WWotD - 13 January 2012

Finally, finally.... I finished reading all five of the A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka A Game of Thrones, for those prefer their books as TV series). I'm a quick reader, but 4000+ pages is a weeeee bit much to read continuously. It's been fun while it's lasted but I'm glad to move on to something new.

My impressions of George RR Martins series:

1. In Westeros, people die. Maybe. Or maybe not. We're taking Moldavia here. 
2. There is a lot of discussion and focus on food in the novels. Someone should do a count of all mentions of what's eaten. Any bets as to whether "dog" has been mentioned more than twenty times???
3. I appreciate that the characters are venal, myopic, unctuous and constantly equivocate. That is, they are human. What looks like heroism at first glance rarely stands up to any scrutiny, and heroes aren't guaranteed immortality. 
4. I find it fascinating that they have a history going back over ten thousand years but have only advanced to our world's Middle Ages era. I'm also trying to figure out how they can have summers or winters that last for years; perhaps it's in relation to their planet's axis and path around their sun?
5. Speaking of time... seriously, only two years have passed in the story? Some of the characters read years beyond their chronological ages. Makes me wonder how much their "years" differ from ours. And yes, I know that in the Middle Ages people grew up (and died) much younger than occurs in modern society...but come on!
6. I love that there are so many characters and that we see the story unfold through so many eyes. You can see why there is so much conflict and what motivates actions and reactions. If I were to nitpick, I only wish there were a couple characters who were less involved and more on the sidelines. 
7. I also love that the story isn't afraid to take crazy and inexplicable tangents which may or may not get tied up over time. My life is a series of unrelated tangents...thus far no higher purpose has occurred. 

My final word... how the heck is George Martin ever going to finish this series? It took over 1000 pages (and something like five years of writing) to handle half of his cast of characters in the most recent volume!

dire

 adj \ˈdī(-ə)r\

dir·erdir·est

Definition of DIRE

1

a : exciting horror <dire suffering>b : dismal, oppressive <dire days>

2

: warning of disaster <a dire forecast>

3

a : desperately urgent <dire need>b : extreme <dire poverty>

— dire·ly adverb

— dire·ness noun

from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dire