A Song of Ice and Fire [2]

Spoiler:

Eldorion wrote:Also, that famous Robert vs Rhaegar picture -- which I love, as it helped get me interested in the series in the first place -- has been one-upped by the back endpaper of this book. The art throughout is gorgeous. I keep noticing Nasmith's style when his painting show up (there are at least 100 total). Something about the way he draws rocks and mountains is instantly recognizable to me. Some great samples at the link below; the Iron Throne painting has been my phone wallpaper for several months now.

http://mashable.com/2014/10/28/world-ice-fire/

Someone started arguing online recently, I got an email about it, of whether Drogon.. could.. beat.. Smaug.

You know. As competitive as I am, and I would like my guys to win. Basically, no. Drogon is a very young dragon and still barely large enough to get Dany into the sky. Pretty formidable, but Smaug is gigantic. Not to mention the fact that Smaug talks, and would probably have an intellectual advantage.

Eldorion wrote:Of course, it's already a very different case from something like LOTR or Harry Potter, because ASOIAF was still niche before the show took off, and so there's a much larger portion of the audience who have not read the books.  And these people have mostly managed to stay spoiler free, somehow, which I suppose is helped by the books not being as thoroughly engrained into pop cultural consciousness.  At least not until show reaches that point; good luck not knowing what the Red Wedding is nowadays.

Bluebottle wrote:One thing that strikes me with both LotRs and ASoIaF is that despite there size and scope they show a great narrative cohesiveness. Things make sense in themself and in the context of the story as a whole. When you make changes for seemingly the sake of it, as Jackson seems fond of, without having the authors consideration for the story as a whole often create paradoxes and inconsistencies that weren't there in the original story.

Frog, the squire, was the youngest of the three, and the least impressive, a solemn, stocky lad, brown of hair and eye. His face was squarish, with a high forehead, heavy jaw, and broad nose. The stubble on his cheeks and chin made him look like a boy trying to grow his first beard. Dany had no inkling why anyone would call him Frog. Perhaps he can jump farther than the others.

The old knight read the pact slowly. "If Robert had known of this, he would have smashed Sunspear as he once smashed Pyke, and claimed the heads of Prince Doran and the Red Viper ... and like as not, the head of this Dornish princess too."

"No doubt that was why Prince Doran chose to keep the pact a secret," suggested Daenerys. "If my brother Viserys had known that he had a Dornish princess waiting for him, he would have crossed to Sunspear as soon as he was old enough to wed."

"And thereby brought Robert's warhammer down upon himself, and Dorne as well," said Frog. "My father was content to wait for the day that Prince Viserys found his army."

"Your father?"

"Prince Doran." He sank back onto one knee. "Your Grace, I have the honor to be Quentyn Martell, a prince of Dorne and your most leal subject."

Dany laughed.

The Dornish prince flushed red, whilst her own court and counselors gave her puzzled looks. "Radiance?" said Skahaz Shavepate, in the Ghiscari tongue. "Why do you laugh?"

"They call him frog, " she said, "and we have just learned why. In the Seven Kingdoms there are children's tales of frogs who turn into enchanted princes when kissed by their true love." Smiling at the Dornish knights, she switched back to the Common Tongue. "Tell me, Prince Quentyn, are you enchanted?"

"No, Your Grace."

"I feared as much." Neither enchanted nor enchanting, alas. A pity he' s the prince, and not the one with the wide shoulders and the sandy hair.

She wants fire, and Dorne sent her mud. You could make a poultice out of mud to cool a fever. You could plant seeds in mud and grow a crop to feed your children. Mud would nourish you, where fire would only consume you, but fools and children and young girls would choose fire every time.

Spoiler: