[Note: This report fleshes out details given in this report.]
Fleshing out some of the notes Rhelle took on the Q&A:
"George was asked if he would change anything and he says nothing major."
The person asking the question noted that, when Tolkien wrote LotR, he had the advantage of completing the entire trilogy prior to publication, and therefore could revise portions of, say, the first book while he was writing the second. The person asked whether, since George's works are serial, were there any changes he would make? George said that there are a few minor details he's noticed that are inconsistent between books, and these are the only things he would change (and *has* changed in later editions).
"We are completely 'shit out of luck' if George dies." And "George gave out props to Ran and says he checks with Ran for mistakes. (GO RAN!!! Yes, we cheered you)."
I recall these being all part of one answer, but my memory could be faulty. I believe the question was: Did George have an idea how the books are going to end? Is it written down somewhere? How does he keep all the details straight? And what happens if he dies? George gave his, 'sorry, SOL' answer. He said that he does keep some details written down on his computer, but mostly it's all "up here" in his head. "Also, there's a man called Elio in Sweden, and he knows all the details, knows everything better than I do. I can just ask Elio."
I don't recall what the question was, but our Tolkien fans would be interested in a snippet George mentioned. He said one of the beauties of LotR is how the book starts out with a small world, and gradually expands. You start with this huge sprawling map, and it's just of the Hobbit lands, and this is all our hobbits really know of. There's no talk of, say, Minias Tirith [and no LotR fans better come excoriate me for spelling that wrong] at the beginning. Then, when the journey begins, the hobbits -- and the readers -- get this incredible sense of an ever-expanding world, and how they are just a small part of it.
The guy who asked whether Westeros was in the southern hemisphere was really quite certain George was gonna say yes to that one, and seemed shocked when George said, "Ummmm. No."
Tommen rhymes with "omen."
Chataya is shuh-TIE-yuh.
George mentioned over and over this weekend how he doesn't feel that there's really a boundary between fantasy and sci fi. My new prediction is that the Others are actually space aliens, that the "dragons" asleep below Dragonstone and Winterfell are actually space ships, and that we'll end with Dany's dragons in a fight with aliens shooting space lasers. You heard it here first, folks!
[Note: Proofread for clarity. This is in response to a question regarding whether Brandon's duel with Littlefinger was before or after Harrenhal.]
And when I asked him your question, Ran, about Brandon, he said he couldn't be 100% sure without checking his notes but he thought it was after Harrenhal.
Frey rhymes with "Day"
Jonquil is pronounced John-Kill.
Dolorous is pronounced Dollar-Us
Tobho rhymes with Bobo
This chapter was originally part of the prologue, of which was 250 pages. Now the material will be spread throughout the book. POVs are listed and George says "Meeren with Dany" and it sounded to me like she was going to stay there throughout the book.
George was asked if he would change anything and he says nothing major.
We are completely "shit out of luck" if George dies.
Regarding the size and geography of Westeros: it is about the size of South America. It is Not in the southern hemisphere. Stop asking George about distances and travel time. Measuring the realm by the reference of how long the Wall is NOT valid.
George says he is drowning in POVs and will have to start killing some off soon. (said with laughter)
AFFC is getting longer and more difficult to fit the entire 5 years in.
Some people will never be POVs: Littlefinger, Varys, Howland Reed, and others who know too much.
George gave out props to Ran and says he checks with Ran for mistakes. (GO RAN!!! Yes, we cheered you)
ASOIAF is loosely based on the War of the Roses and the 100 year war.
Politics: look at all people, not just POVs and he thinks through what these people want-what they are after, what is in it for them.
No regrets about killing of chars.
George talks about nutty fans, and related a story about a woman who contacted him complaining that he killed her daughter, who was named Kathryn (Beauty and the Beast).
[Note: Edited for brevity. The beginning relates to the heraldry fiddlings mentioned in the previous mail, when it was decided to modify Bracken somewhat.]
Ancient enemies?
The feud between the Brackens and the Blackwoods goes back to the Age of Heroes. Both Houses ruled the riverlands as kings at various times. They were also divided by religion; the Brackens went over to the new gods, while the Blackwoods remained with the old.
We saw the update on your site about the coins. Do hope those are successful. The "sepp" looks quite interesting, although we contacted the fellow at Shirepost.com and he said that that was his own invention as you haven't really settled on anything in that regards.
He coined the term "sepp," which I didn't really like. We've agreed in future to call it a "star." Since the stag and dragon are known for the symbols on the obverse, this one should be as well.
Initially he set out to make a copper penny, but the coin he ended up with wound up being too large and heavy for a penny, in my estimation. Also, once I paused to consider, it struck me that the coinage was just too simple if it was copper/silver/gold and only one coin of each metal. I mean, for comparison, look at the real British system, of old: http://www.btinternet.com/~johnandsandy.colby/measures/coinage.html
An odd-numbered coin denomination is rather strange, but you're right about the craziness of the (old) British system. Much livelier than a simple decimal system.
Yes indeed. And much more medieval. It occurs to me too that Westerosi coinage is probably more complex than actual British medieval coinage, since the Seven Kingdoms were actually seven kingdoms once... and presumably each king minted his own coins. So expect to see references to halfpennies, threepennies, stars, and groats popping up in future books.
[Note: This message relates to various heraldry fiddlings that were being worked upon. The message has been edited for brevity, focusing on the interesting thematic statement made.]
If not, maybe we could suggest a weirwood by making it a white tree on a black eschutcheon. The Blackwoods are one of the few southron worshippers of the old gods, after all.
[Note: The following interview is made available through the Internet Archive.]
My name is Morgan, and I'm helping Amok (the Russian artist) with exact original English translations to get his cards right for the Fantasy Flight Games cards.
Hello, Morgan. Nice to "meet" you.
FFG has asked him to do a character card for Grey Worm (a potentially cool character, btw). Anyway, since there is very little description of Grey Worm himself (there is lots for a standard Unsullied), I wanted to ask you if his 'race' or physical description will become important in later books. I can easily see his heritage being a factor somewhere along the line, and I want to help Amok get things as accurate as possible.
I have no plans for Grey Worm's race or personal history to become important at this time, though I do reserve the right to change my mind. Sometimes the muse plays strange tricks on me.
If Grey Worm's physique is important (or will be), what would you like to tell about his description??
And if not, I'll pass on the word to Amok, and he can use his creative juices to the fullest.
Grey Worm is young, late 20s or so. As a eunuch, his face would be very smooth, with no trace of facial hair. No beard, mustache, stubble, etc. He's a soldier, so he's fit, but he would not have a bodybuilder's physique. I see him a square, solid guy, maybe a bit on the stocky side, medium height, short brown hair. The Unsullied are trained to be very clean, so his uniform and gear, while plain and without ornament, would be immaculate. A serious looking face, on the edge of solemn. The Unsullied do not display much emotion.
In the new book I mention that his bronze cap has three spikes, arranged front to back in descending height, to mark him as an official. Ordinary unsullied have only one spike on their helms. He'd have a quilted tunic, a short sword, and three spears.
Not sure if I should be doing this as most boarders I know at Ran's ezboard site suggest we do not mail you until AFfC is finished but I am curious to know something. If I am being a bother feel free to disregard this message.
Many people feel that the Kingslayer had little to no value as a hostage while he was at Riverrun. I tend to disagree. My question is, if Cat had not freed the Kingslayer would the Red Wedding still have went ahead and if it did, would Ser Brynden still be in a good position having the Kingslayer as a bargaining tool?
"What if" questions are hard to answer. No one really knows.
Lord Tywin had not shown much tendency to be cowed by his enemies holding hostages... but Jaime was special.
Also. Did Ser Loras kill Ser Emmon and Ser Robar in a fair fight?
A red rage, more like it. Not a formal duel or anything like it.
I hope you are doing fine and that AFfC is going well.
It's coming more slowly than I'd like. Thanks for the patience.
Question: Can direwolves and regular wolves mate and breed viable offspring?
Presumably. Wolves and dogs can interbreed, after all. So can chihuahuas and Great Danes.
Did Ned Stark have any uncle or aunt?
No.
I asume that important families like the Starks would keep in touch with their greatuncle and greatuncle's grandkids; cousin and 2nd cousin and 3rd cousin and so forth. So there would be a lot more Starks around than just the 7 we saw (like the Freys or Lannisters).
There are probably some descendants of offshoot branches from the family tree floating around the north, most likely in White Harbor and Barrowton.
I'm sorry to bother you again, but one thing struck me as off, when I read about Mance Rayder's wife, Dalla, preparing to give birth. I know that you haven't asked, but in case there are other births in your books...
Laboring and birthing in bed is something of a modern, western thing. As a woman who has given birth three times, twice unmedicated and once in my own home, I can tell you that unmedicated women in labor are powerful, not passive! They walk, they sway and dance and move. They moan, howl, rock, pace, squat. They give birth squatting, or on hands and knees, and are quite capable of catching their baby in their own hands. Check out Sheila Kitzinger's book Rediscovering Birth. It explains some of the history and anthropolgy of birth in different cultures.
Fierce warrior women would not take birth lying down! They would be active, strong, and show how powerful they are while bringing forth new life.
Well, point taken. I'll take a look at that book if it turns out that I need to describe another birth... especially if it's from the viewpoint of one of POV characters.
However, in my own defense, I should note that Dalla was not a "warrior woman" per se. She was from a warrior culture, yes; one that gave women the right, but not the obligation, to be fighters. Ygritte was a warrior woman, as was (most conspicuously) the fearsome Harma Dogshead. Dalla and Val were not.
Also, though I don't go into details, something was obviously amiss during Dalla's labor, since it killed her. Childbirth isn't quite the killer in Westeros that it was in medieval Europe in the real world, since Westeros has the maesters, who are a considerable improvement over medieval barber/surgeons... but the levels of mortality for both infant and mother would still be frighteningly high by modern standards. And the wildlings don't have maesters. Nor do they have any handy healing magics, such as we see in many other fantasy epics. Dalla did not even have a midwife at the crucial moment. Presumably the midwife was scared off by the big battle going on all around them as the birth was happening. Dalla had only her sister Val. All that being said, if I do depict another birth, I promise to consider all of this more thoroughly beforehand.
I love your books, and I would be glad to answer any questions you might have about birth or breastfeeding!
I'll take you up on that... although this question may be outside your area of expertise. In a medieval setting like mine, if neither the mother nor a wet nurse is available to feed an infant, what sort of milk would be best for the child? Cow's milk? Goat milk? Mare's milk? Could anything be added to it to make it more nourishing, and a better substitute for human breast milk? At what age can solid food be added... and what sort of solid food should it be, in a world before Gerber's? I know honey can kill infants, but I don't know what's good for them. Porridge? Mashed turnips? Stewed something-or-other? Stewed fruit sounds as though it might be an idea, but they don't have a lot of fresh fruit on the Wall right now, with winter almost upon them.
Any info you can provide would be appreciated.
When was the year of the false spring?
Don't have my references to hand, but it was a year or two before the start of Robert's Rebellion.
I am re-reading AsoIaF (I am about of the way through AsoS as I write this). I would have to say that this series, considered as a single work, is one of my favorite stories - definitely the best within the genre.
Thanks. That's high praise indeed.
About a year ago I was lucky enough to find a first ed. HC copy of A Game of Thrones offered for sale on the internet by a used bookstore in Washington state. I happily paid over the $35 or so dollars that the seller wanted for it.
You got quite a bargain. That book goes for several hundred dollars now. Take good care of yours.
Well, it turns out that you were doing a signing in another area bookstore and the seller offered to have it signed at no additional charge. Of course I agreed. I'm proud to have that book as the centerpiece of my growing collection of books.
Anyway, I look forward to reading your latest installment. I know it will be great. Thanks for writing it.
A FEAST FOR CROWS continues to grow, though slowly. Sorry it has taken so long. I hope it will be worth the wait.
Meanwhile, there is an excerpt from the new book in the March issue of DRAGON magazine, available at most good newsstands and gaming stores. It's called "Arms of the Kraken." Check it out. It may help pass the time until the novel is done.
Please consider visiting the Chicago area for a signing. I would love to meet you in person and have you personalize a copy of the new book for me!
I did signings in Chicago for the first and second books, but the turnout was pretty meagre, so my publisher did not send me back for the third. Whether or not Chicago will be back on the tour for the fourth volume, I couldn't say. It's my publisher who makes these calls, not me. All I can tell you in to watch the Appearances page on my website.
Let me start with the big fan opener: I am one, read ASOIAF 5 times over, can't wait for the next book, etc., etc...
Glad to hear it.
Now to the meat of this email.
Where do you get the names of your characters?
I make them up. In many cases, they are variants of real names -- Eddard for Edward, for example. They have to have the right "sound," though. It is hard to explain... and hard to do as well.
I am a big proponent of the theory that "names have power". Not in the fantasy sense, where the holder of a true name can make you stand on your head or somesuch, but in the phonetic sense, for lack of a better description. I feel that names can evoke a feeling about a character, describe a character, better than a whole page devoted to just that.
I agree.
You should read some Jack Vance. He's marvelous with names. Tolkien was very good as well.
Almost every name you use in ASOIAF do just that.
Greatjon Umber Gregor Clegane Lannister Stark
I could go on and on.
So, Where do you get the names of your characters? How do you come up with them? Do you TRY to give characters names that will evoke feelings in the mind of the reader, or is that just a lucky coincidence?
You want the names to be evocative, yes.
Would you think about naming any of your characters Bale, in honor of my EZboard nick...? ;)
Nice try.
Thank you, and keep up the great work! We are all rooting for you!
I appreciate it.