POV character choices had me grinning and saying "Now this is what I've been waiting for"

[Alex]

The Prolouge, I thought was awesome. It was interesting to see things from the perspective of a near death master Warg. Very disjointed and weird. Really good stuff.

[Brad Theado]

I also loved the prolouge. I loved the idea of stealing the "skins" from another warg.

[Jared]

I'm really enjoying it too, about 50 pages in. I've been reading a lot of "remedial GoT" material to try to catch myself up on everything that's happened in the world, but I'm still finding myself going "oh yeah, that happened" about every ten minutes.

[Alex]

I haven't READ an ASOIAF book for... well six years. I refreshed myself recently with audiobooks and essays and the like so im up to date but physically reading this book is like traveling back in time to when I discovered the series. I'm also reading it now with a Nook so I can't break into my GRRM bad habits like looking ahead to the sequence of perspectives to come. I think this is making my reading experience better because I'm not anxious for what's to come or looking forward to one of my favorite characters while reading one of my less favorites. All in all it feels really good to be reading more and I'm going to try my best to savor the flavor while it lasts.

[Curt]

It was nice to wake up this morning and find the book on my Kindle!! Probably not going to get much work done today. I finished another book yesterday in the morning and spent all day debating whether to jump into another before this came out. Decided to just catch up on back issues of Wired and have a good nights sleep.

[Eliaures]

I have to admit I haven't always liked the prologues since they very often have been about characters I don't know or care about and I was impatient to find about the main characters. I liked this one though especially once I realized who was the protagonist. Neat.

I got all emotional when I saw the Tyrion header for the next chapter. I've missed him and even though his misanthropic attitude is a little heart-breaking, I'm still glad to read him again.

[Curt]

Just finishing the 3rd chapter, counting the prologue. Cannot believe how fast I am getting pulled back into the story. Read the synapse that T & V did on the last podcast, yesterday, and was worried about how much I forgot. Afraid I was going to be lost trying to catch up, but so far this is not the case. The prologue was incredible and it is safe to say that winter has truly begun. The first chapter really gets you up to speed fast.

[Nevan]

My heart grew three sizes when I read the opening line in Tyrion's first chapter: "Tyrion drank his way across the [Redacted]." It was so perfect!

[Michael]

Having so much fun. I'm surprised at how much the TV show has infiltrated my brain. I now envisage Peter Dinklage whenever Tyrion chapters appear and I'm having a similar experience with Daenerys, Jon and Samwell.

I wonder how long it will take someone to come up with an "alternate" reading order that merges all of the chapters of Dance and Feast together :)

[Brad Theado]

The idea of a merged reading is awesome. I got really confused when Samwell was at the Wall with Jon Snow and then I realized....oh yeah, nonlinear timeline.

[Veronica, Supreme Sword]

Michael wrote: "Having so much fun. I'm surprised at how much the TV show has infiltrated my brain. I now envisage Peter Dinklage whenever Tyrion chapters appear and I'm having a similar experience with Daenerys, ..."

I totally am reading Tyrion in the Dinks voice now.

[Costa]

Sounds like I'm at the same place as you. Sometimes with prologues I just want to get through them so I can start on the "meat" of the book, but in this case I found myself really getting into it.

The name changes made it a bit confusing but I think I had it figured out by the end. Really intriguing and freaky imagining a soul that can jump from body to body.

[Kris Erickson]

I had to stop myself from cheering aloud on the train yesterday, when Jon did what he did at the Wall.

[Curt]

Veronica wrote: "I totally am reading Tyrion in the Dinks voice now. "

I started falling into this also, but kept noticing that Martin would remind of us that Tyrion only has half a nose now and would probably sound a bit different, like he has a really bad head cold.

[aldenoneil]

Costa wrote: "The name changes made it a bit confusing but I think I had it figured out by the end. Really intriguing and freaky imagining a soul that can jump from body to body."

Martin has a way of creating really cool characters and/or scenarios that, given more space, could be entire stories on their own. I love that Sixskins was some sort of village monster for most of his life, taking offerings from the surrounding people. That's a whole fairy tale right there.

[Brad Theado]

can you imagine playing a Dungeons and Dragons game with GRR Martin as the DM? That would be one seriously good game.

[Jason G]

Brad wrote: "can you imagine playing a Dungeons and Dragons game with GRR Martin as the DM? That would be one seriously good game."

Forget the plotline, imagine the bloodbath and the number of times you'd have to re-roll your character?

[Joanna]

Kris wrote: "I had to stop myself from cheering aloud on the train yesterday, when Jon did what he did at the Wall."

You're cheating, that's way more than 3 chapters in! :P But I join with the cheering! :D

[Curt]

Joanna wrote: "Kris wrote: "I had to stop myself from cheering aloud on the train yesterday, when Jon did what he did at the Wall."

You're cheating, that's way more than 3 chapters in! :P But I join with the che..."

Yes, the Starks have strange way of showing mercy to their opponents, but Jon did a favor the 7 Kingdoms, just sayin...

[Ken]

Not reading the other comments too close (don't want to be spoiled).

First impressions...

In the first Jon chapter, when he passed Sam in the stairs, I said, "Hey, how did Sam get back to the wall so fast? Wasn't he just in Oldtown?" Jumping back in the timeline to the start of book 4 is taking some getting used to.

[Will]

So far so great!

[Keith]

Nevan wrote: "My heart grew three sizes when I read the opening line in Tyrion's first chapter: "Tyrion drank his way across the [Redacted]." It was so perfect!"

Yeah I almost spit my coffee out at that line...brilliant!! I'm so happy to be reading about Tyrion again...even if he is on the edge!

[Peter]

Just a comment on Tyrion-Dinklage, GRRM said while doing the casting for GOT that when he wrote Tyrion he had Peter Dinklage in mind as Tyrion. For myself I always saw Dinklage as Tyrion even before the casting of him came out.

I have read through the 4th or 5th chapter, and have really enjoyed it. Nice to see Tyrion and Daenerys both featured prominently in the start of the book along with Jon. It ties nicely in with both Feast of Crows (I was thrown at first about Sam and Aemon being at the wall) and the TV show.

[Dave]

I'm loving it too AND hearing the various actor's voices from the show. I'm having a tough time with remembering the little and sometimes bigger details from the previous books. Not that I'm complaining, I'm glad Martin finally published it. I just wish I had had the time to re-read the previous books. I've read some of the wiki entries to refresh my memory but unfortunately they contain a number of spoilers now.