Fire & Blood *SPOILERS*

I have not made it through the whole book yet, as I think I am trying to make it last as long as possible, since gosh knows how long it might be before we get new material. I swear if F&B part 2 comes out before Winds, my head might explode!!!


Yes, Alicent could be entirely blamed for the Dance of the Dragons, her ambition started the ball rolling, and so much devastation because of her choices. Blech! I wish someone would have fed her to a dragon...



I really think I have enjoyed every northman we met in F&B, although I remain suspicious of the Manderly's and their ambition. I found I quite liked Cregan Stark, although I always expected that I would. Alaric was a fun surprise! Even a little tidbit on Ellard Stark, though not much more than we get in the World Book. I would like a Stark history book! Perhaps GRRM can work on that while he is avoiding completing The Winds of Winter!



The Blackwood's in general were a fun read! Bloody Ben, that 13 year old warrior savant!



Honestly not sure what to believe in relation to Jace and Sara Snow. Did something happen, or nothing? Is Mushroom ever right, or is he right all of the time? I almost find it hard to imagine that he would marry her when he was betrothed to another. Those Velaryon boys of Rhaenyra seemed to be quite honorable, especially considering that Luke pretty much died because he wouldn't consider setting aside his own betrothal to marry the daughter of Lord Baratheon. So, I find it hard to imagine that Jace would do that either. An affair, perhaps, but a marriage, I find I doubt that information. I can easily see a child born to Jace and Sara out of wedlock, but not a trueborn child. It makes me wonder about the pregnant woman from Bran's vision, who emerges from the black pool and prays for a son to avenge his father!

I did find the information on bastard Stark's interesting. We have Sara Snow, Cregan's sister, apparently living at Winterfell. We never hear of Alaric having a bastard that I can remember. But there was a comment about Cregan having no trueborn daughters when he arrived in King's Landing, which seems to imply that he had at least one bastard daughter. Otherwise, why even phrase it that way. It's on page 578 of Fire and Blood.

I really enjoyed the concept that the northmen would rather fight and die in battle, even a war that wasn't there own, rather than be a burden to their kin during the harsh winters. Roderick Dustin seems like quite a bad ass, too!

I also found it interesting that Alaric wouldn't let Silverwing into Wintefell but even more so, I found the wording of how Alaric eventually "approached" the dragon to be interesting. What does that mean, exactly? Part of me thinks its in response to the scene from GoT Season 7 when Jon seems to have "a moment" with Drogon and half the world peed their pants.

Yes, interesting on how Alysanne felt resistance from Silverwing, who seemed not to either want to fly over the wall, or could not. My guess it was more of a "wouldn't" rather than "couldn't" but I could be very wrong about that. It seems like that might be the first time she felt like the dragon would not fly where she wanted to. It reminds me of Dany on her "Dragonstone" in the Dothraki Sea having troubles steering Drogon to wear she wanted him to go.


Of course, there is tons of interesting stuff about the Targaryen's, although I am not sure which tidbit's might be important or not. I especially find the information on Aerea Targaryen to be interesting, while at the same time I find I doubt some of what the story implies. And, a little baby swap with the twins, Aerea and Rhaella, which means the real Aerea was still alive in Oldtown, serving as a septa. 

Jaehaerys insisting on wedding his sister, and insisting on Targaryen "Doctrine of Exceptionalism" which basically allows that only Targaryen's can practice incest, basically because "I am king and I said so". 

I enjoyed that Rhaenys, the Queen Who Never Was (But Probably Should Have Been) was black haired and purple eyed, giving us some hint of what this combination of Baratheon and Targaryen might have looked like. I found it quite interesting which Lords of the Realm supported her in being Queen, such as the Stark's, who don't actually seem to have a ruling Lady of Winterfell of their own, at least that we have been told. I loved her and her dragon and her absolute lack of fear when facing what she knew must have been her death. She would have probably made a hell of a queen!!!

Yes, the story of Rhaenyra and Criston Cole would have been nice. He almost acts like a man who was hurt by her. Perhaps he loved her, not the other way around, and if he caught her with Daemon, then love turned to hate very quickly. That's my working theory, for now.

Criston Cole is probably just as responsible for what happened to start the war as Alicent and her father. All of them urged Aegon to usurp Rhaenerya's crown. Otherwise, it seems like he was perfectly happy to drink and whore and not have a care in the world. But once blood was spilled with Luke's death, I think there was no going back.



He certainly had a plan for attacking Storm's End, the Hightower and Casterly Rock (if I remember correctly). Perhaps this might indicate to us something of Ned's plan after he left Kings Landing after he and Robert quarreled over the death of Rhaegar's children. We know Ned went to Storm's End to end the siege, but his confirmed path after that is quite vague.

Also, yes, the women foiled Cregan's attempts at war! But perhaps he was angling for a marriage into the Blackwoods. We know that Alysanne planted this idea in Alaric's mind years and years before. Families in the south that still worshiped the old gods! I am very curious about the four daughters of Cregan and Black Aly! Perhaps if I finish F&B, I might get an answer?



I was rather entertained by Cregan referring to Aegon II as a usurper and a kinslayer, but "he was still a king", and damn it, some one needs to avenge him! 
 


I am very suspicious of our current Manderly's and how they might have had a hand in the downfall of the Stark's. It's pretty much tinfoil and is a direct challenge to what Wyman tells us in his stirring speech on loyalty. I will remain suspicious of them...



Well, GRRM seems to love the Targaryen's for certain, but I can't forget that this whole story started in GRRM's head with the Starks, a beheading and direwolf pups in the snow. Jon and Bran seem to be the important ones! A Stark history book could be very, very long. But a hell of a good read!!!



Well, since I am not sold on RLJ or even RL spending much time together at all, I certainly could be persuaded that this information on Jace Velaryon and Sara Snow is a romantic tale stirred up by the bards and singers and fools (I am looking at you, Mushroom!) of the S7! I would think he would understand a heart tree marriage is just as legal as any other, especially since the customs of the kingdom a person is in seem to prevail. Jace doesn't strike me as stupid by any means, so I find it doubtful he wouldn't understand what was going on. Unless he was just damn well fooled by the Stark's and said that whole "I am yours and you are mine" gibberish as a sort of pillow talk! Ooops, so maybe... Still, he was young, but seems pretty sly! 






Hahaha! Exactly! I found I quite liked Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon!!! She and her dragon, Meleys, the Red Queen!

Or Nettles! How different things could have been!


Sure, but once he took the bait, he wasn't looking back!


Perhaps they do. But it seems like it was overreaching themselves in the Reach that got them kicked out! I think we might see a repeat coming for them... but I am certainly prepared to be wrong about that!

I have been trying to make it last, too! I still have about 40 pages left, but then I am finished, but I have made it last longer than I expected, or than I normally would. I don't have a great deal of will power!

Who knows when we might get more material, so I am trying to enjoy every bit of this. to this new material!!!




I would hope the whole kingdom had learned their lesson from this awful war! It doesn't seem like we have a repeat of this situation of a king with heirs from two marriages again. I'm not sure if that was by design, or it it just never was possible. It looks like the Stark's might have a similar inheritance crisis in their future, with Cregan having heirs from three separate marriages. That is just a guess on my part, based on the lineage chart in the World Book, but we do see Cregan's younger son's marrying their nieces, the daughters of their eldest brother. This combination reminds me of Rhaenyra marrying her uncle Daemon. Of course, the Stark's would not have had dragon's to dance with and destroy the north, like the Targaryen civil war nearly did in the south.




Enjoy!

I actually finished it yesterday, between watching football games! But I started it the day in came in the mail, Nov 20, so I am shocked at how long it took me to finish it. A couple long stretches of work and a holiday slowed me down a bit.

Even though I worried about being spoiled by comments, I found I could not stay away from the boards before I finished. I didn't come across any devastating spoilers (like years ago when I accidentally came across Robb and Grey Winds fate on an internet search about neither, and felt like I was kicked in the gut)


Well, I suppose it's hard to decide if your heirs will live long enough to inherit? Or if their heirs will, after them. I suppose it's a hard decision to decide to remarry (if you can) and have more children. One, it gives a person options if people die, but if they don't, then you could have a mess of people in line wanting the crown. Maybe there is never a really good answer!

I am very curious about what information we will get in F&B V2, whenever we get that (if it's published before Winds, I will scream and tear my hair out like a maniac!!!) but I am very curious about Daeron the Young Dragon and Baelor the Blessed! And their sisters in the Maiden Vault! And I have lot's of interest about Daemon Waters/Blackfyre! Oh, and Aegon and Aemon and Naerys! Yup! Since I haven't read Dunk and Egg yet, I am still not thinking very hard about Aegon V, but I am certain that is coming. Perhaps one of the reasons I have avoided reading those stories is because I like the anticipation of knowing there is something out there that will still be new to me! Hhmmm. Internal psycho-analysis of my procrastination begins now...


I'm sure it won't be nearly as devastating on the north as the Dance of the Dragon's was on most of the kingdom! Or at least I hope not! They should have looked at the mess of the Dance and tried to avoid that! Although, sometimes you find yourself embroiled in conflict and it get's messy almost before you know it's happening!


Enjoy the rest of your book! You will get a lot of stuff about Daemon the Rogue Prince, and he really is quite a complex and interesting character!!!

Oh, yes! Dude was a real dick! Some major plotting and scheming on his part. I really have to say I felt super bad for a young Aegon III. He seen and dealt with some terrible crap!

A few more random thoughts about the Peake's. It's a name that is short and descriptive, so it fit's the concept I have of First Men names. They are also said to descend from Florys the Fox, a daughter of Garth Greenhand, so they do have some special blood. Peake is interesting, as it hints at a mountain top or a high point, at least geographically. Also, perhaps a culmination of something important. 

Unwin was a bit of an arsehole, but the rest of his family might prove to be quite interesting. If they are descended from Garth Greenhand, that perhaps is a reason that Unwin was trying to establish his blood back into the kingship of the 7K. If it's Garth's "seed" that is important...

Also, their castle/holdfast of Starpike is quite interesting to me. Star is pretty self explanatory to me, but it could also indicate not a real star but a bright light, or beacon fire.  Pike could be a long metal weapon, somewhat similar to a spear. Star on a pike? Light on a pike, hence a beacon of some sort? Stark on a pike? (this reminds me of Ned's head! ) A pike could also be a fresh water fish, but that doesn't really fit the concept that they come from the Dornish marches, although I suppose a pike could be skinchanged. 

This could also be an homage to the Gormenghast series by Mervyn Peake, which is how the wiki credits it. I haven't read this series, nor do I know much about it, but the Peake name certainly fit's the idea, and Mervyn Flowers was Unwin Peake's bastard half-brother who was appointed to the kingsguard. All of those name similarities I pointed out as possibilities above might not mean a damn thing! 

(Just like I have idea's about Jordayne of the Tor, but that might be just GRRM's homage to Robert Jordan, and the Tor hints have nothing to do with the theories I have concocted! )