It’s now a whooping 14 years since the release of “A Feast for Crows”, a book that has been met with considerable disappointment back when it was released after an unprecedented five-year-wait (oh, sweet summer child, what do you know of waiting times) after the exhilariting high that was “A Storm of Swords”. Since then, however, it has steadily risen in appreciation for many readers and is widely regarded as one of the top novels of the series. I personally rank it second after “A Dance with Dragons”, but I know of others who even rank it first.

Today, I’m getting Jim McGeehin (SomethingLikeALawyer from Wars and Politics of Ice and Fire) back on board to discuss the meaning of the title of the novel: “A Feast for Crows”. Why is there a feast in the first place, and who are the crows? We go through the different story arcs and visit the Ironborn, torn between three distinct political futures, have a look at how the monarchy is disintegrating in King’s Landing, look at Braavos, where Arya’s and Sam’s fates intertwine for a moment, and also don’t neglect the fate of the three kingdoms so far spared from the corpse heap the titular crows are feeding from: Dorne, the Reach and the Vale. What’s in store for them when the Winds of Winter come calling?

Folllow us through a ride, analyzing the themes, the character arcs, the plot and all the while compare it to our own rich history. Is Jaime acting in the same mental headspace as the American troops in Iraq? Can you ever conquer and occupy a country like the Ironborn try with the North, or will you always suffer the fate of the invading Wehrmacht in Ukraine? May it be a mistake to introduce religious fanatism to a world ravaged by civil war (spoiler alert: yes)?

All of those heady questions come together in a deep tapestry in the current episode of the Boiled Leather Audio Hour, brought to you by Supreme Boiler of Leather Morgan!

PS: If you play the “A Game of Thrones” boardgame by Fantasy Flight Games, Amin Javadi from the Podcast of Ice and Fire would very much like you to take part in this survey:https://boardgamegeek.com/thread/2145938/game-thrones-board-game-tournament-survey-formThanks a lot!  

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