George R R Martin: Fire and Blood

[Koopa]

i only saw empty space between them after staring real hard.

 

[Narkalui]

I liked Maester Gyldayne 's comments about Mushroom, in spite of the fact that we dear readers can spot that Mushroom is actually (probably) the more reliable source...

 

[J-WO]

I liked Maester Gyldayne 's comments about Mushroom, in spite of the fact that we dear readers can spot that Mushroom is actually (probably) the more reliable source...

For me, I get the feeling if Mushroom was in the room when something happened it probably did (with occasional embellishment), whereas if something happened when he wasn't there it may not have done, either because Mushroom likes to make out he's all-knowing, likes a good story or is prone to believing rumour. I haven't read the whole thing yet, so maybe I'm wrong, but that's my impression so far. It's clear Martin has gone to great lengths developing the personalities of his historians (Including Glydayne). Which makes sense; a major theme of F&B is how history comes down to us and through whom.

 

[SG.Hewitt]

This book brings many new misteries to earthos.
What was in the letter that agon the concorer burned?
Who was talking to agon the unlucky with a glass candle?
Im excited to reread and try to figure it out.

 

[Boaz]

@SG.Hewitt Welcome! Always good to have a new member joining the conversation regarding Westeros.

I finally picked up Fire & Blood last week. I've read the first chapter... about the conquest. I'll hold off my critique until I've read further...

 

[Narkalui]

Aegon III being spoken to through a glass candle? I missed that! Is there a clue you could share from the text?

 

[J-WO]

Aegon III being spoken to through a glass candle? I missed that! Is there a clue you could share from the text?

Yeah, I missed that too!

 

[Koopa]

third that (glass candle thingie), the letter has been common knowledge since world.

 

[Boaz]

So I did read F&B in January. I enjoyed it for the history. I enjoyed following the Targ dynasty. But the plethora of names and events along with the similarity of names and events made it a bit clunky. I'm the guy who reads history and listens to podcasts for fun... and yet my lack of familiarity with history of Westeros makes F&B sink into a haze. And since this is presented as written history rather than a written account of an oral tradition (i.e. The Silmarillion), I find myself annoyed by gaps in my knowledge, skipped events by the historians, and purposeful enigmas by Martin. What it really does is demand a rereading of ASOIAF... again.

Don't misunderstand me (or mayhaps, let me be clearer), I enjoyed F&B. I recommend it to loyal fans of ASOIAF, of fantastical history, and of dragons. But you will not (at least, I did not) comprehend it all.... and the story will not take you from Aegon the Conqueror to Daenerys Stormborn... it stops halfway because... Part Two is Coming.

 

[philzilla]

the story will not take you from Aegon the Conqueror to Daenerys Stormborn... it stops halfway because... Part Two is Coming.

another unfinished series

 

[Boaz]

@philzilla I know.

I've been supportive of GRRM for years. But recently, I've felt I'll never see the end.... I've been gloomy.

And yet, that's not what Tiggers do! We don't complain. We bounce back! I will be grateful for the journey. I choose to enjoy the story as I know it.

Remember the immortal words of Eric Idle, "Always look at the bright side of life."

 

[Simon Ball]

So having never got round to reading the series, but planning now to do so, I've come across Fire and Blood.

Should I read it before punting into the series as whole or go ahead and leave it until last?

 

[svalbard]

So having never got round to reading the series, but planning now to do so, I've come across Fire and Blood.

Should I read it before punting into the series as whole or go ahead and leave it until last?

Actually it might be an interesting take on the series. Like reading an academic history of the Plantagenet's and then going onto to read Sharon Penman's HF on them. Of course you will have embarked upon two unfinished works...

 

[Narkalui]

If you were to read F&B first then you might find it easier to pick up on the references to historical events which are talked about in the main series. Apart from that it will make no difference

 

[Boaz]

Just reread F&B this week. I got more out of it... especially after viewing Preston Jacobs' videos on the Mendellian Inheritance theory of genetics.

A Song of Ice and Fire: The Genetics of Dragons and War Part 1
A Song of Ice and Fire: The Genetics of Dragons and War Part 2
A Song of Ice and Fire: The Genetics of Dragons and War Part 3
A Song of Ice and Fire: The Genetics of Dragons and War Part 4
Genetics of Dragons and War Science Update

I know this may be off the rails.... oh, and I have some problems with Preston's pronunciation, and I don't just mean the ASOIAF names. But he's obviously done a lot more thinking on this than I have.

Also, it is interesting to find that not every family is good or evil. You get heroic and base characters from Houses Targaryen, Lannister, Blackwood, Tully, Stark, et al. People are people. Each person chooses every day to do good or evil.

Also, it occurs to me that GRRM had more intention and effort into his magic, his world, and his characters that support ASOIAF.... and that the more that fans figure out this effort of previously throw away characters, the more he wants to put this effort into print.