You should've sold it less with the Icy Undead Soldiers of Doom and more with the Perilous Webs of Intrigue if you wanted me to pick it up sooner, but that's not to say the Others were any kind of letdown. They were absolutely bone-chilling, what little we see of them. I think it's the personal touch that does it (really hope Jon never meets Benjen,on that note.) That, and it gives Martin the perfect opportunity to tell us he is a ruthless killer of his characters. More fool I that I didn't heed it. He killed off my favorite of the lot. And not only that, but the jaws of the plot closed in on him like a well-oiled machine. No slap-dash tragedian he, but that only aided in making me a nervous wreck the night after I finished.
Did I mention I really want to kill the Lannisters?
Baelish's betrayal didn't come as such a great shock in and of itself - if you're not a complete outsider like Illyrio and that other guy (was it Pycelle?), it couldn't be plainer what he wants (Catelyn), and besides, distrusting a guy called Petyr Littlefinger is more or less in my blood - but at that particular moment, with that kind of efficiency - oh man. (Hm, wait, what does he have against Tyrion? Maybe I should reread, it'll help pass the time.)
Speaking of said trap, not a viewpoint chapter went by during which I did not want to smack Sansa upside her fool head.
Also speaking of said trap, it's amazing how much Ned's confrontation of Cersei actually made sense. I was like "what are you telling her for, you bloody-damned fool?" but the weight behind his threats was actually pretty good - it's just that he put all his lots on Robert's safe return. I was screaming at Robert for getting drunk off his arse the morning of the tournament, too... I'll bet that the bloody Lannisters provided the wine both times, with Cersei so ambitious and in a lifelong snit to boot. The next time someone says "I am woman, hear me roar" - if anyone actually says that - I will warn the people never to call her the wrong name during sex.
My second-favorite characters are Jon and Robb, which is quite promising for my enjoyment of Clash of Kings. In fact, if Robb had his father's ambition, he would probably be first, but as it is, he's one more on the heap of families disregarding their motto, even if he would make the best king of the current contenders. Lessee... Robert is generally pretty mellow, the Arryns are into kangaroo courts, the Lannisters aren't exactly up-front, and now Robb is on a fool expedition to the south with winter on his heels. (Come to think of it, did Jon think to send a raven after that little incident at Castle Black? I don't remember, but in any case I'm sure Yoren got the memo.)
And that brings me to a request you'll never hear again. Clash of Kings doesn't arrive till Monday, which with an ending like that, is far too long by my reckoning, so I ask you for a spoiler that's bound to be resolved pretty early into the book. To wit: Is it too much to hope that Jon will see his favorite sibling sporting a lot of black and a smurf facial scar?
All this with twenty-eight days to Deathly Hallows - if my love for Harry Potter wasn't still so manifest, I'd take myself for a cheating h0r.