This week we're checking back in with Jon at the Wall. Things are slowly heating up for him, he's facing resistance from the Nights Watch towards his policies and things are getting tense.
Stannis has marched south and Jon leads wagon loads of food to where wildlings have settled. A scuffle breaks out over the portions being given out, and Jon addresses the wildlings and tells them he is giving them as much as he can. He offers to take volunteers to help man the Wall, and tells them that those who join will eat better.
COMMENTARY:
This chapter is part of the problem. Just not enough happens here. Jon is always fun to read about (well, sometimes) but here he just hands out food and gives a speech to wildlings. We didn't need a chapter devoted to this, it could have been mentioned in passing and the plot moved along.
TYRION IV:
Tyrion wakes up and learns that he has been asleep for a while, and they are worried he might have greyscale. They are in a river town on the way to Volantis. Tyrion talks to Young Griff (Aegon) and advises him to go west, not east. He says that Daenerys will respect the boy more if he is already in Westeros when she arrives, and they can join forces. Some of their party have gone ashore and heard rumors that Dany is still in Meereen, and that Volantis is going to war with her. Griff says Haldon and Tyrion out to learn more.
They hear the high priest of the red temple has sent the word out that Dany should be supported against the slavers of Volantis. Haldon leads them to Qavo, a man he knows, to get info and they learn that Dany has a reputation as bloodthirsty.
Tyrion then decides he needs a whore. Mistake. After his tryst he encounters none other than Jorah Mormont.
COMMENTARY:
Tyrion's journey continues. In previous books I think the pace seemed quicker. Here we get pit stops along the way, slowing things down of course, although to be fair something big does happen here. Tyrion is taken by Jorah, who of course has been exiled by Dany and is whiling away his time in a whorehouse, apparently. With a whore who looks rather like a Valyrian- yeah Jorah had a thing for Dany, didn't he? Anyway, Tyrion is with Jorah now and Griff and crew will no longer have the pleasure of his services.
The other thing we learn is that the red priests apparently support Dany, fomenting rebellion among the slaves and downtrodden. Hmm. And I got thinking about Septa Lemore again as they make their way downriver. Could Lemore be Ashara Dayne?
