Jayson’s Reviews > A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms > Status Update
Jayson
is starting
Notes:
(1) So, I originally planned to listen to this back during my big "A Song of Ice and Fire" audiobook reread of 2019/2020, but never followed through.
- The whole point being that the sixth book was slated to come out by the end of the year and rereading the series was about getting back up to speed. Of course, it didn't come out, and I guess I just wanted to move on.
— Sep 14, 2024 05:00AM
Notes:
(1) So, I originally planned to listen to this back during my big "A Song of Ice and Fire" audiobook reread of 2019/2020, but never followed through.
- The whole point being that the sixth book was slated to come out by the end of the year and rereading the series was about getting back up to speed. Of course, it didn't come out, and I guess I just wanted to move on.
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Jayson’s Previous Updates
Jayson
is finished
Notes:
(1) This one really picked up at the end, not enough to make it my favorite of the bunch, but a solid tie for number two.
(2) Imagine my amusement when I heard stated in the book's afterword to expect more tales of "our hedge knight and his squire in the years to come."
- What's it been, a decade since this book was published? and still not a single additional story.
— Oct 22, 2024 11:20PM
Notes:
(1) This one really picked up at the end, not enough to make it my favorite of the bunch, but a solid tie for number two.
(2) Imagine my amusement when I heard stated in the book's afterword to expect more tales of "our hedge knight and his squire in the years to come."
- What's it been, a decade since this book was published? and still not a single additional story.
Jayson
is 88% done
Notes:
(1) "They woke Dunk from a pleasant dream involving Tanselle Too-Tall and the Red Widow."
- I can only imagine what "pleasant" is a euphemism for.
(2) Dunk: "You'll do better with a proper master-at-arms to see to your training."
Egg: "I don’t want a proper master-at-arms. I want you."
- Quite a backhanded compliment; a backhand to Dunk for all the clouts in the ear.
— Oct 18, 2024 05:30PM
Notes:
(1) "They woke Dunk from a pleasant dream involving Tanselle Too-Tall and the Red Widow."
- I can only imagine what "pleasant" is a euphemism for.
(2) Dunk: "You'll do better with a proper master-at-arms to see to your training."
Egg: "I don’t want a proper master-at-arms. I want you."
- Quite a backhanded compliment; a backhand to Dunk for all the clouts in the ear.
Jayson
is 76% done
Notes:
(1) "Suckling pig ... a peacock roasted in its plumage; a great pike crusted with crushed almonds ... salt pork, soaked in almond milk and peppered pleasantly ... capons, crisped up nice and brown and stuffed with onions, herbs, mushrooms, and roasted chestnuts..."
- Three separate food lists in just the first third of this story!
- I had to cut this one off halfway.
— Oct 16, 2024 12:35PM
Notes:
(1) "Suckling pig ... a peacock roasted in its plumage; a great pike crusted with crushed almonds ... salt pork, soaked in almond milk and peppered pleasantly ... capons, crisped up nice and brown and stuffed with onions, herbs, mushrooms, and roasted chestnuts..."
- Three separate food lists in just the first third of this story!
- I had to cut this one off halfway.
Jayson
is 64% done
Notes:
(1) Rohanne: "You have large feet ... Large hands as well. I think you must be large all over."
- Suddenly it's all subtext and sexual innuendo.
- "Large all over" mirrors Dunk's repeated thought "I'll bet she's freckled all over."
(2) Rohanne offers Dunk a horse with "a long fiery mane." He declines.
- The horse symbolizes her, of course. She has a "long red braid."
— Oct 10, 2024 09:25PM
Notes:
(1) Rohanne: "You have large feet ... Large hands as well. I think you must be large all over."
- Suddenly it's all subtext and sexual innuendo.
- "Large all over" mirrors Dunk's repeated thought "I'll bet she's freckled all over."
(2) Rohanne offers Dunk a horse with "a long fiery mane." He declines.
- The horse symbolizes her, of course. She has a "long red braid."
Jayson
is 53% done
Notes:
(1) "Dunk gave Egg a clout in the ear."
- I guess it's not an empty threat.
(2) "There had been days when Dunk had set Egg to chasing chickens. It helps make him quicker, he thought, but he knew that if he said it, [Lady Webber] would laugh."
- I'm pretty sure Martin got the idea from Rocky II: "If you can catch this [chicken] you can catch greased lightning!"
— Oct 02, 2024 09:25PM
Notes:
(1) "Dunk gave Egg a clout in the ear."
- I guess it's not an empty threat.
(2) "There had been days when Dunk had set Egg to chasing chickens. It helps make him quicker, he thought, but he knew that if he said it, [Lady Webber] would laugh."
- I'm pretty sure Martin got the idea from Rocky II: "If you can catch this [chicken] you can catch greased lightning!"
Jayson
is 41% done
Notes:
(1) "'Nasty stuff, water,' Bennis said. 'Drank some once, and it made me sick as a dog. Wine's better.'"
- True enough! Whenever I go back to the Philippines, my relatives always warn me against drinking local water. I'll have either distilled water or beer.
(2) Dunk's always threatening Egg with "a clout in the ear."
- An empty threat. It's his "To the moon, Alice!"
— Sep 26, 2024 04:55AM
Notes:
(1) "'Nasty stuff, water,' Bennis said. 'Drank some once, and it made me sick as a dog. Wine's better.'"
- True enough! Whenever I go back to the Philippines, my relatives always warn me against drinking local water. I'll have either distilled water or beer.
(2) Dunk's always threatening Egg with "a clout in the ear."
- An empty threat. It's his "To the moon, Alice!"
Jayson
is 29% done
Notes:
(1) Egg: "I remember, when I was little, [Aerion] used to come into my bedchamber at night and put his knife between my legs. He had too many brothers, he'd say, maybe one night he'd make me his sister, then he could marry me."
- I forgot how Targaryens go all Ptolemaic and practice incest.
- I doubt castrating and marrying Egg would preserve the blood of the dragon.
— Sep 21, 2024 03:30AM
Notes:
(1) Egg: "I remember, when I was little, [Aerion] used to come into my bedchamber at night and put his knife between my legs. He had too many brothers, he'd say, maybe one night he'd make me his sister, then he could marry me."
- I forgot how Targaryens go all Ptolemaic and practice incest.
- I doubt castrating and marrying Egg would preserve the blood of the dragon.
Jayson
is 20% done
Notes:
(1) Puppeteer: "Tanselle Too-Tall, the boys used to call me."
Dunk: "You're not too tall ... You're just right for…"
Puppeteer: "For?"
Dunk: "Puppets."
- Reminds me of "From Russia With Love," when Tatiana Romanova says her mouth is too big. James Bond replies, "No, it’s the right size… for me that is."
- Though, obviously, Dunk's not making any sexual innuendo here.
— Sep 19, 2024 10:30PM
Notes:
(1) Puppeteer: "Tanselle Too-Tall, the boys used to call me."
Dunk: "You're not too tall ... You're just right for…"
Puppeteer: "For?"
Dunk: "Puppets."
- Reminds me of "From Russia With Love," when Tatiana Romanova says her mouth is too big. James Bond replies, "No, it’s the right size… for me that is."
- Though, obviously, Dunk's not making any sexual innuendo here.
Jayson
is 10% done
Notes:
(1) Dunk's sixteen or seventeen years old.
- I forgot how disgustingly young everyone in this world is!
(2) Innkeeper: "Is it ale you want, or food?"
Dunk: "Both."
Innkeeper: "There's good lamb, roasted with a crust of herbs, and some ducks my son shot down. Which will you have?"
Dunk: "Both."
- I forgot about the food lists! Only a short one here, but I expect more.
— Sep 17, 2024 05:00AM
Notes:
(1) Dunk's sixteen or seventeen years old.
- I forgot how disgustingly young everyone in this world is!
(2) Innkeeper: "Is it ale you want, or food?"
Dunk: "Both."
Innkeeper: "There's good lamb, roasted with a crust of herbs, and some ducks my son shot down. Which will you have?"
Dunk: "Both."
- I forgot about the food lists! Only a short one here, but I expect more.
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Mel (Epic Reading) wrote: "The key, for me, has been to keep distance. Put it all down and accept that we will never get what we want from Martin."Yeah, as far as I'm concerned, A Song of Ice and Fire is a five book series and anything that comes out later isn't part of it.
Mel (Epic Reading) wrote: "Today, because of Martin, I rarely read book 1 of a series until at least two if not the full trilogy or more are out."
I'm the same way, though more often than not I'll just wait for a series to finish and then get the box set. I'll read incomplete series, but an author really needs to have a track record of regular and focused output. Even Stephen King, who has a tremendous writing output, still took thirty years to finish The Dark Tower series.
Mel (Epic Reading) wrote: "He at least should have written out the storyline he wanted. Unless of course that was his storyline and we all are fooled into believing he has something better."
As far as I'm aware, what's done in the show is the genuine ending of the series. The producers made a big deal about George showing them his notes for the ending. I'm sure some things in the book version will be different, but only inasmuch as there have been major differences between the show and the books.
The thing is, I don't think anyone cares anymore. The public has an ending to the series, and I can't see any new books shifting the publicly-perceived ending out of our collective social canon. "But in the book it happened this way" is not going to be a thing. George doesn't have one of the most popular shows in television history to mainstream his books to non-readers.
Mel (Epic Reading) wrote: "All that said, I commend you, Jayson, for even coming back to this series. I’ll definitely be interested in seeing how it goes for you."
It's been going fine. It helps that this isn't an interconnected novel series, but eminently standalone novellas. They're more like the average detective thriller series than anything. Knowing stuff from before is useful, but it's not like people need to read Angels and Demons to understand The Da Vinci Code.
The key, for me, has been to keep distance. Put it all down and accept that we will never get what we want from Martin.
Spent more than half my life waiting for books (read GoT when it first came out, I was 16) and decided about a decade ago that I was done with it all. I can still love my time with the series from my younger days, but I will not endorse or give patronage (or time) to a series I know will always, inevitably, disappoint me.
Today, because of Martin, I rarely read book 1 of a series until at least two if not the full trilogy or more are out.
I’m only just considering starting Cosmere now that book 5 is coming out in the core series. I’m even leery to trust Sanderson who’s more than proven to be a dedicated writer.
I’m not saying Martin ‘owes’ us; but there is a relationship between consumers and creators. I expect at least respect to do things as promised. Martin broke that promise by letting HBO finish the series (that I did not watch the last two seasons of). Thus, if he hadn’t already lost my loyalty with his endless lack of writing and broken promises, the last straw for me was him letting someone else write the final episodes after he swore when he signed with HBO he would not let that happen. He at least should have written out the storyline he wanted. Unless of course that was his storyline and we all are fooled into believing he has something better…
It’s a funny thing to think of our relationship as readers to authors; but it exists in a lot of ways. Just like it does with musicians, and artists of all kinds. You can only beg forgiveness so often and, for me, Martin broke it too many times.
All that said, I commend you, Jayson, for even coming back to this series. I’ll definitely be interested in seeing how it goes for you. Especially as I’ve not read this one, or any of the prequels (nor seen the show). It pains me as Westeros was once the land I lived and breathed so I’m always half looking for an excuse to come back to it and hope for my heart to be become less broken. Although my brain knows that following your heart blindly will (often) get you burned.
I truly hope this reading goes well for you. Whether that be that you enjoy it, or that you decide it’s enough.