Triskan

True. I for one, never felt any ill-resent or hatred towards neither Sansa nor Theon. Both are among the most fascinating characters of the story. Both made horribly wrong choices forced upon them by others, more manipulative people and where their age, education and conflicting loyalties brought them to an eternity of regrets. Oh, and I had a... certain laugh at shimpy's reaction to a certain character... . =D

Shimpy, I'm wondering, now that you've further down the book-road, are there characters you totally envision as their show counterparts (and if yes, which ones ?) and are there characters that, when you read about them, look nothing like the actors chosen for them in the show ?

Here you have the list of the book titles and how they are commonly refered to in the fandom : :)

Shimpy, as much as I cant refute your arguments on Lyanna's terrible deadly impulses that caused the ruin of her family, I'd say you do not dispose as of yet of all the elements concerning Rhaegar's state of mind on the subject (and I'd say we dont know enough yet to judge Lyanna)... You'll get some more clues in one of the most memorable scene from the second book that has been completely changed in the books (although I totally understand why).

Well, your take on the Tower of Joy was the moment from the first book I (and others) was most looking forward for you to reach. Let's say that the show cutting the dreams of characters will allow you to discover and read some great moments that never appeared on screen ! EDIT : Well, That was the Tower of Joy moment, so you can safely click on Protar's spoiler ! ^^ It's an iconic moment, the most obvious clue to Jon parentage there is and, in my mind, a truly beautifuly written moment. For me, the next big moment I'm looking forward for her to reach (and that's a spoiler from the second book, dont look shimpy !) :

Yeah, he was named only three times in the show : first during the final scene of season 2 (Sam called him and Grenn out), then during the Battle at Castle Black ("Edd, you have the Wall !") and lastly, during the latest finale ("There's always Edd" - Sam). It's sad his full nickname has never been spelled out, it's a glorious one ! ^^

Jon Snow's dour friend in the Watch, the one that always have a pessimist look on life. I'd say he's my favourite minor character in the books ! Looking forward to you meeting him ! ;)

Shimpy, a little question : if I say Dolorous Edd, do you know (in the show) who I'm referring too ? He's quite a minor character, and it's highly probable that he's been lost to many on screen, but I cant wait till you meet him in the books ! (I hope that's not considered as a spoiler, I mean it more in a teasing way, but if it would be better to hide it, just let me know !)

Quick question regarding Mya Stone - the character, not our amazing mod here - (yeah, I'm a book-walker, but it's about a tiny detail I dont remember and I dont have time to skip through the book right now) : Anyway, I cant wait till you get to the next books shimpy ! I so want to urge you to read faster, but I understand (and have read) your arguments on this front so I wont say so ! (And that would be a rude thing to do ! ^^) And, going back a few pages, to answer the questions of which characters grew on me over the course of the story, I'd say : Stannis, Jaime, Sansa, Roose, Melisandre and A... erm, I mean Yara. In the show, I'd say Liam Cunnigham's Davos is miles ahead of his book counterpart. I was never particularly a fan of Davos (didnt mean I didnt like him, but I was more interested in the people around him in the books), but thanks to Liam, he's one of my favourite characters. Since I've always been a fan of underdogs, tormented and flawed characters, Theon, Shireen and Sam have always been among my favourites characters and I loved seing those three evolve through the story.

Well, somehow I hope that for the last seasons the show will go that road. I have a feeling the wolves will be a significant aspect of the story's conclusion, so I think they'll need an increased budget to finally feature them more proeminently.

Well, as Protar said above, the direwolves are much more present in the books, so I have faith you'll warm up to them ! ;) So, shimpy, what were the last chapters you read ? (And we never got Grey Wind's name in the show !)

Hehehe, that was me (but I lost that account password). ^^ Actually, I was very curious to get more of your thoughts on Jon, but now that you've started reading, you've already noticed how much more internal he's in the books, so that's it ! :) Although I'm one of the few who's defended Kit from the first. I always had the feeling he knew exactly what he was doing with his character and he really gets Jon, imo. By the way, speaking of the Watch, it's always been more complete in the books. The Watch on page is full of a great gallery of characters that sadly the show could never feature entirely, so you'll meet quite the team there ! ^^

Of course, I look forward to reaching Storm, but there are certain events from Clash that will be interesting for them to read as well !

About your comments towards faithfulness. It is true, the first season is extraordinary faithful ! But dont worry, it starts to deviate after that, more and more, and we get two different tellings of the same story, which is a very peculiar thing I've always loved personally (as opposed to quite a bunch of "integrist" book-walkers). I really cant wait for you to start reading the first main deviations (and I know exactly what scenes I so wish to read your take on it). But we're not quite at that bridge yet ! ^^ (By the way, if you have anything to say about book Theon, I'm really curious ! He's definitly my pet character... poor, poor Reek).

2018 is quite optimistic... at best we'll get "A Dream of Spring" in 2021, I'd say. And Shimpy, I really encourage you to take a good look at the maps ! ;) (Well, I'm a map lover myself, so maybe that's not the most objective opinion out there). Here are the most beautiful ones : The Lands of Ice and Fire collection... beautiful work ! http://www.fantasticmaps.com/the-lands-of-ice-and-fire/ EDIT : Just do not take a close look at the "Journeys" one... it's spoilery ! (yeah, even after you've seen the season 5 finale, cause there are still some surprises left for you on that map).

Team Mads here ! =D But let's not speak of that here, dangerous territory ! ^^

Oh my sweet summer child, if you knew how much fire and passion ink has been spilled on casting speculation and wishes ! :) There are many funny stories to be told on the subject but I will leave just that one : Cillian Murphy's been one of the fan favourite choices for Ramsay during a long time ! ^^

Oh ! That is a thread I've been looking forward to for years ! To see an Unsullied's take on the original work, the perfect opposite of us book-walkers ! Shimpy, count me aboard your readers train ! (Now I'm gonna read the whole thread !)

Entirely correct ! ;)

I know I am not supposed to post here at all, but after 5 years of reading you guys with pure passion, the idea of you starting to read the books altogether and see your take on it is absolutely delightful !

That's her book nickname. The one her entire family (the Freys) always given her... and within the fan community, it is given to her with a lot of sympathy. She's one of the most beloved minor characters.

Half a continent.

You mistake Martells for Tyrells in the bit about Loras and Olyvar.

Personally, I can definitly see the Sand Snakes in KL by the end of the season. My guess is that Jaime will be put in custody by episode 6 and in episode 7, Doran will dispatch the Sand Snakes to KL (at least for Nymeria I'd say) so they're not present when he releases Jaime in 9 and sets him free with Myrcella. This could potentially conclude with a speech to Trystane on his true intentions once Jaime's gone. And in episode 10, using Littlefinger's TARDIS, one or two Sand Snakes (Nym and Tyene ?) could be present in the capital for a certain Walk. That's all just speculation, but I could see the Dornish arc going that way.

And that she so easily ditched the Red Woman and the Brotherhood gang...