For those of you that are fans of the books....
I have been reading the first book (Game of Thrones), for the 2nd time, during the last couple of weeks. I am really enjoying reading it again, and would recommend a re-read if you have the time/interest. It is cool to go through it again when you know the true personality of the characters (especially Littlefinger and Varys). You catch a lot of hints that meant nothing to you when you read it the first time.
With that said, I think have found 2 major plot issues (probably 1 major and 1 minor) with GRRMs story.
In the prologue, 3 Crows from the Night's Watch are north of the Wall. Two of them leave the 3rd behind (Garon, I think his name is) to watch their horses, before they run into WW and get killed. We don't know what happens to Garon, but later find out that he fled south of the Wall, and was caught by Northmen, who summoned Ned Stark. Stark beheads him before he reveals what he saw or why he abandoned the Night's Watch. (in the show he talks about White Walkers, in the books he says nothing).
In the next chapter, the Starks find the dead Direwolf and her 6 pups. They talk about how no one has seen a Direwolf south of the Wall in many years (suggesting that she recently made her way past the wall somehow).
Plot issue #1: Garon, and the Direwolf, found a way to get past the Wall that did not include going through Castle Black (or other Night's Watch passage), or climbing over the Wall. In later books, the reader is led to believe that there are only 2 ways past the Wall, unless Mance can find a way to knock it down (or at least part of it). A) through a Night's Watch passage at one of their castles. B). Climbing over the wall, which takes multiple skilled individuals and specialized equipment.
Additional evidence: In a Tyrion chapter of GOT, Lord Commader Mormont tells Tyrion that Ned sent Garon's head back to Castle Black after he chopped it off. Mormont states that they didn't know what had happened to Garon before the head arrived. That eliminates the possibility that Garon returned to Castle Black prior to heading south. He got across the Wall some other way. Also, in that chapter, Mormont tells Tyrion that the men at the Shadow Tower have found evidence of Wildlings from the mountains, "slipping past" the Shadow Tower. We know that Garon, and his 2 companions, were west of Castle Black, somewhere close to the Shadow Tower (per the Prologue). Therefore, it seems likely that it is relatively easy for Wildlings (and Dire Wolves) to get past the Wall, through the mountains, west of the Shadow Tower. Most likely, this is how Osha, and her 5 friends got past the Wall, but they could have climbed over if they had the right skill/equipment. So, why didn't the Wildlings that were with Jon and Ygritte, just head west and sneak through the mountains, rather than acting like their only chance was to climb over? Why didn't Mance send his entire army toward the Shadow Tower, rather than Castle Black?
This concept of being able to go through the mountains makes more sense in context of Mance claiming that he had ventured south of the Wall many times, and in context of revealing that Wildlings have been raiding south of the Wall with regularity over the years. But, it doesn't fit with the part of the book where the group, with Jon, riskily tries to climb over, or with Mance's feverish search for the Horn of Winter.
Plot hole #2:
Mormont also reveals to Tyrion that he sent Benjen, and 6 others north of the Wall to search for Garon, Will and Wymar Royce. He shares this info, then follows up with the information that Ned had sent Garon's head back to the Wall. Why would Mormont send 7 guys to search north of the Wall, when he knows that, at least, 1 of the 3 missing men ended up south of the Wall? How does he know that the 3 missing guys didn't all head south of the Wall?
And, before you say that maybe he sent them before Garon's head arrived at Castle Black...Why wouldn't Ned send the head with Benjen/Jon since they were going to Castle Black anyway?
I have been reading the first book (Game of Thrones), for the 2nd time, during the last couple of weeks. I am really enjoying reading it again, and would recommend a re-read if you have the time/interest. It is cool to go through it again when you know the true personality of the characters (especially Littlefinger and Varys). You catch a lot of hints that meant nothing to you when you read it the first time.
With that said, I think have found 2 major plot issues (probably 1 major and 1 minor) with GRRMs story.
In the prologue, 3 Crows from the Night's Watch are north of the Wall. Two of them leave the 3rd behind (Garon, I think his name is) to watch their horses, before they run into WW and get killed. We don't know what happens to Garon, but later find out that he fled south of the Wall, and was caught by Northmen, who summoned Ned Stark. Stark beheads him before he reveals what he saw or why he abandoned the Night's Watch. (in the show he talks about White Walkers, in the books he says nothing).
In the next chapter, the Starks find the dead Direwolf and her 6 pups. They talk about how no one has seen a Direwolf south of the Wall in many years (suggesting that she recently made her way past the wall somehow).
Plot issue #1: Garon, and the Direwolf, found a way to get past the Wall that did not include going through Castle Black (or other Night's Watch passage), or climbing over the Wall. In later books, the reader is led to believe that there are only 2 ways past the Wall, unless Mance can find a way to knock it down (or at least part of it). A) through a Night's Watch passage at one of their castles. B). Climbing over the wall, which takes multiple skilled individuals and specialized equipment.
Additional evidence: In a Tyrion chapter of GOT, Lord Commader Mormont tells Tyrion that Ned sent Garon's head back to Castle Black after he chopped it off. Mormont states that they didn't know what had happened to Garon before the head arrived. That eliminates the possibility that Garon returned to Castle Black prior to heading south. He got across the Wall some other way. Also, in that chapter, Mormont tells Tyrion that the men at the Shadow Tower have found evidence of Wildlings from the mountains, "slipping past" the Shadow Tower. We know that Garon, and his 2 companions, were west of Castle Black, somewhere close to the Shadow Tower (per the Prologue). Therefore, it seems likely that it is relatively easy for Wildlings (and Dire Wolves) to get past the Wall, through the mountains, west of the Shadow Tower. Most likely, this is how Osha, and her 5 friends got past the Wall, but they could have climbed over if they had the right skill/equipment. So, why didn't the Wildlings that were with Jon and Ygritte, just head west and sneak through the mountains, rather than acting like their only chance was to climb over? Why didn't Mance send his entire army toward the Shadow Tower, rather than Castle Black?
This concept of being able to go through the mountains makes more sense in context of Mance claiming that he had ventured south of the Wall many times, and in context of revealing that Wildlings have been raiding south of the Wall with regularity over the years. But, it doesn't fit with the part of the book where the group, with Jon, riskily tries to climb over, or with Mance's feverish search for the Horn of Winter.
Plot hole #2:
Mormont also reveals to Tyrion that he sent Benjen, and 6 others north of the Wall to search for Garon, Will and Wymar Royce. He shares this info, then follows up with the information that Ned had sent Garon's head back to the Wall. Why would Mormont send 7 guys to search north of the Wall, when he knows that, at least, 1 of the 3 missing men ended up south of the Wall? How does he know that the 3 missing guys didn't all head south of the Wall?
And, before you say that maybe he sent them before Garon's head arrived at Castle Black...Why wouldn't Ned send the head with Benjen/Jon since they were going to Castle Black anyway?
