Ask Us Anything about A GAME OF THRONES!
Added 2019-07-17 01:16:53 +0000 UTC
Hi everyone!
Last night, we wrapped our recording for our final episode for A GAME OF THRONES with Dany's spectacular mother of dragons chapter. As you all might know, we will be taking a two week break before we begin the Prologue for A CLASH OF KINGS on the regular NotACast.
BUT!
We will have a patreon-only episode coming for all $5/above patrons that will be coming out for everyone in the short interlude between AGOT and ACOK. And that means we are looking to you for questions we might be able to feature for that episode.
You are welcome to ask us anything, but we will likely prioritize questions related to plot, character, thematic beats from the first book.
As always, you are welcome to leave your questions as a comment for this post, shoot us a message or e mail us at NotACastASOIAF@gmail.com.
Thank you everyone for sticking with us for nearly 20 months of almost non-stop weekly episodes. We feel extraordinarily blessed that even with Game of Thrones receding into the past, we still have you all as our supporters, listeners and friends.
Much love,
Emmett and Jeff
Comments
I vaguely remember hearing GOT referred to somewhere as something of a book-long prologue to the ASOIAF series. What’s your take on this? Are there storylines that you think particularly embody this and any that you don’t think it applies to at all? How can that take color the way we view the rest of the series?
Samuel Kane
2019-07-25 23:58:04 +0000 UTCThis is less a question and more a recommendation. I believe in your episode with Eliana you talked about how the "when the Sun rises in the West" line could refer to something like KL going up in flames. This reminds me of the Pink Floyd song "Two Suns in the Sunset," which is about a nuclear bomb going off making it look like the Sun is on two horizons. The song is also about the futility of trying to work against forces far greater than you. The album, The Final Cut, is in general about the failed promise of a brighter future after fascism was "defeated" in WWII, only to immediately enter the Cold War. Sounds like Robert's Rebellion and the aftermath to me! Have a good one.
Michael Yaehne
2019-07-24 03:44:36 +0000 UTCI know this is really late and like really really stupid, but if you assign super powers to GoT characters and the same in ADWD, what would you assign and how would it change?
Imperium
2019-07-24 03:19:39 +0000 UTC1. What was your ranking of the books before starting this podcast? Has it changed after this re-read? 2. What did Daenerys do right to give birth to dragons that so many of her ancestors did wrong? I`m thinking especially about the Tragedy of Summerhall. I feel like that event had the same ingredients as the ritual performed by Daenerys (big sacrifices, fire and dragon eggs) and yet it failed miserably.
Pancho Rosenfeldt
2019-07-22 18:14:27 +0000 UTCWhat was the reason for Stannis leaving KL prior to Jon Arryn’s death ? It seems it could have been advantageous for him to be there when Jon Arryn found a way to break the news to Robert. It’s uncharacteristic for Stannis to flee a storm.
One With No Name
2019-07-22 06:56:27 +0000 UTCWhat are your plans as a podcast for when Winds of Winter is released, hopefully next year? And what are your plans in general for that release, as members of the fandom/subreddit moderator/podcaster? Do you know of anybody who is going to bite the bullet and do an unspoiled chapter-by-chapter first reactions podcast? Maybe 5-10 chapters per week?
Andrew B Lawson
2019-07-20 15:57:15 +0000 UTCI don't remember If you've answered this but surely you must have . Why do you think Stannis keeps the incest knowledge to himself? Why don't he just tell Robert or the new hand of the king?
Farhad Peter
2019-07-19 19:11:35 +0000 UTCYou have talked a lot about how heavily GRRM has thumbed the scales. What are the baddest most ugly theories/opinions you have seen that are a result of GRRM stacking everything against the Starks?
OMGBEARS
2019-07-18 23:31:04 +0000 UTCHow do you think the dynamic and tone of the book have changed if Robb was the POV instead of Catelyn?
Joseph Pollack
2019-07-18 15:20:58 +0000 UTCRe: Jeff- can't wait to see that essay series! Maybe even record it for us Patrons like back in the WaPoIaF podcast days?
Gritty Reboot
2019-07-18 14:05:39 +0000 UTCLast question! Will we be reading about Mirri Max Duur in TWoW or ADos?
Azor Ahai Five
2019-07-18 11:46:29 +0000 UTCJeff here. I've been thinking about going back and doing a War of the Five Kings essay series some day down the road. Got the itch again after doing Catelyn XI and the Battle of the Camps with Steven Attewell. So, if/when that occurs, I'll let you all know!
NotAPodcast
2019-07-18 02:38:38 +0000 UTCSo many good questions already. Are there any chapters from ACOK you would have moved into AGOT or vice versa? There are several characters in AGOT who later become POVs (Theon, Cersei, Jaime). Would you have liked to see any as POVs in this book? Thanks!
Michael Yaehne
2019-07-18 00:47:13 +0000 UTCWe know that GRRM has indicated the fever dream "version" of the events at the Tower of Joy does not entirely match the real course of events; are there any particular details you predict will transpire to have gone differently, and if so how?
David Howlett
2019-07-17 23:08:48 +0000 UTCThis might be bigger than AGOT but... when was magic reborn? Does it come in the last pages when the dragons are born? If so, why are the Others already on the move? Does it have something to do with Jon’s birth? With Bloodraven’s apotheosis?
Christopher Compton
2019-07-17 19:03:45 +0000 UTCIf there was an epilogue in AGOT, what character would you like to have seen it be written for and what would be the setting?
Choner
2019-07-17 18:42:51 +0000 UTCHas knowing the rough ending of the series changed which details stick out to you?
WootGorilla
2019-07-17 14:41:23 +0000 UTCEven after your superb in-depth military recounts, it's difficult to picture the larger troop movements happening in GoT. Can you zoom out a bit and summarize how the forces were maneuvering (especially between battles)? Your analysis of the Battle of Riverrun has made me more curious about how the terrain factored in, along with leaders' overall strategies and pivots. You're at the Painted Table with the craps dealers stick, pushing wooden lions and wolves around, teeth grinding. Thanks for all the amazing content!
Gritty Reboot
2019-07-17 13:08:20 +0000 UTCGRRM talks about his gardening style. If he had a chance to go back over Game of Thrones, having developed and redeveloped the characters, plot and world in four and half subsequent books, what would he change?
General Counsel to the Iron Bank
2019-07-17 13:00:51 +0000 UTCDoes bloodraven exist in GRRM’s headspace during AGOT?
Ser Fif Whoresbane
2019-07-17 12:45:17 +0000 UTCHow do you think the story would have unfolded had Ned refrained from alerting Cersei of his findings, and after Robert's death, snuck away to Dragonstone to link up with Stannis?
kylemania
2019-07-17 12:34:42 +0000 UTCHey guys, we've all heard the two of you gush about GRRM's literary brilliance during the 20+ months you've gone through AGOT (looking at you Jeff). I'm just curious to know upon reread whether you've noticed any weak points in GRRM's writing during the first book that you may have not noticed on first read, either narrative wise or in terms of character development, world-building etc. Keep up the good work guys and I look forward to hear you go through ACoK and fanboy all over Stannis the Mannis.
Aslan Christbeard
2019-07-17 10:17:11 +0000 UTCAs we know, GRRM sees himself as the "gardener" type, where new ideas form as he writes the book. As we also know, he's been writing these books for a looooong time, so the last two books contain a lot of new characters and a lot of new story arcs, etc. If we could go back in time and let GRRM write GOT from scratch again, what and how much would change (aside from the publication date)? Also, a small bonus question: If we're going to read Fevre Dream together, will it be a first time read-through or a reread? (Do I need to hurry up and read them now, before you get enough patrons?) Sincerely, Kompe, Norwegian potato ball
Kompe
2019-07-17 06:41:28 +0000 UTCAlso, just a second question to let Jeff get his freak on, militarily that is. Let's just say Jeff's now the highest ranking Lannister commander at the end of AGOT.....let's just say. Exactly how do you attempt to fix the completely fucked up military situation that Tywin has found himself in? Poor planning and assumptions have allowed one of your armies to be destroyed as an effective fighting force. There's enemy armies to the west and north to cut your supply lines and limit your movement out of the Riverlands (which have just recently and shortsightedly been ordered torched). Enemy forces are starting to organize to the south in the Reach and absolute uncertainty is growing from Blackwater Bay with an inept leadership in the capital to boot. Is there any remotely plausible military/political solution to this predicament, or do you just pray that the invisible author in the sky has his thumb down on the scales in your favor?
Keith Johnson
2019-07-17 03:24:54 +0000 UTC*Finishes correcting grammar, clenches jaw, and grinds teeth in anticipation.*
Keith Johnson
2019-07-17 03:10:54 +0000 UTCEven arter reading Game of Thrones several times, there are still a few scenes I just forget were different, or even existed in the books, Caitlyns chapter here is probably one of my favorites compared to their show version. So what are your favorite “book only” scenes, or where the book differes significantly from the show? Same goes for the other way around, what are your favorite show only scenes, or changes the show made? I recall you mentioning Ned yelling “Baelor!” to Yoren in an earlier episode, and that is certainly a good change I didn’t even realize was not in the books.
Wiedemann
2019-07-17 03:09:21 +0000 UTCAlright boys, let's talk turkey and AGOT....okay, mostly AGOT. This book has rarely been on the top of anyone's list of favorites in this series. It's not that I think I think AGOT is a bad book by any means, but the others used it as a foundation to grow off of, so I tend to believe it gets overshadowed....especially given the events, excitement, and action in the next two books directly following it. I'm just curious, have you come to appreciate this book more now after this re-read as opposed to before embarking down the podcast path? In other words, has your perception of the book changed for the better since meticulously going thru this re-read?
Keith Johnson
2019-07-17 03:07:43 +0000 UTCAre there any POVs we see in later books that aren’t in GOT that you guys would have liked to see included?
The Prince that was Fresh
2019-07-17 03:06:56 +0000 UTCI’m thinking about the comparison between Jon and Rob. What is GRRM communicating in the difference between their themes? Both hero’s, maybe, but very different.
Traci Laird
2019-07-17 02:44:37 +0000 UTCWho was your favorite PoV when you first read the series when you two were young and nubile, and who was your favorite PoV now that you are (well one of you) grumpy old men? What do you think it says about both the story and about yourselves? I’m very excited to start ACoK with you two, and even more for hearing you two say ACoK. Cheers!
Azor Ahai Five
2019-07-17 02:41:27 +0000 UTCWe know benjen is missing and we don’t think he’s coldhands right? Right. What purpose do you think his character is set up for to reveal in the end or is he the rickon of the older Starks, where he’s kind of got a shaggy dog story going on, if nothing else comes of him.
Tony Bargas
2019-07-17 02:18:09 +0000 UTCSince AGoT is the book with some of the biggest support for R+L=J, what are some of your least favorite Jon parentage theories?
Micah Clark
2019-07-17 01:56:49 +0000 UTCVery serious question: will Dany's hair ever fully grow back? She lost it birthing her dragons and it mostly burned away after riding Drogon out of Daznak's Pit. Will it burn away again in the future? Will she finally get fed up and shave it? Maybe don a floppy straw hat like Egg? Seriously, though, thank you guys for this awesome cast. I can't wait to tackle Clash with you guys while yelling STANNIS! alone in my car.
Lord Jake, Assistant (to the) Hand of the King
2019-07-17 01:49:46 +0000 UTCWhat is one bit of foreshadowing you think should have been in AGOT instead of later in the series? For me it would be the Greyjoys/Ironborn. Maybe it was intentional, but I was pretty caught off guard the first time I read ACOK and suddenly Balon and the Greyjoys decide to be....well, Greyjoys. Sure, Theon was kind of a jerk in AGOT but I never got the impression that he or the Greyjoys in general would be major players in the upcoming wars.
AmbushIntheDark
2019-07-17 01:47:45 +0000 UTCHas GRRM talked about in SSMs when exactly certain major changes to the pitch letter were made during the process? Do you guys have guesses when major things like Cat not going North ect were changed? Do you think he was already making major changes to his plan as he finished book 1?
Rob Suelzle
2019-07-17 01:47:31 +0000 UTCWhat's your favorite what-if for AGoT? Is it Stannis sending his letter early enough for Robb to bend the knee to him, allowing him to coordinate strategy with Stannis, keeping Tywin penned up in the Riverlands? Is it Catelyn connecting the dots about Lysa and Littlefinger as you mentioned in your superb Cat 11 episode? Stannis swallowing his pride long enough to tell Robert or Ned about the Twincest? Or Ned listening to Gared? And yes, Jeff, we know that these AUs would make this the story be not ASOIAF just answer the question and have fun for once in your life. Keep up the great work fellas, and get to Clash as soon as possible, His Grace awaits.
Frank B
2019-07-17 01:38:47 +0000 UTCWhat scene from AGOT had the biggest emotional impact on you? I think my favorite part of AGOT is all the pathos George includes throughout the novel, especially in those later chapters. There are almost too many fantastic bittersweet and devastating moments to count.
Grant
2019-07-17 01:37:51 +0000 UTCWhat were Illyrio and Varys planning to do with Viserys when they allied the Dothraki with Aegon and the Golden Company?
Olympian Comics
2019-07-17 01:31:07 +0000 UTCDoes AGOT provide sufficient setup and foreshadowing for Bran to become king by the end of the series?
Joshua Schwartz
2019-07-17 01:27:28 +0000 UTCIf George were to revisit AGOT and update it to reflect changes/developments he didn’t invent until later books, what would you be most excited for him to change/add/explore?
Christopher Compton
2019-07-17 01:21:43 +0000 UTC
