George RR Martin is sitting on a gold mine. Fella should sit down, write the book and make crazy bank.

Writer's block is a *****. He should've started collapsing story lines sooner, would've made his life easier instead of just tacking on new stuff like the second sons.

Well.....part of the problem is that he is capitalizing on his success. Since the book series really took off, he's increased his going to gaming conventions. He's had offers to turn his books into the HBO show (which takes a lot of time to deal with). He's had his books turned into all sorts of various games. He's released the Dunk and Egg comic books, which he then turned into a novel. Even his old comic series was picked up to start again....and games to with the comics. Don't forget the background Westeros book he wrote.

I think he's been pulled into so many other projects that he hasn't had the time to sit and write.

I would be very amused if he decided to go in a completely different direction from the show now, out of pure spite.

You mean more so than already? I swear the whole North plot line is so different. Maybe it will converge in a bit.

The North plot and the South. It's wrong, all of it.

Found the OT Tolkie discussion very interesting. Here a good read for those interested in that topic http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Racism_in_Tolkien's_Works

Found the OT Tolkie discussion very interesting. Here a good read for those interested in that topic http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Racism_in_Tolkien's_Works

Good link!

Do y'all use "OT" for "Off-Topic" or "Original Topic"? (Growing up watching Star Wars in a Christian household, I was always confused as to whether OT referred to "Original Trilogy" or "Old Testament.")

Found the OT Tolkie discussion very interesting. Here a good read for those interested in that topic http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Racism_in_Tolkien's_Works

Good link!

Do y'all use "OT" for "Off-Topic" or "Original Topic"? (Growing up watching Star Wars in a Christian household, I was always confused as to whether OT referred to "Original Trilogy" or "Old Testament.")

Haha .. OT is always Original Trilogy for me. But I get caught on OP. Original Post, Over Powered or Over Proof?

It's driving me nuts that the "Game of Thrones Day" thread is blowing up, but I'm not gonna read it for fear of spoilers. But I don't have any topics for discussion in this thread... Anybody got something non-spoilery to debate???

I came up with this Sunday when some friends were teasing me that they were about to watch the next episode:

Season 6 gathers, and now my non-watch begins. It shall not end until Winds of Winter is released. I shall hear no spoilers, hold no watch parties, father no bastards

. I shall watch no previews and win no new trivia contests. I shall live and die at my books. I am the reader in the darkness. I am not the watcher on the couch. I am the obsessive-compulsive that burns against the HBO re-writes, the anal-retentive that awaits the GRRM dawn, the whistle-blower that annoys the watchers, the purist that guards the realms of books. I pledge my life and honour to the Winds of Winter watch, for this season and all the seasons to come.

Edit: Added a spoiler tag for potential spoilers for those who don't know the R+L=J theory.

Well, I'm watching the tv show and so much is different about so many things that it's hard to know what will happen in the books, anyways.

I take the bus into work each day and there are a few of us who talk in the front. I've talked about GoT to people that have only seen the tv show. I got talking to one lady who has only seen the tv show and is somewhat confused about a lot of stuff. She told me that she heard me say that the books are better and she's going to start reading the books. This morning I got to give her a description as to what the heck is actually going on in the show so she has a better clue. It was a good ride in this morning.

It's driving me nuts that the "Game of Thrones Day" thread is blowing up, but I'm not gonna read it for fear of spoilers. But I don't have any topics for discussion in this thread... Anybody got something non-spoilery to debate???

I came up with this Sunday when some friends were teasing me that they were about to watch the next episode:

Season 6 gathers, and now my non-watch begins. It shall not end until Winds of Winter is released. I shall hear no spoilers, hold no watch parties, father no bastards

who are actually Targaryen-Stark long-prophesied deliverers

. I shall watch no previews and win no new trivia contests. I shall live and die at my books. I am the reader in the darkness. I am not the watcher on the couch. I am the obsessive-compulsive that burns against the HBO re-writes, the anal-retentive that awaits the GRRM dawn, the whistle-blower that annoys the watchers, the purist that guards the realms of books. I pledge my life and honour to the Winds of Winter watch, for this season and all the seasons to come.

Edit: Added a spoiler tag for potential spoilers for those who don't know the R+L=J theory.

Well, I'm watching the tv show and so much is different about so many things that it's hard to know what will happen in the books, anyways.

I take the bus into work each day and there are a few of us who talk in the front. I've talked about GoT to people that have only seen the tv show. I got talking to one lady who has only seen the tv show and is somewhat confused about a lot of stuff. She told me that she heard me say that the books are better and she's going to start reading the books. This morning I got to give her a description as to what the heck is actually going on in the show so she has a better clue. It was a good ride in this morning.

Okay, I'm almost to the point where I can't take it any more and might break down and read the HBO thread. To attempt to avoid this, any other subscribers to or opponents of the Grand Northern Conspiracy?

Failing this, today was my last day teaching before summer break, so I can get back to Caliban's War and a couple dozen other summer reads to try and divert my attention from all things Westerosi.

The got thread has been rather spoilerish.

As far as the GNC, I do believe in parts of it. I think that the north is planning not something as , unlike the show, the north does remember that their sons and daughters were killed by the boltons.

Okay, I'm almost to the point where I can't take it any more and might break down and read the HBO thread. To attempt to avoid this, any other subscribers to or opponents of the Grand Northern Conspiracy?

Failing this, today was my last day teaching before summer break, so I can get back to Caliban's War and a couple dozen other summer reads to try and divert my attention from all things Westerosi.

If you're thinking of reading the HBO thread I would encourage you to just watch the show. It will be immensely more impactful.

I think the bulk of the GNC is so steeped in book evidence that there's just no way it's not true. I am not completely sure that Stoneheart is on board, but otherwise the Boltons are F'd.

Started listening to A Clash of Kings on audiobook today for my superficial critical analysis and comparison project. Couple thoughts struck me that I need to add to my blog post for this project later, but I thought they could spark some interesting discussion here.

G.R.R.M. is all about upsetting expectations: bastards who are noble, nobles who are bastards, non-knights who are chivalrous while their face-burning brother is an anointed knight and anything but chivalrous, princes thought to be trueborn born of incest (princest? "Twincest" is such a great term, and "brotherf***er" has got to be the best epithet of all time) who might actually be born of royally-sanctioned incest were it known that his parents are actually of the deposed royal line (if you buy that conspiracy theory), et cetera.

Listening to the prologue of ACoK today, it struck me that the Barratheons all have a common problem*, albeit expressed in different ways: women. Robert can't keep his hands off them, Stannis can't stand to touch them, and Renly favours the not-fair sex. This has got me started thinking about other similar shared problems within dynasties. Can you think of dynastic follies? (Targaryen madness is assumed...)

Also, it seems that [spoilers if you're not familiar with the Purple Wedding]

*"Problem" in the medieval world of ASoIaF

Edited for spelling (this is what happens when my summer insomnia kicks in and I type things at midnight-thirty...).

Do Starks and blade edges count?

Interesting observation, but this might be the one coincidence in the series.

Listening to the prologue of ACoK today, it struck me that the Barratheons all have a common problem*, albeit expressed in different ways: women. Robert can't keep his hands off them, Stannis can't stand to touch them, and Renly favours the not-fair sex. This has got me started thinking about other similar shared problems within dynasties. Can you think of dynastic follies? (Targaryen madness is assumed...)

Jaime hates his father for separating him from Cersei, and for the expectations laden upon him.

Cersei hates her father for treating her as just a woman.

Tyrion hates is father for all sorts of reasons.

I think there is something to be said that Edmure and the Blackfish are mirror images.

The Greyjoys take sibling rivalry to a whole new level.

Tyrion hates his father for trying to burn a city, right?

I never realized that The Hound was not a knight! I always thought he was. I had to look it up and realize that he hates the concept of a knight as it's bogus. Huh....I've read the series three times over and never noticed that. Or forgot.

I think GRRM likes to show the hypocrisy of everything, really. I love how he portrays The Seven as the religion and it's the only hallow one out there. Hysterical to me!

I don't think Stannis has a problem with women. He's just too rigid and that's his problem. If he was liked, then he would have more people flock to his banner.

You hadn't noticed? It's quite a big thing about him. He hates it mostly because Gregor is a knight, and if they make a monster like that a knight then the title is full of sh!t.

I don't agree with you on the religion. The Faith was never portrayed as THE religion, Ned built a Sept specially for Catelyn because he was of the old gods, and there is much mention made of other religions, Braavos is as full of gods as Cori Celesti is on the Discworld, and the religion of the Iron Born, with their baptisms, features prominently.

You hadn't noticed? It's quite a big thing about him. He hates it mostly because Gregor is a knight, and if they make a monster like that a knight then the title is full of ****.

I don't agree with you on the religion. The Faith was never portrayed as THE religion, Ned built a Sept specially for Catelyn because he was of the old gods, and there is much mention made of other religions, Braavos is as full of gods as Cori Celesti is on the Discworld, and the religion of the Iron Born, with their baptisms, features prominently.

I probably just forgot it. It's been a while since I re-read all the books.

The Seven is the Faith in Westeros, for the most part. Forget the rest of the world. I'm talking about Westeros. There, the only spot that still worships the Old Gods are in the North (or beyond the wall). Oh, there is the Iron Islands that worship the Drowned God. So, 5 of the 7 Kingdoms worship The Seven. I think it's hysterical that it's an empty religion.

You hadn't noticed? It's quite a big thing about him. He hates it mostly because Gregor is a knight, and if they make a monster like that a knight then the title is full of ****.

I don't agree with you on the religion. The Faith was never portrayed as THE religion, Ned built a Sept specially for Catelyn because he was of the old gods, and there is much mention made of other religions, Braavos is as full of gods as Cori Celesti is on the Discworld, and the religion of the Iron Born, with their baptisms, features prominently.

I probably just forgot it. It's been a while since I re-read all the books.

The Seven is the Faith in Westeros, for the most part. Forget the rest of the world. I'm talking about Westeros. There, the only spot that still worships the Old Gods are in the North (or beyond the wall). Oh, there is the Iron Islands that worship the Drowned God. So, 5 of the 7 Kingdoms worship The Seven. I think it's hysterical that it's an empty religion.

Don't forget that the North is a big, big place .

And yes, it is dominant, but there is a lot of acknowledgement that there are other religions and before the Sparrows quite a bit of freedom of worship.

Is it an empty religion? That we do not know of course, especially considering that the Stranger is considered to be an aspect of the Many-Faced God, as much as he is considered to be an aspect of the God that is the Seven.

And who's not to say that that god is not the same as R'hllor is the same as the Drowned God? Making the Great Other the Storm God.

Then again, maybe I've been reading too much Malazan, which is a bit more convoluted that way

Just finished GRRM's novella The Princess and the Queen. It's about the dance of the dragons and it has some fantastic dragon-war info. Dragon kills by people are so diverse that I'm worried he is going to kill off one of Dany's dragons now.

Don't forget that the North is a big, big place .

And yes, it is dominant, but there is a lot of acknowledgement that there are other religions and before the Sparrows quite a bit of freedom of worship.

The North has always been rather sparce and depopulated. Sure, it's big, but there are a lot fewer people up there than in other areas (save maybe the Iron Islands).

Is it an empty religion? That we do not know of course, especially considering that the Stranger is considered to be an aspect of the Many-Faced God, as much as he is considered to be an aspect of the God that is the Seven.

And who's not to say that that god is not the same as R'hllor is the same as the Drowned God? Making the Great Other the Storm God.

EVERY god is the Many Faced God! At least to the Many Faced God's worshipers. All cultures have some sort of Death god. The Many Faced god is that god to the faithful.

Then again, maybe I've been reading too much Malazan, which is a bit more convoluted that way

Ha! I'm reading that now since I can't get my GRRM fix! I'm just about done with the 3rd book.

Just finished GRRM's novella The Princess and the Queen. It's about the dance of the dragons and it has some fantastic dragon-war info. Dragon kills by people are so diverse that I'm worried he is going to kill off one of Dany's dragons now.

There is a new novella? I'll have to check it out! No wonder he's not freakin' finishing anything!

It's part of the book Dangerous Women. A compilation of stories of women by various authors. I haven't read the others but it'd be hard to imagine two more stone cold badasses than the two opposing female dragon riders of the Dance.

Sorry would like a word. So would Lorn. .

Have you read Malazan?

Sorry would like a word. So would Lorn. .

Have you read Malazan?

Yep! I'm in the third book.