Tag: a song of ice and fire (Page 2 of 2)

The Winds of Winter: A Fan’s Attempt at Accurate Guesswork

June 16, 2014 / Kyle A. Massa

Image courtesy beyondhollywood.com.

After last night’s explosive season finale of HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” I’m in a real Song of Ice and Fire mood. To date, I don’t think any TV show or book series has ever inspired as much conjecture and speculation as these–and why not? Every second they’re onscreen or on the page, these characters are in serious danger of getting whacked.

I, of course, love to speculate as much as anybody, but I confess that it’s not much fun to guess what’s going to happen on the show when you’ve read all the books. Miraculously, every time I guess what will happen next on the show, I’m correct!

So instead, I’ve elected to make guesses about the novels–like in this here blog, for instance. These are my predictions for the sixth installment of A Song of Ice and Fire.

I know that this blog might be premature. Hell, this blog most certainly is premature, but that’s alright. George R.R. Martin’s latest masterwork will be upon us sometime within the next three years or so (hopefully), and I, as always, am a huge fan of speculation.

So let’s speculate.

SPOILER ALERT–IF YOU HAVEN’T READ BOOKS 4 AND 5 YET, YOU MIGHT NOT WANT TO READ THIS.

Anybody left?

You’ve read 4 and 5?

Okay, awesome. Let’s continue…

You clearly know a lot about A Song of Ice and Fire, so you know there are a lot of characters. Therefore, I’m going to do what Mr. Martin did in his fourth and fifth volumes–I’m going to separate the POV characters from A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons into two separate blogs. The latter will be available at a later date, the former…right now.

Let’s start in King’s Landing, with Cersei. After the ordeal she suffered at the hands of the Faith, it appears she might be broken. I doubt it. With Kevan Lannister dead, she’s going to pick up right where she left off–ruining the kingdom. In fact, Varys essentially says as much when he kills Kevan; Cersei will botch the whole project, paving the way for Aegon Targaryen to take the Iron Throne. That’s right–I predict a Targaryen will finally rule Westeros, just not Daenerys. More on her later…

In Oldtown, Sam Tarly is becoming a maester. Logistically, this process has to go pretty fast. The Others are coming soon, and Sam might hold the secret to defeating them. Sam also makes friends with Pate, who we of course know isn’t really Pate. A lot of readers have matched the description of the Alchemist to Jaquen H’agar’s new face at the end of A Clash of Kings, and it seems that this mysterious alchemist has now taken the face of the ill-fated pig-boy. I never made that connection until somebody pointed it out on a message board, but I think it’s accurate. For some reason, H’agar wants a master key to the citadel. Could it have something to do with fighting the Others? Or maybe a weapon to defeat dragons? I don’t even have a guess here.

But speaking of the Citadel, what the heck is Marwyn doing? He tells Sam that he’s going across the sea to meet Daenerys Targaryen, but it’s not really clear why. Does he want to destroy her dragons? Does he want them for himself? Based on the general greediness of Martin’s characters, and on the fact that dragons are in vogue in Westeros, my money’s on the latter.

In the Riverlands, the whole thing with Brienne and Jaime is getting a little too dicey for me. Brienne’s apparent plan is to lure Jaime into the woods so that Catelyn, a.k.a. Lady Stoneheart, can kill him. Please, Mr. Martin, I beg you…don’t kill Jaime Lannister! The guy’s my favorite character!

Before you get mad, hear me out. Jaime has done some terrible things–but I like him precisely because he’s done terrible things. He’s really just misunderstood, and he actually turns into a pretty good guy in A Storm of Swords and the following volumes. The incest thing is pretty inexcusable, I agree. But hey, nobody’s perfect! Fortunately for Mr. Lannister, Martin usually likes to suggest one thing, then do something totally different. Therefore, if he’s suggesting that Jaime is being lured to his death, perhaps that means that Jaime might live to bang his sister another day. (Sorry, I had to throw a joke in there somewhere).

Next, I definitely think Sansa is going to become heir of both the Eyrie and Winterfell. Littlefinger has been playing his cards well, and he and Sansa are set up to take both castles. In Feast, Baelish hints that if Robert Arryn were to die, Harrold Hardyng would become the new Lord of the Eyrie. And if Sansa marries Hardyng, she’s got both castles. My prediction is that Littlefinger will toss Robert Arryn out the Moon Door (much to every readers’ delight), then marry Hardyng and Sansa. Not sure what happens after that, though. Maybe Harrold and Sansa’s first move is to take back Winterfell from Roose Bolton?

Now to the Greyjoys. I think Euron Crow’s-Eye could be a big contender for King. This guy is all about forbidden magic and dragon horns and other creepy shit–I think he might use some of that magic to take the throne. However, there’s still the matter of Aegon Targaryen, who seems to have a lot of support and a pretty sweet army behind him. I predict a meeting in King’s Landing between these two, a second epic battle over the city, and Aegon emerging as the victor.

Euron’s brother Victarion is a different story, though. I think that he’s going to smash Daenerys’s foes with the Iron Fleet, then perhaps join forces with her. I used to guess that Dany would marry him to acquire his fleet (Westerosi marriages are so materialistic!), but with her frolicking in the Dothraki Sea, that’s going to be tough. My best guess is that he’ll form some kind of alliance with old man Selmy.

In regards to Dorne, I think Arienne is definitely going to marry Aegon. The Dornish tried to arrange a marriage with the Targaryens twice before and failed both times, so this seems like a logical third try. This time it’s going to work, and Aegon will have even more support for his cause.

Lots going on, lots to guess about. What do you think is going to happen? Feel free to comment with your thoughts, fears, and craziest conspiracy theories. Let’s hope that the book comes out soon, so we can see how bad my predictions turn out to be.

I wish you luck in all your speculating endeavors!

“The Name of the Wind” Review

September 22, 2013 / Kyle A. Massa

Image courtesy www.rantingdragon.com.

Right now is a great time to be be a fantasy fan.

More and more, the genre is moving away from Tolkien cloning and beyond to brave new horizons. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is a great example of this movement.

The Name of the Wind is the story of Kvothe, a man so legendary that his reputation has become larger than his own life. Over three days, Kvothe recounts the stories of his travels to a man named Chronicler (each book in the trilogy is one day of the tale).

The narrative style alone sets this one aside from a lot of other books in the genre. I can’t remember ever reading a fantasy book quite like it. It makes you forget that you’re reading a story and makes you think that you’re listening to a story; one half is first-person narration from Kvothe’s point of view, and the other is third person omniscient narration in Kvothe’s inn.

The world is vaguely reminiscent of Harry Potter, with an academy that teaches magical arts, among other disciplines. That isn’t to say that The Name of the Wind is targeted only to a young adult audience, however. It isn’t quite as grim as some modern fantasy, say A Song of Ice and Fire, but it’s certainly not for kids. There are sexual references, there is occasional cursing, and there’s a melancholy, regretful undertone to the whole thing. This one lands somewhere between a young adult audience and a strictly adult audience, I think.

Kvothe is a well-drawn and likable protagonist, full of wit and resourcefulness. It’s interesting to see the contrast between his young self and older self; the latter is sombre and defeated, while the former is lively and daring. Furthermore, the character is brought to life not only by his accomplishments, but also by his shortcomings. He’s undeniably cool, but he’s also undeniably arrogant. Rothfuss doesn’t make the same mistake that many fantasy authors do when writing their central hero; Kvothe is flawed, and therefore human.

Unfortunately, Kvothe’s realism makes some of the supporting cast appear dull in comparison––namely, Denna. When I read her, I felt like I’d read her a hundred times before. She’s so beautiful that everyone wants her, and as a result she’s become bored by everyone’s attention. It’s already been done. I really hope she develops more as the series progresses, because as of now she basically has one trait: she’s really freakin’ hot.

Speaking of the rest of the series, some really interesting questions have been posed by this first volume. What are these demons infesting the countryside, where are they coming from, and what does Kvothe have to do with them? Who are the Chandrian? What will Elodin mentor Kvothe? Will Kvothe and Denna ever meet again in the present timeline?

The sequel is already out, titled The Wise Man’s Fear, and the final entry in the trilogy is currently in the works. They’re next on my list.

…

The Name of the Wind is an excellent setup to a very promising trilogy. The narrative style, main character, and world work nicely to create one of the best modern fantasy books out there.

Rating: 9/10

Game of Thrones Season 3 Premiere

April 2, 2013 / Kyle A. Massa

Image Courtesy the1tvjunkie.com

Winter is here!

Just watched the Season 3 premiere of HBO’s Game of Thrones. This season will be based on A Storm of Swords, the third book in George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. SoS is by far my favorite of the five books out now, so I’m hoping that this will also be my favorite season. And yet, the premiere was just…underwhelming.

Disclaimer: I was watching this with friends who’ve never seen the show before, and so trying to explain the plot while still watching. I might’ve missed some things.

We began with a nice little zombie sighting, followed by the introduction of the much talked about Mance Rayder. Though I had early reservations about the casting choice, veteran Irish actor Cirian Hinds seems to be a good fit for the character. His scene with Jon Snow and Tormund Giantsbane was one of my favorites from the book, and they nailed it.

But from there, it just didn’t seem to go anywhere. Tyrion’s scenes were especially disappointing. Even his entrance lacked the bad-assery of last season’s. I get that he was almost killed by his sister and had everything taken away and all, but come on! This is Tyrion Lannister we’re talking about. Where were all the snarky witticisms?

Davos survived, but I was personally more excited to see Sallador Sahn again. The actor who plays him is excellent. Then we see Robb and Catelyn doing whatever they do – I’m pretty much over them. Dany’s story really takes off in this part of the series, though not quite yet. There was a pretty nasty nipple-cutting scene – never though I’d say that – and she was joined by Barristan Selmy, who was always one of my favorites. All cool, but all on the dry side.

Sadly, there wasn’t enough time to fit in Arya, The Hound, Jaime, or Brienne. Overall, there was just a lot of exposition and not much else. But it’s early yet, with nine more episodes to go.

Let the game begin!

Game of Thrones: The Best Show On TV

April 26, 2012 / Kyle A. Massa

Has there ever been a more entertaining show?

If so, I’ve never seen it. I can’t get enough. Does it have backstabbing, you ask? What about plotting? And incest? Yes my friends, it has all that and more. Although, I could do without the incest.

Basically, I see it as a soap opera you’re not ashamed to watch. I mean think about it. Everyone hates each other, everyone’s sleeping with each other, and it’ll probably never end. Sounds like a soap to me.

But thankfully, Game of Thrones is far more intelligent than your run-of-the-mill daytime soap, thanks in large part to the character development. Each is so well drawn and so believable, it seems as though they’re based upon real people. I think it’s a credit to George R.R. Martin and the writing team that they could create such strong characters.

Furthermore, it’s helped bring fantasy into the adult mainstream. Of course, Lord of the Rings was certainly mainstream, but not in the same way. Before A Song of Ice and Fire, most mainstream fantasy literature was aimed toward a younger audience. That’s not to say that an older audience couldn’t enjoy it. Quite the contrary; Lord of the Rings is extremely popular, both on the page and on the screen. However, it deals with more universal themes. A Song of Ice and Fire and Game of Thrones deal with more realistic themes. In essence, it’s fantasy for adults. Not only this, but A Song of Ice and Fire has spawned a new generation of fantasy for adults, such as Joe Abercrombie’s First Law series.

Personally, I hope they continue making the show. It’s extremely expensive, but at the same time, it’s so wildly popular that I think it will stay on for at least a few more years. Can’t wait for the next episode! But until then, just remember…winter is coming.