[SPOILERS] A Dance With Dragons

[HisMajestyBOB]

Manderly is one of my new favourite characters.. though he does remind me suspiciously of Martin himself, what with this extreme fatness, extreme stark loyalty and all round general late delivery of promised products.

Yep, the thought crossed my mind as well. 

I just wish he'd done something more spectacular at Winterfell. Hell, I wish Martin had written up a big battle between Stannis and the Boltons but alas, it's all off-screen at best. Seriously, absolutly nothing of note has happened in the series for 10 years now.

It's hard to believe this is the same author that wrote the Battle of the Blackwater and gave it to us in all its glory. Whatever happened to him?
Maybe he got eaten by a his neeps and onions eating nuncle. Words are wind, especially when they fill a 900 page book with little action or accomplishment.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I have not bought this book. I greatly enjoyed the first two books but then became concerned at the slowdown of the story. It started to have a soap opera feel..........perhaps Eddard Stark is not really dead at all, perhaps he is Bobby Ewing and the whole thing is a dream.......

...........one ceases to care one way or the other.

[Razgovory]

I have not bought this book. I greatly enjoyed the first two books but then became concerned at the slowdown of the story. It started to have a soap opera feel..........perhaps Eddard Stark is not really dead at all, perhaps he is Bobby Ewing and the whole thing is a dream.......

...........one ceases to care one way or the other.

This was the impression I was getting.  There seems to be inordinate number of people switched with a double right before they die.  Or in some cases simply come back from the dead.

[Tamas]

I have not bought this book. I greatly enjoyed the first two books but then became concerned at the slowdown of the story. It started to have a soap opera feel..........perhaps Eddard Stark is not really dead at all, perhaps he is Bobby Ewing and the whole thing is a dream.......

...........one ceases to care one way or the other.

This was the impression I was getting.  There seems to be inordinate number of people switched with a double right before they die.  Or in some cases simply come back from the dead.

well yes. Initially, one of the things which grabbed me about the series was the ease Martin massacred seemingly important characters. Made for good reading because you would never know what was coming. But with characters being resurrected left and right, that aspect is being inflated to near-worthlessness. Jon is almost the last straw.

[Syt]

I have not bought this book. I greatly enjoyed the first two books but then became concerned at the slowdown of the story. It started to have a soap opera feel..........perhaps Eddard Stark is not really dead at all, perhaps he is Bobby Ewing and the whole thing is a dream.......

...........one ceases to care one way or the other.

I feel with you. One of the main reasons I had to stop 100 or so pages into the third book.

[Solmyr]

How many people are actually resurrected or switched with a double?

Beric Dondarrion and Catelyn, neither of whom are very central to the greater story.
Bran and Rickon, but this is more of an in-story switch and we learn almost immediately that they are not dead.
Aegon, who might not actually be Aegon.
Mance, who is probably going to die anyway.
Gregor, who gets turned into Gregorstein.
Theon, who is not really switched since everybody seems to know who he is. And his storyline is ossum.

The dead Starks are dead. Robert and Renly are dead. Tywin is dead. Walder Frey will be eaten by Lord Manderly. Granted, Jon will almost certainly be resurrected in some way or turn out to be not quite dead (or be forcibly warged into his wolf a la Varamyr). But still, I don't see *that* many important characters getting resurrected.

[Viking]

Rob probably warged into Greywind. The Westerling squire stood his ground to help greywind escape (depending on which rumor you choose to listen to). Though I'm slightly confused why Robbwind and Nymeria haven't joined up.

[Habbaku]

Though I'm slightly confused why Robbwind and Nymeria haven't joined up.

  What interest would Nymeria have in finding a half-wolf, half-boy corpse?

[Syt]

http://www.collegehumor.com/video/6579356/game-of-thrones-rpg

[Viking]

Though I'm slightly confused why Robbwind and Nymeria haven't joined up.

  What interest would Nymeria have in finding a half-wolf, half-boy corpse?

greywind's head being stitched onto Robbs body is second hand and merely one among many rumors.

[Solmyr]

I'm pretty sure that if Grey Wind was running around somewhere, people would notice and talk about it. Like how many different people talk about sightings of Nymeria and her pack.

[Viking]

I'm pretty sure that if Grey Wind was running around somewhere, people would notice and talk about it. Like how many different people talk about sightings of Nymeria and her pack.

Nymeria the direwolf is not the same as Robb permanently warged into Greywind. Greywind as a thinking reasoning monster is far more frightening than Nymeria and her megapack.

[Habbaku]

Though I'm slightly confused why Robbwind and Nymeria haven't joined up.

  What interest would Nymeria have in finding a half-wolf, half-boy corpse?

greywind's head being stitched onto Robbs body is second hand and merely one among many rumors.

There are multiple sources that talk of how the "beast" was killed.  You're just making rumors up at this point.

[Razgovory]

How many people are actually resurrected or switched with a double?

Beric Dondarrion and Catelyn, neither of whom are very central to the greater story.
Bran and Rickon, but this is more of an in-story switch and we learn almost immediately that they are not dead.
Aegon, who might not actually be Aegon.
Mance, who is probably going to die anyway.
Gregor, who gets turned into Gregorstein.
Theon, who is not really switched since everybody seems to know who he is. And his storyline is ossum.

The dead Starks are dead. Robert and Renly are dead. Tywin is dead. Walder Frey will be eaten by Lord Manderly. Granted, Jon will almost certainly be resurrected in some way or turn out to be not quite dead (or be forcibly warged into his wolf a la Varamyr). But still, I don't see *that* many important characters getting resurrected.

Davos Seaworth as well.

[Viking]

Though I'm slightly confused why Robbwind and Nymeria haven't joined up.

  What interest would Nymeria have in finding a half-wolf, half-boy corpse?

greywind's head being stitched onto Robbs body is second hand and merely one among many rumors.

There are multiple sources that talk of how the "beast" was killed.  You're just making rumors up at this point.

Raynald Westerling not freed the wolf from a net it was in when they started shooting bolts at it, before he was hacked and fell into the river... (remaining details left out)

And he'll have it, as soon as I grow a new hand, thought Jaime. "We all have expectations," he said mildly. "Tell me, is Ser Raynald Westerling amongst these captives?"
"The knight of seashells?" Edwyn sneered. "You'll find that one feeding the fish at the bottom of the Green Fork."
"He was in the yard when our men came to put the direwolf down," said Walder Rivers. "Whalen demanded his sword and he gave it over meek enough, but when the crossbowmen began feathering the wolf he seized Whalen's axe and cut the monster loose of the net they'd thrown over him. Whalen says he took a quarrel in his shoulder and another in the gut, but still managed to reach the wallwalk and throw himself into the river."
"He left a trail of blood on the steps," said Edwyn.
"Did you find his corpse afterward?" asked Jaime.

I think the wolf got away and I think Robb warged into the wolf before dying.