Last week during the Game of Thrones panel at San Diego Comic Con, George R.R. Martin, the writer of the A Song of Ice and Fire series said that he might be interested in writing other stories set in Westeros. Seeing that George R.R. Martin (affectionately known by fans as GRRM) loves to take his sweet time in between books, here is a helpful, little list of topics to give him some ideas while he works out the complex web that is the ASOIAF story line. Also added is the number of books he could possibly squeeze out of each topic. Warning, in the words of modern-day pirates: here there be spoilers.
4. The Greyjoy Rebellion:
Deep, deep, deep, deep down inside the hearts of most ASOIAF fans there is a certain love for the Greyjoys. Admit it, Theon was kinda cool before he sacked Winterfell and A Dance With Dragons made you feel some sort of pity for him. The Iron Islanders are a colorful group of people as well. Their rowdy and rebellious ways make for the kind of stuff Twisted Sister and Billy Idol dreamed about. The Greyjoys are an interesting group because they have one of the most messed-up family dynamics in Westeros. Euron and Victarion’s deadly rivalry, Damphair’s overzealous piety, and Alannys Harlaw’s grieving madness make for one amazing Jerry Springer Dr. Phil episode. A book delving deeper into the rebellion could expand on their family and the root of their issues. Readers could get a deeper understanding of this dysfunctional family. What was Balon like before the death of his older sons? From the moment readers are introduced to the Lord of Pyke it seemed all he ever cared about was avenging the deaths of his sons,Rodrik and Maron, but what were the fabled sons really like? The same goes for the other side of the rebellion as well. The Greyjoy rebellion was Robert Baratheon’s biggest challenge while he sat on the Iron Throne. How well did he handle the news? How much manipulation, if any, did Littlefinger and Varys have with the rebellion? How did the Starks deal with the rebellion? The last time Ned went off to war he came home with Jon Snow, surely Catelyn had her reservations seeing Ned leave again. With the right amount of writing the whole situation could make for one interesting read.
Number of books: 1.
Even though we secretly love the Greyjoys that doesn’t change the fact that some of the fandom refer to them as the “No1currjoys”
3. The Age of Heroes
From the beginning of A Game of Thrones readers have heard about Bran the Builder, the legendary founder of House Stark who built the Wall and Winterfell. Most of the noble houses can trace their lines back to a figure from the Age of Heroes. It would be fascinating to read more about theses legendary people during a time before Aegon’s Landing. We could get a glimpse of an ancient Westeros before the Andals landed. What’s interesting about the Age of Heroes is that this was a time when magic ruled the land. Giants are said to have helped Bran the Builder when he constructed the Wall. There’s an air of mystery surrounding this time period due to it being so long ago. The people of the Age of Heroes laid down the groundwork for so many houses and lands. There’s so many fables and tales that GRRM could expand on with this relatively unknown mythos.
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Number of books: 1-2
There are many different ways GRRM could undertake this process. He could make a mini-series of books in different POVs much like the ASOIAF series. He could also create a book of myths involving certain characters from the Age of Heroes.
2. The Conquest of Aegon and his sisters
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Aegon’s landing on the shores of Westeros changed the country forever. The subsequent war and conquest untied separate kingdoms into one kingdom under the rule of the Dragon lords. It would be gripping to read about the journey Aegon and his sisters had to take in order to rally people to their cause and then wage war on Westeros on the backs of their full-grown dragons. Reading about the Field of Fire through the eyes of King Loren of the Rock or King Mern of the Reach would be so captivating. Seeing three giant dragons hovering above you must have been a terrifying experience, so much so that the outcome of the Field of Fire forced King Torrhen of the North to yield and forgo his crown and dominion over the North. Learning more about Aegon and his sisters could help answer questions about ancient Valyria and the mysterious Doom that destroyed the civilization. Aegon and his sisters, Visenya and Rhaenys, altered the course of Westerosi history forever, they deserve to have a few books written about them for that feat.
Number of books: 3+
Rome wasn’t built in a day and the tale of Aegon and his sister’s conquest can’t be told in just one book. Plus dragons, dragons always need more than one book.
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4. Robert’s Rebellion
Naturally, the tale of the rebellion that slayed the dragon and crowned the stag has to be put onto paper. The drama that spurred Robert into action seems like something from a Nicholas Sparks novel. The kidnapping of Robert’s beloved, Lyanna Stark, by Prince Rhagar started a course that changed Westeros forever. From that one event, houses rose and collapsed. The whole country was turned upside down, it was complete madness. The aftermath of the rebellion left deep scars on almost everyone who was a part of the war. If GRRM were to write a book about the Rebellion then readers could get a deeper understanding of the key players: Eddard Stark, Robert Baratheon, Barristan Selmy, Prince Rhagar etc. men who entered the war one way and left it completely different. Robert’s Rebellion had to have been a great battle. 15 years after it had happened, people in Westeros were still hung up over it and they still had questions. Certainly, we have questions as well. There are too many uncertainties and mysteries over what happened during the rebellion that we won’t be satisfied until we get some answers.
Number of books: 3+
There are so many battles and characters to Robert’s Rebellion that it deserves no less than three books in order to give the story its proper due. Seeing as Robert’s Rebellion is viewed by some as the prequel to the events in the A Song of Ice of Fire series it certainly deserves to be written about. There’s only two books left in the series and it’s doubtful that all of our questions will be answered by the time the final book comes out. So writing a book about Robert’s Rebellion would help answer all of the nagging little questions that fill our mind’s. Also, we would all love to see more of Eddard Stark, pre-beheading.
What other stories would you like GRRM to expand on? Or do you think after A Song of Ice and Fire he should move on to writing about other stuff? Leave a little something below, and let me know what you think.
Big thanks to the ASOIAF wiki for all the facts and amazing pictures
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