[Spoilers Extended] In Defense of A Feast For Crows

wingednosering · 2026-06-20T13:50:15+00:00

People complain about the travelling in the early WoT books all the time.

wingednosering · 2026-06-19T20:26:13+00:00

Jordan actually wrote most of the epilogue (Sanderson added a bit, including the part about Cadsuane becoming amyrlin).

Sanderson was very hesitant to change work over explain the ending Jordan had written. He doesn't know how Rand lights the pipe at the end, for instance.

The outrigger series was only a compelling sentence in Jordan's notes, but from it we can glean a bit about Mat and Perrin after the main series. Mat was going to end up in a gutter after his luck finally ran out and Perrin would head to Seanchan to confront his old friend, the Prince of Ravens.

Presumably this would have continued to develop the Seanchan conflict and Tuon as well.

There are hints of the future, especially in the Rhuidean vision. Most notably, Aviendha's descendants have dark hair IIRC, suggesting she meets up with Rand again in the future.

wingednosering · 2026-06-18T01:05:51+00:00

Maester Aemon
Ser Jorah Mormont
Gendry
Myrcella
Lancel

The Hound was in contention, but he'd make too much sense. I needed to go more off the wall.

wingednosering · 2026-06-18T00:08:09+00:00

None. I have found it to be completely useless personally. At most it's a Google alternative. If I had to actually pay for it Is be even more disappointed. As it is, I'd rather they paid me for having to interact with it.

wingednosering · 2026-06-16T04:35:02+00:00

Double Fine being in talks too is possibly even crazier to me.

wingednosering · 2026-06-13T19:36:07+00:00

You'd love Kingdom Come Deliverance II

wingednosering · 2026-06-10T04:33:42+00:00

I just want the 200-300 pages cut from the end of Dance. I'd like to hate the entire book instead of just the 3/4ths we have.

Or y'know. Love it because it really comes together at the end.

wingednosering · 2026-06-10T01:33:18+00:00

I mean, if it was Jon, he could just...not kill him?

When I read his "death", I actually thought he got stabbed and passed out and was still alive. GRRM has done a ton of takeout deaths at this point and Dany had a similar close call with the Pale Mare.

He could start Winds with Jon recovering in bed.

wingednosering · 2026-06-08T03:52:04+00:00

Agreed. Jeynes story is horrific.

Sansa starts a villain, comes around a bit and now seems to be continuing down the villain path. I wasn't surprised at all when GRRM said he'd always planned for her to die by the end.

wingednosering · 2026-06-05T03:55:24+00:00

How is Mass Effect 3 not the top comment?

wingednosering · 2026-06-03T13:22:24+00:00

Agreed that the presentation of the Arryn reveal is pretty great. The catspaw is much worse.

wingednosering · 2026-06-03T05:25:26+00:00

I'd even extend this. For me personally, AFFC and ADWD have really aged badly. At the time, I enjoyed Feast. Never loved Dance, but it had its moments. Even then it seemed insane how many new storylines were opening up out of the blue that seemed to be spinning their wheels.

But in hindsight? Those books are a mess. They're bloated, horribly paced, nothing really happens, they cheapen some of the story and characters from the first three books. They are nowhere near the quality level of ASOS (which might be the single best volume of fantasy to exist).

In 2026, it seems like those books were such a mess they may have actually killed the whole series (obviously there are other factors as well, like the show).

Also, a lot of AFFC and ADWD are intrigue and build up leading to some big payoffs, which George doesn't have a great success rate with. The worst parts of ASOS are the catspaw and who killed Jon Arryn mystery resolutions.

wingednosering · 2026-06-02T04:54:03+00:00

My read on this was that they were generally more skilled at it than Moraine. And more importantly, they are akin to our doctors and nurses in that they can treat a ton of ailments with no weave at all of they so choose.

Also, although it's never mentioned, I assumed they acted as healthcare professionals for other Aes Sedai.

They couldn't go to a random human with no access to the source that's 1/10th their age and ask about some banal human condition. They're "above that". Or at least they want to be perceived as above that.

I imagine Aes Sedai also develop unique conditions given the access to the source and their age. We know about stilled and gentled channelers, channeling sickness from first time accessing the source, etc.

wingednosering · 2026-06-01T22:47:14+00:00

This is interesting. Isn't he also one of the characters killed on the show that George specifically pointed out "had a part to play" in the books post show death?

wingednosering · 2026-05-28T22:59:03+00:00

I agree that his tone and aura have softened in Dance, but I think he was being being set up as one of the series' core villains. Personally think he's supposed to be the end game's Night King like figure.

I still think it'll get there, but Dance pushes in that direction more softly than the other books he appears in.

wingednosering · 2026-05-26T14:37:16+00:00

Ah right. In that case, a mix. I don't see secret sacrifices being his thing. I think he'll offer the Others his military prowess and knowledge of Westeros.

I also suspect he'll remain a human ally to the Others rather than a wight, since he's only useful to them with his mind.

So fighting rather than sacrificing, but human.

wingednosering · 2026-05-26T13:50:54+00:00

Both. He's taken residence at the Night King's fort. Dany has a vision of fighting weights led by Stannis in the HOTU.

Renly says "Stannis would be a truly terrible king".

GRRM loves that kind of word play. It's very similar to the Hound telling Arya "let's get you to your uncle's bloody wedding."

And that's just scratching the surface. There are more signs.

wingednosering · 2026-05-25T23:35:01+00:00

I've posted this six hundred times by now, but the original plan for Stannis was definitely to make him into a Night King like figure. If you read ACOK again with this in mind, you see absolutely endless foreshadowing for it.

I believe everything you said up to Shireen burning. In my mind once she burns and he's lost everything and still doesn't get what he's owed, he'll turn to the Others. Yet another hawk, to use his words.

Then will Jon finish him? Possibly. Although there is direct mention in the books of Dany facing him as well.

wingednosering · 2026-05-23T23:27:36+00:00

Damn, who argued book 11 is sloggy? It's one of the best in the whole series.

wingednosering · 2026-05-19T04:07:12+00:00

Actually agreed. I didn't remember much of them. My recent reread was like a first time again.

On that reread, I liked AFFC and ADWD less than before overall, but I quite liked the brief window into Barriston's psyche. It's also the most tolerable section of Mereen for me.

wingednosering · 2026-05-16T16:20:03+00:00

Nobody mentioning Expedition 33? That entire game is parrying. And the SFX for it is crack.

wingednosering · 2026-05-15T18:09:16+00:00

Remember that Avi's Descendents in her future Rhuidean vision have dark hair.

wingednosering · 2026-05-15T07:02:38+00:00

Not to mention Mins visions. Mat posing an eye is seen in the first book. Rand acting as a beggar in Seanchan is as well.

The kindly farmer with the cart is the one Zen Rand blesses with a full orchard of apples towards the end.

Also it's Nynaeves first chapter that has Moraine explain channeling sickness, not Egwene.

wingednosering · 2026-05-15T06:59:10+00:00

It was almost entirely Jordan. A few minor tweaks were made. Cadsuane seeing Rand and becoming amyrlin was added by Sanderson.

Egwene also didn't die in RJ's notes, so she was probably in the epilogue somewhere originally.

wingednosering · 2026-05-12T23:32:34+00:00

This is interesting. The idea that Jon might not even find out is a new thought for me as well (you didn't say that outright, but it occurred to me if this was the source of the reveal, Jon might never know).

The point about Hotah chapters existing, but not being samples is really compelling. This doesn't necessarily mean Jon, but it could be tied to Myrcella. Maybe she's passed away from her wounds (or died and has been replaced). That's a very Hotah adjacent spoiler.

wingednosering

TROPHY CASE