AFFC take two

[Wiggum]

Halfway through my second reading of AFFC, having distanced myself timewise sufficiently from my first.

I've found the second reading to be much more enjoyable. I don't have the urge I intitially did to skim over parts to try and get to the next chapter or to find out what happens next. Being able to take the writing in slowly without the inevitable impatience of the initial experience does a lot for the overall enjoyment of the story.

That being said, if he continues at this pace the series will be roughly 183 books.

Who's read it a second time?

 

[Werthead]

Not yet, but I'm planning a full series re-read for next year, just before Book 5 comes out.

 

[red_temple]

I haven't yet, either. I'm waiting for it to be released in mass-market paperback. I don't want to risk damage to my precious autographed hardcover....

 

[Trey Greyjoy]

Aye, only once for me also.

Im going to slowly make my way back through the series. Listening to AGOT I downloaded from Audible and taking notes. Hopefully by the time I get up to and through AFFC the new one will be ready to come out!

 

[genisis2]

Wiggum I read it twice, first by chapter then by pov which someone once suggested on this forum. I enjoyed the second reading much more than the first.Also certian PoV's that I hated I actually ended up appreciating more [Brienne]. Then there is that fact that I had forgotten a whack of events so a rereading was a must for me.

 

[Wiggum]

Funny you should say that. I was going to post that during the second reading I don't even mind Brienne's chapters, lol.

It's kind of a wierd thing though. The first time I read it it seemed like the Kingsmoot took a long (but very enjoyable) time. Second reading it flew right by. Same with the abduction of Myrcella and the death of Arys.

 

[genisis2]

Agreed

 

[Wil]

I admit I liked it more the second time around. I skipped the POV's I didn't like and it came alive more. I give it more credit now than before.
I just hope I don't have to skip any POV's in ADWD. I have to disagree about the Brieanne parts though. No matter what I did I just found her sections useless as part of this great story. I did learn to appreciate Cersei's POV more, which is something.

I may take GM's advice, cut out the parts I like out of each book and put them together into 1 MASIVE BOOK OF PLEASURE!

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

I was re-reading AFFC recently and enjoying it quite a bit... until my husband had finished reading ASOS for the first time and came along, frothing at the mouth, and stole AFFC right out of my hands.

I was skipping over the Victarion/Euron/Aeron chapters- they all annoy me for some reason. Victarion's by far my favorite, but I can't forgive him for killing his wife so brutally.

 

[TK-421]

Oh Arya....

I'll forgive you for skipping over those chapters. Personally I like Aeron and of course Asha but Victarion would of made the best choice. GRRM has spent some time developing the Ironborn for a good reason I hope.

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

I guess I was just so mad that Euron won the kingsmoot that I didn't want to relive that agony again. I don't know... I guess they all just seem to have their heads too far up their a**es, and I deal enough with that in my personal life.

Asha bothers me. I have a love/hate thing going on with her. On one hand, I think it's cool that she's downright nasty and does things her way no matter what. On the other hand, I can't help but feel that she's trying too hard, if that makes any sense.

I like Brienne better- she's not as smart as Asha, but then again she's not power-hungry, which I find rather refreshing.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

Weel, we really don't know how smart Brienne is because she's completely delusional, kind of like Sansa until recently. I'm hoping Brienne snaps out of it soon.

 

[AryaUnderfoot]

Weel, we really don't know how smart Brienne is because she's completely delusional, kind of like Sansa until recently. I'm hoping Brienne snaps out of it soon.

Brienne's a hurt little puppy. She's growing and learning. And she's come to terms with what she is.

Sometimes I feel like Asha just suffers from extreme penis-envy, like Cersei.

Lack of intelligence, in my book, is better than intelligence misused.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

I don't think Asha has penis-envy so much as penis-disdain.

 

[Wiggum]

Or penis ambivalence.

Now, while I did say I didn't mind the Brienne chapters, they are still to me, the low points of the book.

If she's going to grow and learn, how damn long is it going to take to at least start?

 

[Trey Greyjoy]

I dont mind Brienne at all. In fact I amost mentally consider the "Adventures of Brienne and Pod" to be an almost separate story. Ive never gotten bored with her POV as its shown us the Seven Kingdoms in more detail than we would have gotten otherwise. Now that Arya is stuck overseas, Brienne has really taken her place as the POV to show us what is going on outside of the castles and inner circle of the Lord's affairs.
But to each his own, everyone is going to have favorites!

 

[Werthead]

Brienne & Pod reminded me of a contemporary version of Dunk & Egg, but with some obvious differences. Interesting analogy though if Brienne is actually Dunk's great granddaughter or whatever.

 

[Wiggum]

Which exacerbates part of the problem I had with AFFC, it suffers the most out of the books for a lack of continuity.

 

[the smiling weirwood]

Well, that would be because half the characters are missing, so you really do have only half the continuity. I must say though, I agree with Trey on this one.

 

[Trey Greyjoy]

Thanks for having my back SW!

Yes, GRRM wasnt really entirely happy with the compromise, but it was the best he could do given the circumstances. I think 10 years from now, when someone reads the series for the first time and has AFFC and ADWD available, the "half-book" nature wont be nearly as noticeable.