Part Three B: A Clash of Kings
Victoria
What I'm Doing Here
Well, I'm going to re-read A Game of Thrones, then, I'll start reading the other books, but here's the kicker: I'm only going to read the chapters of the characters I like.
All the other points of view, I'm going to skip. When a new point of view is introduced, I'll give that character a minimum of two chapters to make me like them.
I want to see if GRRM created characters that are integral to the story. If I miss massive chunks of story because I've decided to follow characters who have nothing to do with the plot. . . Well, then answer me this: What is the point of having that character?
There will be spoilers throughout this post, so beware!
Concerning Character Growth
Let me tell you, there has been no shortage of people telling me that character growth is an integral part of this series. My main response has been: Character growth should be an integral aspect of any novel. I don't want to read about a stagnant character. With that said, I have amended my rules:
I will give every character their first two initial chapters, and for the rest of that novel, if I do not like them, I will skip all the rest of their chapters. When I move onto the next book of the series, I will then give them an additional chapter to prove to me that they have changed. If not, they will be disregarded for the rest of that novel.
On to the Experiment!
The Characters I Skipped
Catelyn
She does absoloutely nothing for me. If I were to have read her chapters all the way through the novel, it would have been a chore.
Theon
The guy's a pig. I did not like him when he did not have a point of view, and then I liked him even less when he got one. I could care less as to what goes on with him. I have zero interest in learning about his personal thoughts.
Also, since someone told me, I know that Theon doesn't have any more chapters (at least not yet for the rest of the series). This tells me that the only reason for giving Theon, a minor character, a point of view in the first place is so that we, the readers, would know how and why Theon came to take over Winterfell. To me, this is cheating. The reader doesn't need to know everything that is going on. The reader, if provided with clues, can piece these things together. Readers are not stupid. I would much rather be confused and uncertain with Bran, and find out what is going on as Bran does. This way, I'm immersed in the character. This way, I care for the character. This is actually a major gripe I have about the entire series.
Davos
He's not horrible, but he is boring. I'll give him another chance in the next book, but he better pick up.
Sansa
I do not think words can describe how much a loathe this character. I don't care if she spits Joffrey with a fire poker, she's still annoying.
The Characters I Stayed With, but Didn't Enjoy
Tyrion
If this man put as much attention and detail to everything else that he puts toward his whore, he'd be king already. Where he's at now, at the end of this novel, is somewhat interesting, but I'll be honest, I'm more interested to see what Pod, his squire, is going to do than I am with Tyrion. I'd like to see a few chapters from Pod's point of view.
Daenerys
She needs to starting doing something. This wandering around bit is far from gripping. It's a snore fest. Yes, now at the end of this book she's about to go off with a few ships back to her merchant, but the rate in which she believed these newcomers was ridiculous. I don't know about you, but if I had all these people either wanting me dead, or wanting my dragons or both, I wouldn't, within five minutes of meeting them, hand my life over to some fat eunuchs with spears. Maybe she'll actually start doing something in the next book, but right now, oh man. . . I skimmed. A lot.
The Characters I Like
Arya
I keep on saying this, but to me, she has the most interesting and the most fun storyline in the entire series. Hands down. First off, she's a ten year old girl who learns how to slip around in the shadows and swing a sword. Then she runs around as a gutter rat for a while. She's taken by an ally, but has to assume the role of a boy, she's taken prisoner, she instigates the taking of a castle and she's now the friend of some sort of assassin guild, I'm going to take it? Awesome. Pure awesome. I want more. In fact, forget the rest of the characters. Forget the series. Give me a whole new series with her as the only point of view.
The only thing that bothers me is the fact that I want her to reunite with her wolf. Every time a wolf howls near her I get excited, but to no avail. This saddens me.
Jon
Jon's a good guy. I like him simply for that. I do, however, have one complaint, something that's been bothering me for a while, and now that certain events have happened, even more so. Here's a young man who's off to fight the Big Bad Guys, doesn't really have much choice in the matter, he's kind, he's thoughtful, he's smart. . . And his best friend is a round coward, who really isn't a coward because he does things that cowards wouldn't do and he stands up for Jon, and looks out for him all the time. This best friend's name is Sam. Hmm. . . I wonder where I've heard that name before. /coughcough
And now that Jon is forced to go off with the wildings, I'm sure Sam will be the one to stand up for him, regardless of how much of a coward he is. I think Sam needs a different name.
Bran
Whoohoo! Finally, Bran is realizing who/what he is. Yay for the frogeaters he's with too. I'm looking forward reading more about him in the next book. Honestly, I can kind of see him as a Merlin type of character. I hope I'm right.
Can I Follow the Plot?
Yes, I can. All the characters find out about what's going on with who. People really like sending ravens around in this world. If I hadn't read Tyrion's chapters, I would still be able to follow the plot, but I would not have known so much about Renly and Stannis. I knew a little about them through Jon's point of view, but I wouldn't have known the details. But that's fine. I'm actually thinking of purposefully not reading Tyrion's chapters in the next book, just to see how much knowledge of the plot I really can learn.
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