Julia Reads A Game of Thrones: Chapter 1 - Bran

I’m going to try to keep this relatively short, as you all have lives and I have to get to bed, but I realized as I was reading the first page of this chapter earlier that I needed to write this up as I was reading it.  Let’s see how many things I can guess incorrectly!

The chapter opens with a seven-year-old kid named Bran who is finally old enough to go with the males of his noble family to a hanging.  YAY family fun!  This is also the first time that the story addresses the back-cover topic of exceptionally long summers and winters, as it is noted that this summer, which is just starting to end, has been going on longer than Bran has been alive.  At least people don’t have to change their wardrobes more than once a decade.

This is all very well and good, and I was reading along quite peacefully until the narrative mentions that this wilding prisoner is missing both ears and a finger.  This has to be Gared, right?

MID-CHAPTER WILD PREDICTION PARTY THAT STARTED IN MY HEAD

• ·        This Wall thing is a separation between two warring countries and the seasons are separated by the wall so that one side is winter and one side is summer

• ·        Maybe the weird ice zombies on the current winter side are manifestations of the summer people when they cross the wall?

• ·        Or maybe they just arrested Gared by mistake.  LOOK, I DON’T KNOW.

I expect most or all of these things to be disproved in the next few pages.

***

Lord Stark of Winterfell?  That’s not an imposing name at all.  These people must take their seasons pretty seriously.

And they called the sword Ice.  Yup.  Also, it’s spell-forged?  People do magic in this universe? Yessss.

***

I feel like I need to just keep a running tally of the seasonal-themed things I find in this book.

§ Lord Stark of Winterfell

§ “Ice” the sword

§ Summerwine

This is from only a two page span.  I’ma gonna have a long list.

***

Oh, so they executed probably-Gared for being a deserter, not for being a man from the other side.  Well there goes all my fun theories.  This is why I shouldn’t read things after watching large quantities of intense Doctor Who.

I predict that Theon, a nineteen-year-old who laughs while kicking severed heads, is going to be a bit of a problem later on.  Just a thought.

***

Bet you five bucks* that the Lost creators have read this book and named “The Others” after these Others.

*money to be paid only if you get one of the creators to personally tell me this 

***

The First Men?  Origin myth please!

***

At first I thought that Robb had found a baby all Moses-like.  Then I find out that it was actually a maggoty wolf.  Thanks for that imagery right before I go to sleep, Mr. R.R. Martin.

Oh there’s a baby direwolf.  I can’t tell if I’m happier that it’s cute or terrified that it’s going to grow up and kill someone.

Puppies!  Plural puppies!  Wolf puppies filled with finite potential for cuteness and infinite potential for deadliness!  I predict that all the sons and wards named so far will take one and raise one, and all will be used in battle.  I also predict that the only one that will hurt someone I like/go crazy and hurt someone on the same side will be the one raised by Theon.  But for now, I’m not going to worry about that because who’s a cute little puppy.  You are!

***

Dear George R.R. Martin,

Please stop writing about puppies and then immediately transitioning to tearing bloody antlers out of wolves’ heads, followed by discussing said puppies being born from a maggoty corpse.  This sudden transition to violent imagery does not sit well with me.  

Your friend,

Vito Corleone

***

Jon Snow admitted that he wasn’t truly part of the family (even though it wasn’t his fault) just so that his half-siblings could get puppies.  I like this guy.  He’s my new favorite character.  I’m going to regret writing this, aren’t I?

Unfortunately, this means that Theon the ward gets no puppy and my earlier prediction is partially wrong.  :(

***

Oh wait!  I forgot Jon’s surname:

§ Snow

Speaking of Jon, he gets a puppy!  And speaking of his last name, it’s white (albino) whereas all the others are gray!  Symbolism, I see you.  Also, he “opened his eyes while the others were still blind.”  Does this imply that Jon is going to be an exceptionally insightful character?

***

Well, that’s it for now.  Sorry for the choppiness of it – if you prefer the old format, please tell me, but I am probably going to be experimenting for the first few chapters. 

P.S. I have begun building my own family tree for this book, but I am too tired to deal with Photobucket right now.