Interesting perspective on ACOK. Certainly a good book but one that not particularly likeable in the same manner at GOT. Jon is wandering up north, Arya wandering in the middle, Dany wandering in Essos, Catelyn and Brienne wandering in the middle, Sansa wandering around the castle, Theon wandering around Iron Islands and the north, etc. Nearly everyone is struggling. I personally love the Tyrion plot line - the Pycelle scene, his courtesy to Sansa, his putdowns of Joff and Cersei, the Chain, the big battle - really nice work. Rob

Yeah, that topic is getting old, isn't it? If I were any good at it, I'd start coming up with jokes about it, at least as a discussion topic. And you are entirely correct. Leigh brings it up at every possible chance, even though there's really nothing new to say about it. *sigh* Anyway, thanks again for the clear-headed comments and your always-insightful thoughts; there are a few icons that make me smile in anticipation when I see them come up on the comment list, and yours is certainly one.

You have the family worked out correctly! LOL. Thanks for the compliment....good husband and great kids too.

Thank you so much for the explanations! I've been really trying to pay attention, with all the warnings about the complication of these books. It's nice not being totally in the dark...there are plenty of surprises anyway. I love his characters....very three dimensional.

Thanks for your heads up about TGotM! Nice to have a friend on the thread I can discuss this stuff with. I didn't want to post these question there, as they have to do with future chapters, but if you feel like filling me in, use my shout box. Thanks! What was that mysterious growing house in Simtal's garden that Rallick disappeared into? Was that an Azath? Is there more than one? Is it alive or is it an object of power? I'm confused about that. Obviously. I really liked that Paran didn't have to kill Lorn. It would have altered/darkened his character greatly. As we saw in several others, when revenge was the sole motive, it left a very empty, sour taste. Boy, there are some very complex characters and histories that I'm really looking forward to exploring. More Whiskeyjack please....I think we've barely scratched his surface. And of course, Quick Ben and Kalam. I get that the dead emperor is Shadowthrone and Cotillion/rope is his sword. Is he using the dead Imass who are scheduled for their 300,000year return as his army?

Wow!!! Now I'm REALLY honored! (Taking it to the shoutbox so I don't have to blush quite so hard.) I didn't consciously try to emulate RJs style, although I did specifically try not to use jarringly different wording. Sometimes I threw away a phrase that I would normally use, because it was too "lingo" or modern idiom to fit, and substituted something that fit the WoT better. Mostly, though, when I think about the characters I guess I think in his writing style. Like, you know you're fluent in a language when you can think in it instead of translating each thought. I truly am honored that it read so "true" for you - and you're one of the more discerning readers, I think, so it's doubly honoring. Thank you.