GoT

Whew! Yet again, my usual preamble: I stink at posting regularly. I have been so swamped at work lately and have had no time whatsoever, even during my evenings at home, to focus my attentions on anything but work, chores at home, and sleeping! I finished Book 1 of the Game of Thrones quite a few weeks ago but have yet to get around to sharing my thoughts. We have also been watching Season 2 of the TV version which is just about finished, so I guess I must catch up to myself.

Recall in my last post that we have several families scattered around Westeros and Essos.

Recall that there is much animosity between most of these families and that everyone believes themselves to be the true line of heirs to the Iron Throne, for all sorts of reasons:

~ The Lannisters, because young Prince Joffrey is the son of the current King Robert Baratheon (married to Queen Cersei, formerly a Lannister).
~ Other Baratheons (Robert's brothers), although it's not really until Book 2/Season 2 that this trouble starts up.
~ Daenerys Targaryen/her brother who are descendents from the original keepers of the realm.

Then, we have the Starks of Winterfell who have no desire to sit upon the throne but who keep being involved because Ned Stark is now the Hand of the King.



Whew. Okay. So.

Recall that Daenerys is now married to Khal Drogo of the Dothraki people in the East. He is their "King" if you will and has taken Daenerys' hand in marriage so that she is now his Khaleesi (which is basically "Queen.") We learn a few things about the Dothraki people:

~ They ride horses. This is a huge deal. They are said to live and die by their horses and that, when they do die, they ride forever in the night lands with their brothers. To be unable to ride a horse (be it due to injury, or anything really) renders a Dothraki essentially useless. They are nothing without their horses.
~ The Dothraki warriors all have long hair, tied back in a braid, that is cut if ever they lose a battle. Khal Drogo's is the longest of them all. He is B.A.
~ Dothraki men are not very kind to their women. No one is, really, to their women in this book. The fact that they are so easily cruel becomes a big point of issue for Khaleesi throughout the book. She is so sweet and wants her people kept safe, women included. This generally angers the other men but they keep it as quiet as possible because they do respect Drogo.

I really like the relationship between Khaleesi and Drogo. I get a good sense of love, loyalty, and respect between them. This isn't usual, as arranged marriages in this book are typically filled with contempt and hatred, but theirs is different. Unfortunately, their relationship ends very sadly. I don't want to spoil anything, but know that it ends with a dance of the dead, a fiery expression of revenge, and the birth of dragons!!!

"When my dragons are grown, we will take back what was stolen from me and destroy those who wronged me! We will lay waste to armies and burn cities to the ground!" - Khaleesi

PS: You notice that I do not mention Daenery's brother ever again. You will just have to read or watch to find out his fate. It's pretty rad.

Meanwhile, back in Westeros, as I said before, Ned Stark of Winterfell has uncovered a very dark, game-changing (pun intended) secret about Prince Joffrey. It involves his mother, Queen Cersei, and if discovered could mean some serious changes to King's Landing as to who is the true heir to the throne. When Stark foolishly confronts Cersei with his findings, -ish hits the fan. I can't stand Cersei, but one thing I can say? She doesn't screw around. You don't mess with her and you don't mess with her kids. End of story. Stark really should have kept his mouth shut and devised a plan instead of getting all hot-headed and losing his head about him. (Subtle spoiler, mwahaha).

Because, see, just after Ned reveals that "he knows what's up" to Cersei, King Robert is killed while hunting boar. I don't mind issuing that spoiler. It's clear what we're getting at here. Now he is dead, so who is King now? Logically it would be his eldest son, Joffrey. But alas. There is so much more to it than that.... thus begins the Game.

"When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground." - Queen Cersei

As soon as Season 2 concludes, I plan to pick up Book 2. I've chosen not to read ahead of my husband who is choosing only to watch and not read at all. It's tough but I'm dealing! With how Season 2 has been so far, I can only imagine the book itself will be AMAZING. I've done no other reading. I'm solely hooked on GoT, but realize that I have a long way to go before Season 3 would start/end, therefore allowing me to continue reading...I need to make a plan for what to read next, outside of this great series!!!

It is hard to detail here exactly what I am reading. 800+ pages, remember? It's a task. But it is so worth it. The detail that the author puts into his story is impeccable. I can't begin to imagine his brain but I'd love to pick it! (Weird statement). Though I'm mostly vague in my musings, I hope that they at least somewhat inspire you to read, whoever you are. Again. Worth. It. Jump on this bandwagon!!!

Image source: found here...